THE ESTERHAZY JEWELS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 106, 8 May 1867, Page 3

THE ESTERHAZY JEWELS.

[From the Times of February 9.J

At 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, come uuder the hammer of the auctioneer, and are to be no more wore, at least by men. They are few who have not heard traditionally of the surprising splendour and value of these gems ; the jewelled boots, the diamond ornaments, and pearl suite of the Esterhazys have been almost as well known at our own and foreign courts as the reigning sovereign himself. The history of this passion for precious stones, which in one hranch of the Esterhazy's 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 he 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 was 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 priuce continued to increase his lavish ostentation in the same way till, as we have said, the jewelled suits of the Esterhazys became the talk of the Courts of Europe. As the feudtil proprietor of nearly one-third of Hungary, the owner of 33 manors, and suzerain of 17 lordships, he found little difficulty in gratifying his taste for precious stones ; 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., of George IV., William IV., and Victoria, aud at the coronation of both the last aud present Emperors of Austria and Eussia. The last Prince, Paul, died deeply indebted at the commencement of last year. His estates were of course entailed, but his private property — these jewels among the rest — passed into the hands of his creditors, and by them or their trustees have been sold to Mr. Boore, of 54, Strand, where 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 con-

signment of jewels, containing more than 50,000 brilliauts — many of immense value, to say nothing of emeralds, rubies, topazes, and pearls — has of course had 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 r eathers Prince Nicholas used to wear in his Hussar cap. This is said to be largest diamond ornament in the world. The plumes contain nearly 5,000 brilliants, which weigh in the aggregate a pound and a half. The height of the whole ornament is 16 inches, and its width 10 inches, every part being built up of clear set diamonds of the purest color. With this, round the Hussar cap, is worn a loop aud tassel of rows of pearls and brilliants, and the tassels and pendants contain some stones of great price. The diamond-mounted sword and scabbard are quite in keeping with the headdress, and are of brilliants of the rarest kind. The short belt, however, which is meant to bang from the shoulder to the waist is, perhaps, the most valuable of all. It is a mere band of the finest diamonds and pearls, one stone at the top being estimated at the value of £20,000., and one of the at £12,000. With these among snuff boxes aud single diamonds are shown the late Prince's Orders. The gradual progress of the taste for jewelry can be easily traced in these latter. There are uo 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 made, 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 aud finest brilliants, with the fleece formed in yellow diamonds. The sixth jewel is of diamonds aud emeralds, and contains what is said to be the best formed aud 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 Bath and St. Ardrew, in diamonds. It is, however, in the pearl suit, as it is called, that the extravagant osteutation of the Princes is most strikingly and most conspicuously displayed. This is the full uniform of a General of Hungarian Hussars, and every part of its massive aud singularly beautiful embroidery — jacket, pelisse, and trousers — is formed entirely of costly pearls. The weight of this superb costume is such as would be cumbersome to meu 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 aloue. The exquisite patterns in which the gems are sewn ou are almost more worthy of admiration than the pearls themselves. The display is well worth seeing, not only for its extraordinary value and splendor, but as a still more extraordinary illustration of the lengths to which personal display can rise even among men when ones the passion is indulged in.