ROMANCES ABOUT GEMS.

Waikato Argus, Volume III, Issue 173, 21 August 1897, Page 1 (Supplement)

ROMANCES ABOUT GEMS.

Tin-: London correspondent of the Age writes : "Two romances connected with precious stones have come bsfore the public within the last few days. A Spanifh lady ha? lost in a mysterious manner a valuable diamond find ruby bracelet. The jewel in question is said to have been lent to her by Don Carlos, and to have formed part of the Crown jewel * of Spuu. But a great deal of fecrcey has been pre-erved about the whole transaction. No complaint has been made to the police, and the only publicity given to the affair has been an offer of a reward of £503 for the ivcDVery of tho bracelet. At out the loss or substitution of an historical diamond from the treasury of the Nizam of Hyderabad there appeared to be no doubt. The diamond, which is valued at €300,000, is said to have formerly belonged to the Kmperor of Brazil, and there was some talk in ISS7 of purchasing it for the Queen as a Jubilee gift, but the scheme fell through, and the stone was brought under the notice of Nizam. At that time it was the property of a firm, of London jewellers, and Mr Jacob, a dealer in precious and

a shining llnilt amongst the Theo-ophists, arranged for it to be sent to India on approval. Mr Jacob is s;ii<l to bo the original of the Mr Is<ac3 in Mrs Marion Crawford's Anglo-Indian nerol. The price asked was 40 lakhs of rupees, but the Nizam, either became he tliouglit the price too high, or because of the opposit : on of the British resident at Hyderabad, Sir l).snis Fitzpatriek, refused to purchase. Mr Jacob had, however, received half the sun, or nearly C 150,000. on account, and when the bargain fill through difficulties arose over the return of the desposit an 1 the custody of the diamond. A oriniinul sharge" was made against Mr Jacob ; a commission was appoillt-'d to take evidence at Hyderabid, and the Nizam, after being sworn on the Koran, gave evidence. * Eventually Mr Jao>b was acquitted; civil proceedings fdlowod, and finally the Nizim got pisaesswn of the diamond, but the sim paid by him or the circumstance? in which Mr Jacob handed over the stone arc not generally known. The diamond, now called the ' Imperial,' is said to be the finest water and to weigh ISO cirats, while the Kohinoor weighs 109 and the Pitt diamond 13<>. A few days ago the ' Itnpsrial' diamond was tiken out of the treasury, and it is said the Nizam cont .-mplatcd sending it to the Queen as a present to commemorate her Diamond Jubilee ; but on examination the socalled diamond was found to be piste. The time and place where the substitution was made appears to be a mystery which only time cm unravel.''