the
streets of the great cities the majority of well-dressed women wear
diamond earrings. But in spite of the American love of diamonds, the
notable and historic stones are still found outside the pale of the
Great Republic. It is only natural to conclude, however, that the day
is not far distant when the peerless gem—
" Fair as the star that ushers in the morn,"
will
attract the attention of the princes of Wall-street and the Bonanza
mine-owners of California. Then the present quotations for
exceptionally fine and large stones, usually regarded as somewhat
fanciful in price, will, no doubt, be readily commanded by such
princely houses as may be willing to replenish their exhausted coffers
at the sacrifice of a few brilliant but non-productive heirlooms.
A full account of the origin, nature, properties, and habitat of the diamond will be found in Precious Stones and Gems. In
the present treatise which may be regarded as a sequel to that work, it
is proposed to embody, in a succinct form, the information scattered
over many volumes, in diverse languages, and from private family and
official manuscripts kindly placed at our disposal for the purposes of
this work, regarding all the known specimens weighing from 30 carats
and upwards. The extraordinary interest felt in these rarer gems, many
of which are associated with strange intrigues and disastrous wars,
induces constant inquiry to be made regarding them, their history,
their owners, and their whereabouts. Kluge truly remarks that, " of the
few large diamonds hitherto extracted from the earth each has, so to say.
