The £170,000 Pearl Necklace.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 2 October 1914, Page 8

The £170,000 Pearl Necklace.

OWNER OF THE FAMOUS

JEWELS

Mr. Max Meyer, like Lord Byron, I woke up t (says a writer in a London ! paper), one morning and fqund him-j self famous. Famous in a degree ! he never expected or desired, for 'a j more retiring, amiable, and hard- i working merchant than, the celebrat- ' cd owner :of \,he £117,000 pearl necklace it would be difficult, to find. Ho j is a man in the early fifties, with whom time has dealt gently. His ; smile is winning and his conversa-' tion brilliant, like his diamonds. He 1 came to London in the late 'seven- ' ties of last century, and is one of ■ the many young Germans who came ! to this country shortly after the Franco-German war, and whose wonderfully successful careers, were they, but known, would add many an interesting chapter to the romance of business. Reared amidst the splendours of diamonds and pearls of that em- j porium known as Hatton Garden, \ his a-mbition was to become the re- j cognised leader in that famous dis- ' trict of romance, Orientalism, and \ opulence. He aspired to be known ! as the man handling the most per- | feet, valuable, and brilliant speci- I mens of Nature's gems or the lapidary's art. An indomitable collec- ; tor of that much-coveted jewel, the I pearl, his office soon became known\ as the one where the almost flawless product of the oyster could either be found or disposed of. \ His knowledge, valuation, and taste in handling these precious "beads" | is not only marvellous, but nobody in the trade even doubts, much less challenges, the value Mr. Mayer chooses to attach to a particular gem. His finger, so to speak, touches the pulse of the precious j stone trade throughout the world, j and he is more thoroughly posted j about any diamond, pearl, ruby, j sapphire, or emerald of unusual size and brilliancy or history than the most "intrepid collector of paintings. ■ To have the privilege of feasting j one's eyes on the contents of the I str el. -jewel caskets which, like sen- j tinels, stand against the office! walls is but a living view of the j fascinating tales of the Arabian, Nights. Here they repose, these coveted ■ gems, on their sort bed of silken ; wool, lustrous, voluptuous pearls, j Not waiting to be dissolved in j wine by some modern Cleopatra, but ready to encircle the white throat of .some empress, the. queen of song, the proud peeress of the realm, the ambitious leader of modern plutocracy. Pearl necklaces ranging in prices from the modest £100 to fabulous values. Here is a specimen of the highly-prized pear-shape pearl, weighing over 86 grains, perfect in shape," form, and texture, with that wondrous warm, fleshy tint so well described by its owiner in the wit-ness-box. "Would you give £500 for -this ?" asked the clerk, as he affectionately handled the precious thing prior to sending it on one of its periodical trips to Paris. "A lot of money,"'l replied, "for a thing like that."" What was my surprise when a bill

was shown me fixing' the price o."

the pear at £8,000

From another drawer in that steel fortress came . a tray of flashing, scintallating, prismatic gems, the product of the inexhaustible treasure vaults of South Africa, the wondrous beauty ■of the .Jagerfontein diamond, cut by a master of the

art, revealing in its facets the hidden beauty of a brilliant sun !

From other parts of the wizard's safe, Louc-heil, as it were, by the

wand of the magician, there appeared a wondrous array of the opal, that stone of superstition and romance. What a constellation of tints, variegated, yet softly blended in all the hues of the rainbow !

The pig-eon-blood ruby, conscious of its unquestioned superiority in the affection of its devotees ; the dull-looking, placid sapphire, the verdant' emerald, the opaque beauty of the a-'.lire turquoise, the aquamarine and its humbler sister, the amethyst —here they are in their pristine beauty, waiting to be released from the steel wall to' adorn and enhance the charms of the daughters of Eve.

And the owner knows and fondles them all like his children. And when they do stray from their parental home, and some, after wanderings in the realms of romance, politics, intrigue, and, perhaps, crime, do return -to the erstwhile roof, it is he who recognises them, no matter the

lapse of time or the adventures they have undergone. And sometimes they do return much enhanced in value, for fashion's craze has made them favourite. And so it happened that, a necklace which had acquired an owner some years ago for the sum of £900 did return to Mr. Mayer's office, and its owner, desirous of disposing of it, asked the pearl merchant's valuation.

"Madam," said the famous dealer, "I cannot value it for you, but I am prepared to give you -,a cheque for £3,000 for it."

"Do you knowf," replied the astonished lady, "that you sold me this very necklace a short time ago for £900 ?"

"Perfectly,"said Mr. Meyer, his face lighting- up with one of those genial smiles ; hut if you think my offer is too high, I will reduce it by £300."