Mrs. Astor's Necklace, And Other Collections of Precious Stones Almost As Famous.
Mrs. Astor's Necklace,
And Other Collections of
Precious Stones Almost As Famous.

MRS. ASTOR'S NECKLACE
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And Other Collections of Precious
Stones Almost As Famous.
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NEARLY A BILLION IN JEWELS
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The Vanderbilt "Sparklers" Esti-
mated at $3,000,000--Mrs. Hicks-
Lord's Gorgeous Treasures--Scores
of Others with Fortunes in Gems.
______

    NEW YORK, Oct. 22.--A large dealer in diamonds in Maiden Lane says the number of precious stones worn this day by our women, not to count cheap stones, pierres d'imitation, Rhinestones, so-called, &c., are not worth less than $900,000,000. This is due to the great wealth distributed everywhere and to the love of precious stones shown by American women. Almost every well-dressed woman you see in any part of the country has imitation or real stones set in her finger rings or earrings. Diamonds are the most popular because they show off better by their blazing.
    Comparatively few women own a large number of the stones representing this $900,000,000. Let me take a few of them at random. The jewels, most of which are diamonds, owned by the Astor women, would far exceed $3,000,000, and the late Mrs. Jacob Astor wore on all public occasions and many private ones, a tiara which, as has been well said, few crowned heads of Europe or Indian princes could boast. These stones so flashed when the wearer moved that it seemed as if her head was encircled in flame. Mrs. William Waldrof Astor has a riviere of diamonds in three graduated rows, each row a fortune in itself, and she also possesses the world renowned necklace of six-strings with the gold of the setting hid, only the glittering stones being visible. She is constantly weeding out small and imperfectly-cut stones from the galaxy and adding larger ones of perfect workmanship.
    Perhaps $3,000,000 would not represent the value of the Vanderbilt jewels. Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt has a superb diamond crescent two inches in diameter, a pearl necklace owned by the Empress Eugenie, and valued at $190,000, this rope of gems being about forty inches long. She wears this by rolling it round and round her neck and then letting it fall in rows toward her waist. Mrs. Frederick W. Vanderbilt has one of the most valuable diamond necklaces in the world. Among other costly gems owned by this family and worn in brooches, necklaces, hairpins, bracelets, and rings, are rubies, sapphires, emeralds, topazes, garnets, etc.
    The beautiful Mrs. Hicks-Lord owns not less than $550,000 worth of precious stones, and the fame of her gorgeous necklace, worth $250,000, all of perfectly cut and flawless diamonds, is known in every European court. Nor is she sparing in her display of this regal circlet. Moreover, she owns four other necklaces and the most valuable pair of solitaire earrings in the United States. On certain occasions she wears these superb stones arranged in different ways. Sometimes they flash at you in the form of some flower or a beautiful spray of leaves, being fastened to the bodice. A large number of the women who own extensive collections of costly jewels lock their treasures up in bank or safe deposit vaults, wearing duplicates in paste, Rhinestones, or other imitations. But Mrs. Hicks-Lord wears the genuine. She detests the imitations, and says: "They may do all right for French actresses." I suppose she had Bernhardt in mind then. And what woman who loves to inquire about these things has not heard of Mrs. Hicks-Lord's fan with its fifteen raised folds, studded with diamonds, so often worn in her hair? This fan has no peer in this country and is excelled nowhere in the world. The bouquet-holder, with its mouth ablaze with beautiful gems, has also put her friends in rapture; as does also her white point d'Alenzon fan, worn en chatelaine from a chain of diamonds and pearls.
    The Marquise Lanza has a large number of exquisite and costly jewels, among which may be mentioned a diamond pendant of thirty-two stones, a ring with two flawless white diamonds, three carats each, several beautiful garnets obtained by her father, Dr. Hammond, during the Mexican war, and last, but not least, the stone purchased at Tiffany's. This gem weighs five carats and glows pink at night, changing to a warm, scintillating yellow in day time.
    Mrs. Bradley-Martin has an almost insatiable fancy for jewels, and she has gathered together stones enough to constitute a good-sized fortune. Frequenters of grand opera in New York have often seen the flash of these lovely gems, for Mrs. Martin does not believe in hiding the light of her jewels under a bushel. Her chief treasure is a large tiara of thirty-six points. The largest stone is in the center and it is flawless, of the purest water, and beautifully cut. The other stones are valuable, but they are of rather small size. The tiara, however, is valued at $250,000. This lady is also the owner of several other rare pieces of jewelry, such as rings, pins, brooches, and ornaments for the hair, bonnet, and other parts of the dress. Several fine garnets, rubies, emeralds, pearls, and sapphires are included in this costly collection.
    New York women have not been noted for their pearls, but some of them have acquired some very exquisite and valuable ones. I have referred to Mrs. W. K. Vanderbilt's necklace, once owned by the Empress Eugenie. Mrs. William Rockefeller has always had a penchant for pearls, and has made a point of getting possession of the best stones for sale. Her collection is said to be worth nearly $30,000, but of course her diamonds, rubies, sapphires and other jewels exceed, in the aggregate, the value of her pearls.
