Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-09-26
Told of the Notables.

Col. Vignal. military attache of the
French embassy. has now been Joined
by his wife and for the present they
Will make their home at The Highlands
The return of Col. and Nine. Vignal
TO Washington after an absence of
some ten or twelve years is a subject
OF congratulation in society. where
they were such general favorites when
attached to the embassy in former
years. At that time the distinguished
colonel was captain and with his
unusually accomplished wife kept house
In the West End. where their home was
verftable treasure trove.
Both Col. and Nine. Vignal are great
travellers and connoisseurs, and into
their home they had gathered about
them such a rare and costly collection
as is seldom seen outside of a museum:
Especially fond of carvings. they had
gathered furniture of all descriptions
from literally every quarter of the
globe. Not country in Europe but
was represented. and for some of their
rarer carved furniture they had gath
cred bits from China, Japan and India.
From French Morocco they had brought
orient were jades, crystals, embroid-
cries. bronzes and armor. as well as
paintings that might well be coveted
even by the Metropolitan Museum of
New OTk, winch Is so SlSndllN IOTtu-
nate in magnificent requests of such
nature.
Mime. Bakhmeteff. wife of the Rus
sian ambassador. possesses two of the
most unique necklaces in this country,
and 1t is no eXaggeration to state that
no crowned head in the universe pos
sesses a more magnificent and unusual
emerald necklace than that which, be-
cause of it's value, has to be kept in
strong box at the bank and is only
worn when there are several plain
clothes men about to insure Its safety.
This is yard-yes. literally yard
of uncut emeralds finished at either end
with rope ends of the largest uncut
emeralds possessed outside of the royal
collection of Russia. Such stones they
are as Washington has never before
seen and is never likely again to be-
hold on any private individual AS
a matter of fact, Washington seldom
does see this yard of uncut emeralds.
as. both because of their rarity and
value added to their unusual weight,
Nine. Bakhmeteff is usually loath to
wear them.
The only other instance in which
plain clothes men were necessary to
guard a magnificent collection of jew
els on any one individual at Wash
ington functions was when during the
first Cleveland administration Mrs.
Hicks-Lord came down from New York
10 attend the diplomatic reception at
the White House as the guest of the
late eX-Secretary of the Navy and Mrs.
William c. Whitney. On that occasion
Mrs Hicks-Lord, in addition to her
breastplate of diamonds, had the white
satin overdraperies of her gown lit
orally fringed with diamonds which,
suspended fringelike from the edge
of this drapery, caused such a sensa-
ton, as she walked the length of the
east room, as has never before nor
since been known at any gathering in
this city.
The second unique necklace possessed |
by Nine. Bakhmetef is one which the |
wife of the Russian ambassador wears |
only at Easter week, and then appears |
about her throat for the entire period. |
This is a slender chain Of finely