THE JEWELS OF ROYALTY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5655, 28 August 1896, Page 4

THE JEWELS OF ROYALTY.

(New Yorl; Sun.) \ Large gems have always had a great charm to the Orientals, who have always paid more for them than the Europeans. The Orient hides within her jealously guarded palaces many fine collections of jewels. The Nizam of Hyderabad owns the Victoria diamond, for which he paid .£400,000. The Maharajah of Tanjore is likewise possessed of a rich store of gems, many of them rare and curious. The Maharajah of Baroda paid .£20,000 for the 125-earat Star of the South, and also bought the 225-carat pale yellow De Beers diamond exhibited at the 18S9 Exposition. According to the testimony of S. Gr. W. Benjamin, at one time United States Miuter to Persia, the late Shah had a very remarkable collection of gems, estimated to be worth between .£2,000,000 and ■£3,000,000, but it is almost impossible to get reliable information about them, so' closely are they guarded. The same may be said of the Sultan of Turkey's collection, valued at over .£2,000,000. When the English took possession of the palace of King Theebaw at Mandalay, Burmah, they searched eagerly for the fabulous treasures which, it was supposed this Oriental monarch possessed. They were doomed to disappointment. Nothing of any special value was found, the PAR-FA3IED JEWELS, consisting of a miscellaneous lot of poor emeralds and rubles. Many of them were of large size, but so inferior in quality that the English regalia could not be enriched by adding any of them. So little tire they valued that they are now exhibited in glass, cases in the Indian Museum in London. Many of these Oriental collections, according to Sir Edwin Arnold and other Oriental travellers, are kept in isolated rooms. Sometimes the gems are wrapped in rags, or concealed in ginger jars, old boxes, and out-of-the-way places, so that even an intimate visitor may be a guest for weeks and only occasionally see a jewel, and only when he has the entire confidence of his host are the treasures shown one at a time. Of all the costly wonders that the palace of the Mogul Emperors at Delhi contained, the most wonderful and the most costly was THE PEACOCK THRONE. This was constructed during the reign of Shah Jehan, and was the work of a Frenchman, Austin, of Bordeaux, who had sought refuge at the Mogul's court. It was estimated that the value of the throne was .£6,000.000 sterling. It stood in the centre of the beautiful Hall of Private Audience, and was named after the figures of two peacocks standing behind it, their tails being expanded, and the whole so inlaid Avith sapphires, rubies, emeralds, pearls and other precious stones of appropriate colours as to represent life. The throne itself was six feet long by four feet wide ; it stood on six massive feet, which with the body, were of solid gold inlaid with rubies, emeralds and diamonds. It was surmounted by a canopy of gold supported by twelve pillars, all richly emblazoned with costly gems, and a fringe of pearls ornamented the border of the canopy. Between the two peacocks stood the figure of a parrot of ordinary size, said to have been carved out of a. single emerald. On each side of the throne stood on umbrella, one of the Oriental emblems of royalty. They were formed of crimson velvet thickly embroidered and fringed with pearls, the handles, eight feet- high, being of goldstudded with diamonds. It has been held that the famous Koh-i-noor, was one of the jewels that ornamented th 6 throne, and as this diamond, now in possession of Victoria, was owned by Shah Jehan, the story may bo true. When Delhi was sacked by the Persians under Nadir Shah in 1739 the throne was plundered of its jewels, broken up and carried away, with .£150,000.000 op loot. A block of white marble now marks the spot Avhere it once stood. Catherine 11. and Peter the Great of Russia were lovers of precious stones, and collected fine examples of the jeweller's art, which, are preserved, together with other precious relics, in the Kremlin in the Ouregena Palat.a, at Moscow. Here are thrones studded with diamonds, rubies, txirquoises, pearls, emeralds and sapphires ; an orb containing a ruby weighing fortynine carats, and swords and scimitars thickly studded with gems. The jewels proper, which, are enclosed in cases, include workmanship of Eenaissance, Byzantine and Persian handiwork, all by master hands. The wealth of gems used is amazing. Stones cut and uncut, some of the largest size, shine in these regalia. Most wonderful of all is the coronation crown of. Catherine 1., made especially for her by order of Peter the Great. There are 2358 diamonds iv this crown, and over the brow is a magnificent ruby. In a separate case are placed all the jewels lvorn by the Empress and Grand Duchesses on state occasions ; and among diamonds the gems galore is a very large pink diamond which belonged to Peter the Great. In State silver and gold ware this collection is unsurpassed, and her monarehs have been purchasing continuously for three centuries, and never selling their possessions. In France Louis XIV. and Louis XV. took particular interest in this subject. It was at the suggestion of the former that Tavernier, the great traveller, made his search for gems in so many countries of the world, and unearthed THE ""BLUE DIAMOND." In 1837 tho French Crown jewels were sold at public auction by order of the Government, realising some 7,500,000 francs. These jewels included all but two of the Mazavin diamonds, and niany • genis worn by the unfortunate Marie Antoinette. About one-third of the entire amount auctioned off was purchased by one American. The great Eegent diamond was not sold. This and two Mazarin diamends are now on exhibition in a casein the Galerie d'Apollon, in the Louvre. Probably the more luxurious and resplendent mirror isnow in the Louvre, originally possessed by Queen Marie de Medici. It is of rock crystal, and the frame was of polished agate set in a network of enamelled gold. This was but the inner frame. The outer one was composed entirely of precious stones, consisting of sardonyx, jasper, rubies, emeralds and diamonds. When the inventory of the crown diamonds was taken in 1791 by order of the National Assembly, this work of art was valued at 150,000fr. It is now iv the Louvre. \ THE ENGLISH ROYAL COLLECTION has been a gradual growth. The present repository of the English regalia is the Tower of London. After the execution of Charles I. some of the older objects were broken up and dispersed, and at the restoration it was necessary to reconstruct many of them for the King's coronation. Nearly all the historical pieces dato no further back than tho time of Charles 11. The ancient regalia comprises two crowns, an orb, a sceptre with a cross, a sceptre with a dove, a long sceptre of gold, a ring with a ruby and several minor articles. The most conspicuous and valuable object in the collection is the crown of Queen