    Mrs. Marshall O. Roberts is also an enthusiast about pearls and prefers them to diamonds. Her collection ranks probably next to that of Mrs. W. K. Vanderbilt. She has a necklace which she wears in three rows, and these hang around her neck, the three loops hanging one above the other. Mrs. Henry Clews has also a very costly pearl necklace of three circles, and one of Mrs. W. D. Sloane's prized possessions in jewels is a similar treasure. Mrs. James Harriman's collection of jewels includes a pear-shaped pair of earrings and a necklace valued at $14,000.
    Mrs. Robert Remsen has likewise the woman's admiration for precious stones. She has for years been buying every diamond that much attracted her, and of course she has given the preference to large stones. But the gold setting robs them of much of the effect they would otherwise have. She has a splendid necklace of diamonds, to which are several pendants. One of these is of great value, consisting of a large emerald set in pearls and diamonds.
    Mrs. Frank Leslie's jewels have a repute in Europe. She has a pair of solitaire diamond earrings which weigh thirty carats each. They are of perfect color. She has two very valuable necklaces, one a riviere of single diamonds, finely cut, and graduating from one magnificent stone in the center. The other necklace consists of nineteen stones, all exactly alike, each as large as a dime, and every one of them of the purest water. Mrs. Leslie has also a jewel which she prizes highly, it having been conferred upon her as a decoration by the republic of Venezuela. It is called "El Busro del Libertador." It is a golden medallion surrounded by brilliants set in star rays, and is attached by a golden buckle to a ribbon of the Venezuelan national colors. She received this for her services "in the cause of humanity, progress and civilization." She has likewise a diamond and emerald brooch designed by herself. It is in the form of a coiled serpent, the head being cut out of a single emerald, surrounded by small diamond[s] and having two little rubies for eyes. The white portion of the serpent's body has a covering of emeralds and diamonds so arranged that the glow seems to be the living light proceeding from the creature's body. The emerald in the head is nearly an inch long.
    Mrs. William C. Whitney owns about $80,000 worth of precious stones, in her collection being a superb necklace, several beautiful solitaires, brooches, pins, and ornaments.
    Mrs. Ogden Mills has a great liking for sapphires, and has them wrought into a necklace, earrings, pins, and brooches. Her largest sapphire, shaped like a hazel nut and nearly as large, is set as a pendant, having diamond spikes nearly an inch long. This jewel fairly blazes under the proper lights. The necklace, which, by the way, was a wedding present from her father, Millionaire Livingston, is valued at $35,000.
    Mrs. Frank Coe has a diamond of which she is very proud. It weighs over thirteen carets, is of pure water, and a marvel of the lapidary's skill. It is worth $15,000. The stone dates back to the Indian mutiny, and was the property of a prince. Mrs. Coe has had it set in a pin. This lady has likewise a miscellaneous collection of very fine jewels.
    Mrs. Robert Goelet, daughter of George H. Warren, has a necklace of diamonds and sapphires which cost $11,000, a pearl necklace worth $10,000, and a diamond necklace of solitaires from seven carats down, worth about $25,000. Besides these she has a large and varied collection of valuable stones.
    Mrs. Robert Winthrop, wife of the banker, has a superb brooch with a sapphire of twenty-seven carats set in diamonds. She has a necklace of diamonds worth over $30,000, besides numerous other jewels.
    Mrs. Bromall Burnham, nee Havemeyer, has a pendant with an emerald of ten carats for a center, and a gorgeous setting of diamonds.
    Mrs. Dr. Wynkoop likes rubies, but she's also fond of sapphires and diamonds. Her chief treasures are two necklaces of rubies, sapphires, and diamonds and a diamond brooch set in a crown of gold having as a pendant a miniature painting of ivory studded with diamonds.
    Mrs. C. P. Huntington's pair of ruby earrings are valued at $15,000, each stone weighing fifteen carats and being of perfect shade and workmanship. These are said to be the finest rubies in the United States. Among the other ladies who own beautiful and valuable jewels are Mrs. Lindley Chapin, who has a diamond necklace, which she sometimes wears as a tiara, worth $10,000; Mrs. John Bloodgood, who has a pair of solitaire diamond earrings worth $5,000; Mrs. George Lewis, who has a pair of splendid solitaire diamond earrings and a handsome diamond necklace; Mrs. Griswold Grey, who has a large and valuable collection, notably of emeralds and diamonds, and Mrs. Lorillard Spencer's diamond arrow is the envy of all who have seen it. Mrs. John Jacob Astor, nee Willing, has a fortune alone in diamonds and sapphires, gifts from the Astors and others when married the other day.
                                                                              GEORGE SALESBURY.

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Source:

Salesbury, George, "Mrs. Astor's Necklace, And Other Collections of Precious Stones Almost As Famous," The Washington Post, Washington, D.C., Sunday, 25 October, 1891, p. 13.

Created May 10, 2006; Revised May 10, 2006
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