The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1922-03-18
The Disappearing Diamonds
BY Frederick J. Haskin.

The great collection Of Russian
crown jewels seems likely to share
the mysterious fate of the peacock
throne in Delhi.
The peacock throne, which cost
Shah Jehan s30,OOO,O 900, was a Won
derful canopied chair of pure gold in
crusted with rubies. sapphires and
festoons of pearls, and ornamented
with two great jeweled peacocks and
a life-sized parrot cut from a single
emerald. 1t was a fabulous work of
art and when II slipped out of sight
after the death of the shah there was
much speculation. Presumably a
strand of pearls was Topped here. a
ruby pried of there. and the emerald
/ parrot cut into a number of less dis
tinct jewels. To-day a mere throne
framework in Teheran is pointed out
uncertainty as the peacock throne.
The crown jewels of Russia are
supposed to be slipping away in sim
liar fashion. There was no word of
any footing when the Kremlin in
Moscow, where the glittering jewels
of royalty reposed, fell into the hands
of the revolutionists. The Kremlin has
been guarded by the soviet govern
ment. The condition Of the great
collection of jewels in the royal treas
ury galleries is yelled in mystery.
South African papers in close touch
with the diamond trade state that
10000. 900 worth of stolen Russian
diamonds were thrown on the jewel
market in ten months in Iceland
the crown jewel collection of Russia
vas particularly rich in diamonds.
The diamond production industry
has been seriously disturbed by the
large number of these gems coming
out of Russia, but now the situation
is reported as more stable. Some
South African mines that stopped
producing to await a demand for
their stones are at work again.
CROWN JEWELS ON THEMARKET
That some OF the jewels which
have so affected the international
trade are from the royal collection
there is no doubt. For instance, a
gem expert In this city. w. C. Shaw.
had two snuff boxes from the royal
possessions.
lone of these snuff boxes" said
Mr.. Shaw. bore a portrait In enamel
of the grandfather Of the late car.
This was the car who was killed by
a bomb while driving In his carriage
lot so many years ago. Around the
portrait were %concentric rings of dia-
monds. This SNUFF box was a gift to
the czar and was made in France.
The other box. Of Russian workman
ship, was oblong and made of pure,
highly chased gold"
These boxes have gone to swell the
collections of American connoisseurs,
Mr.. Shaw explained that. while
very little is known of the fate OF the
Russian crown jewels, agents of the
soviet government are known to have
sold jewels In Turkey. Holland and
other places.
"Jewelry of wonderful workman
ship" he said, has been sold by
peasants, in some cases. for ridiculous
prices. A piece that was worth $780,
900 has sometimes been sold for $50
in the first trade. Then. as 1t fell
into the hands of experts, the price
would rapidly reach what might be
called a normal level.
1.-THE greatest part of the jewels
that have come from Russia lately
have gone to London. Many dia.
monds. however. have been sent to
Holland to be recut. There does MOI
seem to have been any fear Of pieces
being identified. There was no spec
ial attempt to have the appearance
changed. There was no need for the
methods of a burglar dealing with the
property of departed royalty.
Moreover. the artistry of the Rus
sian settings enhances the value of
the gems. The niello work-patterns
Of black alleged metal on white
and the beautiful enameling are too
much admired to be recklessly de-
stroyed.
STONES BEING RECUT
Pieces. have been changed. rather,
because the stones we're what Is
known as old mine cutting. Nine
tenths of the diamonds In old collec-
tions like that Of the Russian crown.
are old mine cutting. That means
that they were cut by hand, and the
facets OF a hand-out stone are neither
so numerous nor so sharply cut as
those of a stone cut by modern ma
chinery. The machine-cut stones.
with their mathematically correct
facets. are far more brilliant than
these old diamonds. So. even though
recruiting involves a loss of about 30
per cent of a stone. the old diamonds
must be recut before they are desir-
able for the modern jewelry trade"