Victoria, made for her coronation in 1838, many of the jewels being of great antiquity. In one of the crosses in front of the crown is set the famous ruby which belonged to the Black Prince. The crown contains in all 2783 diamonds, 277 pearls, five rubies, seventeen sapphires and eleven emeralds.

In the treasury of the imperial and royal house of Austria, at Vienna, are some remarkable specimens of work in rock crystal, ewers, flagons and tankards, ornamented and engraved with elaborate scenes and landscapes, and set with enamel, gold and precious stones. These pieces were used at the coronation of tho Austrian Kings, or for their domestic service. A vase in the same collection is formed of a single Peruvian emerald weighing 2680 carats, which is said to have been part of the treasure of Burgundy. Here, also, is the imperial crown of Austria, made during the reign of Rudolph 11. It is of pure gold, richly adorned with diamonds, pearl 3 and rubies.- The circlet is of gold, encircled with large flat diamonds and j>earls, two ranges of deeply set pearls decorating the border. The upper border of the circlet 1 is adorned with four large and four small jleur-de-lys ornaments bearing large rubies, diamonds and pearls. The skeleton of the cap is composed of broad stripes of enamel, accompanied by a range of pearls on either side of the hoop which divides the cap into two halves. Each half is formed by two triangular plates of gold, on which the principal scenes of the coronation are wrought in bas-relief. The hoop is surmounted by a little cross adorned by a sapphire of matchless beauty. This is one of THE MOST REMARKABLE SPECIMENS Of\ GERMAN GOLDSMITH'S WOKK

extant, and in point of value and general workmanship is unique of its kind.

The imperial orb is very similar in style. The sceptre probably made for the coronation of the Emperor Mathias in 1612 is somewhat similar in workmanship, but probably the most striking of all the jewels here displayed is the diamond crown of the Empress, whose value exceeds 1,500,000 florins". The finest gems in this crown, remarkable in size, brilliancy, and polish, were part of the private jewels of the Empress Maria Theresa.

in the insignia of the Order of the Golden Fleece, which contains one hundred and fifty diamonds of. great beauty, is the " Frankfort solitaire/ a gem of the finest water, weighing 42 carats, purchased by the Emperor Franois I. at Frankfort. Several other decorations of the Golden Fleece are also worthy of notice, one among them containing seven brilliants, weighing in the aggregate over 89 carats, while still others have large topazes, hyacinths, garnets or chrysolites clustered round with diamonds. A grand cross of the military order of Maria Theresa contains a rosecoloured brilliant of 26&- carats ; a complete parure of rubies, consisting of a tiara, a girdle, necklace, a pair of earrings and a watch, is interesting because of the fine quality of the gems, and also because it formerly belonged to THE ILL-FATED MARIE ANTOINETTE, QUEEN OF FRANCE. Here is preserved the rose necklace of Maria Theresa, comprising thirteen rose brilliants, large-sized brilliants filling the centres, and eleven pendeloques set with large solitaire brilliants of wonderful beauty. The famous Florentine diamond, one of the largest diamonds known, actually fills the trivial role of a hat button in the midst of this bewildering display. It weighs 133J- carats, is sherry-coloured, .and is so cut as to form a star with nine rays. VThe stone was once the property of Charles the Bold of Burgundy, who used to carry it into battle with him as a talisman. He lost- it at the battle- of Mbrat in 1476, and after many changes of ownership, and a lapso of over 300 years, it came into the Austrian treasury through the marriage of the Duke of Tuscany with Maria Theresa. Buttons for coats, waistcoasts . and hats are formed, each one or more of magnificent topazes set round with brilliants. A large hyacinth weighing 416 carats is fashioned into the body, of an eagle, and a set of pearl necklaces and bracelets contains over 4SO pearls of vai*ying size, some very arge and fine. This faultless collection reflects the taste and judgment of Marie Theresa. THE FAMOUS GKEEN VAULTS OF > . DRESDEN contain the jewels of the Koyal Saxon family from earliest times, one of the most wonderful treasure houses in the world. The crown jewels in the jewel room consist of six or eight different sets, of the first class, and are not to be surpassed in all Europe. Most of the gems, including the famous green diamond, were purchased diu*ing the reign of Augustus 11. and 111. This unique green brilliant weighs forty and one-half carats, and is in close -proximity in the case to yellow and pinlr brilliants scarcely less remarkable in size and splendour. A garniture of rose diamonds, forming part of these crown jewels, consists of thirty waistcoat buttons, thirty coat buttons, four shoe and knee buckles, a clasp carrying a rose of twenty-six and seven-eighths grains, and epaulet with a diamond of sixteen and five-eighths grains, and a sword, the hilt of which sparkles with 780 roses. The largest Bohemian garnet in Evirope, forty-six and three-fourths carats in weight, adorns one of the orders of the Golden Fleece here exhibited.