THE FRENCH CROWN JEWELS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1459, 18 January 1887, Page 3

THE FRENCH CROWN J EWELS.

" The sale of the Freu< h Crown jewels, which haß b9en threatened for balf-a-dozen years, haa been really decided upon at la*t," remarks tho 8b James Gazette "The Senate has resolved, though by a not vory largo majority, that scch of tha regalia as is deaittuto of artistic valne Khali be sold. It ia rsimated that this pitiful proreeding will rialise about half a million sterling, an estimate which seems to indicate that imvnant reservations will be made. The 'Recent' di*mo; d alone ia tuppos'sd jo ba wor h £320,000, whilo iff-, million? has be^u mentioned *a the to al value of tho splendid collection. But with all Its m •^nificenco tha French rpgalia is a n.oro shadow of what it Kas thre->qnarters of a century ago. When It v/fis catalogued m 1810 it was foond to cons it of 37,000 aepamio pieces. A great many tbn.a bsvs happened m Fnrca BJnce then, and most of those thousands have diorippeured. The Hegent or Pitt diamond, tha ttory of which haa ofteij be m tod, h the glory of tho French Ccown jewels It is one of the moat beantir'ul dißmoncs m existence, ar.d for limpidity of bua it is UDrivalled. Ice diameter »rd dt-pth are equal, and it wei«ha 137 carat. Tne Earl of Chatham's grandfather made his fortune by tha bargain which added this diamond to the French Grown jewels.