SOME FAMOUS JEWELS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13307, 13 October 1906, Page 5 (Supplement)

SOME FAMOUS JEWELS.

When Mrs. St. John Broderick, a leader of English fashion, secured* some almost priceless Egyptian gems, that had long been hidden from the light in the tomb of descendant of the Rameses, proclaiming at the same time their virtue in propitiating the gods of fortune, there was quite an active demand for similar ornaments. Mrs. Clarence Mackay, of New York, was among those whb secured a prize from the sepulchres of tho Nile land. Site wear's a weird carnelian necklace that, once decked a daughter of the Pharaohs. Some women are especially enamoured of the cult of the month stone. It was the beautiful Princess Henry of Pless who set the fashion of turquoises for fair women, thus permitting the blonde daughters of December to appropriately deck themselves with these dainty blue stones. It- is said that the exquisite blonde colouring of the .Marchioness of Dutierin never shows ..to better advantage than when she is wearing her wonderful turquoise crown. The Duchess of Roxburghe, formerly Miss May Goclet, of New York, a distinctively dark type, also wears' ' these blue stones most effectively. Ever since her childhood she has collected various ornaments, now numbering ovei! a hundred, all set with flawless and perfectly matched turquoise*. These gems are soon to be made into an all-round crown; which is expected to be one of the most magnificent ot its kind in Europe. Few collections of jewels are richer, both in intrinsic value and the gratification of fads, than those of American social leaders. Taste* of Mrs. Joliu R. Drexel run principally to diamonds; and some of her set ornaments suggest the lavishness and brilliancy of the Orient. Mrs. John Jacob Astor sets off' her shapely neck with priceless ropes of strung pearls and diamonds. Contents .of Mrs. Ogden Goelet's gem caskets are said to be worth £200.000. Among these is a famous "god collar" of pearls I valued at £12.000, a rope of black and white | pearls valued at £3000 and a. brooch worth £8000. This last- mentioned ornament has only three pearls, but. they are marvels of beauty, one being white, another pink and [■the third grey. Part of the £140,000 which Mrs. Stiiyvesant Fish has invested in gems is represented by a splendid coroi net of diamonds and pearls. In fact, coronets and "dog collars" are favourites with women of wealth, and thousands of pounds arc tied up in such places. It- is understood that the jewels of Mrs. O. H. P. Belmont are valued at £80,000; those of Mrs. Perry Belmont at £120,000; of Mrs. Herman Oelrichs, Mrs. Cornelius Vauderbilt and Mrs. Reginald Vanderbilt at £1U),000 each : of Mrs. Edward J. Berwincl at £120,000; and Mrs. Ogden Mills at £140,000. Among these collections; are various expressions of individual fancy. Sometimes this takes the form of rings. One solitaire pearl ring owned by I Mrs. Ogden Goelet is valued at £3000. The I gem is about the size of a Concord grape, j perfect, symmetrical and of the softest hue. One of die favourite adornments of Mrs. I'eniberton Jones is a diamond sunburst that cost £3000. Mrs. Reginald Vanderbilt's greatest joy is a single immense pearl, held by a gold chain; a splendid gem worth not less than £4000. The Duchess of Marlborough, formerly Miss Consuelo Vamderbilt. is among the devoted admirers of the turquoise. One of the most splendid pieces amid her wealth of gems is a high collar of turquoises, set with diamonds. This has J been worn by the duchess at many Court- j functions, ami never fails to win unbounded i admiration. . ! Lady de Giav, one of the most beauti- i ful of England's peeresses, is a lover of, Oriental richness of display and of Oriental styles. At the Duchess of Devonshire's famous ball, some time ago, she appeared as Cleopatra, and was the social sensation of the season. For this occasion she had made a wonderful Egyptian headpiece of precious stones, iu which costly pearls figured to a lavish degree, while about her neck were wrapped coils of a magnificent rope of pearl". One of the finest diamonds ever found in South Africa is among the treasures of the Dowager Countess of Dudlev. It was once the plaything of two Dutch children. A passerby saw them throwing to one a'uother a glittering object, and upon examination he discovered the largest diamond that had been found, up to that time, in that country. The favourite £.0111 of Queen Alexandra is the sapphire. She weais, as a brooch, an immense one. given her bv the late Duke of Coburg. The j Duchess of Orleans numbers among her trea- I sures some wonderful samphires that once adorned the unhappy Marie Antoinette. The Duchess of Westminster owns a famous necklace that, is composed of ninetynine Oriental pearls, weighing 900 grains. Mrs. George Keppel, the beauty, whose face! and figure made her famous at the Court of St. James, owns one of the most valuable emeralds in the world, of which she is venproud, and the possession of which cost a fortune. The youthful Lady Herbert is generally considered to own the luckiest ornament of all, which, however, did not cost a penny. It in a gorgeous and unique neckhi.ce of Indian gold work, set with fine specimens of every coloured stone known. It was given her as a- wedding present by the. Aga Khan. Rings are the hobby of the Queen Mother of Spain. She owns hundreds of every kind and design, her favourites having settings of diamond, ruby or pearl. It. is said that the Queen changes her lings between seven or eight times during an evening, and, in that way, manage* to display quite a number of her. favourites.