THE ESTERHAZY JEWELS.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IX, Issue 485, 17 June 1867, Page 3

THE ESTERHAZY JEWELS.

(From the Times.) Ax last these famous jewels—which for more than three-quarters of a century have, when worn by the princes of the great house of Esterhazy, excited the admiration of the chief courts of Europe —came under the hammer of the auctioneer, and are to he no more worn, at least by men. There are few who have not heard traditionally of the surprising splendour and value of these gems. The jewelled boots, the diamond ornaments, and pearl suit of the Esterbazys have been almost us well known at oar and foreign courts as the reigning sovereign himself. The history of this passion fcr precious stones, which in one branch of the Esterhazys developed itself into almost a mania, may be very briefly told. Towards the close of the last century Nicholas Prince Esterhazy attended the coronation of Francis 11. as King of Hungary. On that occasion lie was captain of what may be termed the King's body guard —that is to say he was at the head of a troop of 24 princes and nobles only inferior to himself in rank and wealth. The first of the jewelled uniforms were made for this pageant. Every part of the equipment of an officer’s dress which should have been of metal was made of pure brilliants of the finest water, and the effect, as may be imagined, was so dazzling, at a ceremony where all was meant to be -display, that the prodigal Prince continued to increase his lavish ostentation in the same way, till, as we have said, the jewelled suits of the Ester hazys became the talk of the Courts of Burope. As the feudal proprietor of nearly one-third of Hungary, the owner of thirty-three manors, and suzerain of seventeen lordships, he found little difficulty in gratifying his taste for precious stoues ; and, indeed, the family gems alone supplied enough to deck an empress. These fashioned into the most extraordinary and almost priceless ornaments —these, sewn over uniforms till the fabric was literally stiff and cumbrous with their weight —were worn by Prince Nicholas and Prince Paul at the coronation of Francis 11., George IV., William IV., and Victoria, and at the coronation of both the last aud present Emperors of Austria and Russia. The last Prince Paul died deeply indebted at the commencement of last year. His estates were of course entailed, hut his pri private property —those jewels among tde rest —passed into the hands of his creditors, and by them or their trustees have been sold to Mr Boore, of 54 Strand, where there are now on view previous to being broken up and sold separately, at so much per carat, according to the value of the gems. Their arrival and intended sale in this country have created a sort of panic

in the diamond market, where the prices have lately ruled extraordinarily high, and this sudden consignment of jewels, containing more than fifty thousand brilliants —many of immense

value, to say nothing of emeralds, rubies, topazes, and pearls, has of course bad a certain effect upon present prices. The most conspicuous and the most valuable among all these splendid ornaments is the diamond aigrette or plume of diamonds, which in place of ordinary feathers Prince Nicholas used,

to wear in his Hussar cap. This is said to be largest diamond ornament in the world. The plumes contain nearly 5000 brilliants, which weigh in the aggregate a pound and a-ha!f. The height of the whole ornament is sixteen inches, and its width ten inches, every part being built up of clear set diamonds of the purest color. With this, round the Hussar cap, is worn a, iuvm auu taoaoi v>i iwio Oi pcaiio *liu brilliants, and the tassel and pendants contain some stones of great price.

i'be duiGiond-mouiitGcl sworu tiiiui scabbard are quite in keeping with the head-dress, and are of brilliants of the rarest kind. The short belt, however, which is meant to hang from the shoulder to the waist, is, perhaps, the most valuable of all. It is a mere hand of the finest diamonds and pearls, one stone at the top being estimated at the value of .£20,000, and one at the bottom at ,£12,000. With these, among snuff-boxes and single diamonds, are shown the late Prince’s Orders. The gradual progress of the taste for jewellery can be easily traced in these latter. There are no less than

six Orders of the Golden Fleece, The first is the ordinary Order, in itself sufficiently magnificent, but from this larger and more valuable ones have been successively mode, till the fifth and sixth are probably of their kind unequalled by any jewelled Orders in the world. The fifth is composed entirely of the largest and finest bril Hants, with the fleece formed in yellow diamonds. The sixth jewel is of diamonds and emeralds, and contains wkat is said to be the best formed ami best colored emerald of its size which is known to exist. In fact this stone is considered matchless. With these are also the Orders of the Batn, aud St. Andrew, in diamonds. It is, however, in the pearl suit, as it is called, that the extravagant ostentation of the Princes is most strikingly and most conspicuously displayed. This is the full uniform of a General of Hungarian Hussars, aud every part of its massive and singularly beautiful embroidered jacket, pelisse, and trousers is formed entirely of costly pearls. The weight of this superb costume is such as would be cumbersome to men of ordinary strength even for a short time. It is calculated that more than a peck of pearls, some of great beauty and value, have been used in the adornment of this suit alone. The exquisite patterns in which the gems are sewn on are almost more worthy of admira tion than the pearls themselves. The whole collection will remain on view at Mr Boore’s for some two or three weeks to come. The display is well worth seeing, not only for its extraordinary value and splendour, but as a still more extraordinary illustration of the lengths to which personal dis- : play can rise even among men when : once the passion is indulged in.