South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-02-09

wedding present stlpulating, how
ever. that after the latter's death
hey were TO return 10 the crown.
10 which she bequeathed her other
principal ornaments, among others
the magnificent pearl necklace
which the emperor had given her
on their marriage, 10 which queen
Victoria refers i'm her diary saving
that "Frit<'s pearls are the largest
! ever saw; one row.
But one OF the most remarkable
things in the collection of the Prus-
sian crown jewels are the emeralds
huge ones which come from the
House Of Brunswick and which
We're brought 20 Berlin 10y Queen
Eliza beth Christine. the consoit of
Frederick the Great These seldom
see the light of day. as enc is too
fearful lest anything happen 20
them, since an unfortunate accident
which occurred TO the then Crown
Princess Victoria some 40 years ago.
There had been a fancy ball given
10y her parents-in-law. for which the
old Emperor William 1 had allowed
her 20 borrow from the treasury
these same emeralds. What was the
horror OF the princess. when she dis
covered on her return home 20 her
own palace, that one of these mar
Vicious stones had dropped out of its
setting. A strict search was insti-
tuted everywhere, but it could not
be found. and the princess was no
.
loss. which. with the best will i'm
the world. she could not do. as the
jewelers. who were asked 10 find an
identical stone declared that it was
impossible TO match it. Terrible
scenes ensued and the Empress
Augusta did not spare her daughter
in-law whom she accused of care
lessness. The old lady was paying
off an old grudge because she her
self was extremely fond of the
emeralds in question and had been
furious that the crown princess had
been authorized to wear them.
The Missing Stone.
But the most curious part of the
story has still 20 be told. Two or
three years after this fateful ball
the curtains in one of the rooms in
the palace needed TO be cleaned or
renewed. When they were taken
down something dropped to the
floor, which TO the general surprise
and delight. turned out TO be the
missing stone. 1t must have been
swept off by the long train OF some
lady and became entanSled in the
folds Of these curtains, where il had
lain the whole time. 1t is useless to
mention the JOY Of the crown prin-
cess. but she was never allowed to
wear any Of the crown jewels after
the catastrophe and for the matter
OF that. nothing would ever have
induced her 10 do so.
The present empress of Germany
is also fond Of precious stones, and
she has considerably added TO her
private Jewels since her accession to
the throne, which very probably she
viii also in her turn leave TO the
crown. Her turGIoises in particular
re absolutely wonderful and her
pearls could compete with the IA
nous necklace Of Queen Margherita
of italy. Not being possessed by a
long way with a faultless taste Au-
gusta Victoria eXaggerates the splen-
dor which ladies in her exalted posi-
ton are obliged 70 display, and she
loads herself with all the orna-
ments her person can carry without
the least discrimination.
The Empress Marie FeodorOwna
Of Russia. mother Of Nicholas IL,
once gave her a lesson in that re-
spect. II was during an official visit
which William III with his cOnsort
paid at the Russian court. At the
state dinner which was given in
honor of it the German empress ap-
peared literally covered with pearls
and diamonds. which not only
adorned her head. neck and arms,
but which were also sewn all over
her dress But the czarina, though
she received her in a magnificent
gown of cloth of silver, which was
miracle of beauty and of costly sim
plicity. wore but one row OF match
less pearls around her neck, and
nothing else in the way Of orna-
ments. II seems that Augusta Vic
tria understood the lesson, and that
she resented II bitterly