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XL1II.
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THE FRENCH BLUE.
The Crown Jewels of France—Breaking up of a Great Stone —Fragments that are Afterwards Traced.
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AWE
writes: "In the Crown Jewels of France is a fine light blue diamond,
which weighs 671/2 carats, and was estimated at above £100,000." This
refers undoubtedly to the magnificent blue diamond which occupies the
second place in the inventory of the French Crown jewels drawn up in
1791, where it is described as weighing 67 2/16 carats and
valued at 3,000,000 francs, or £120,000. As fully described in our
account of the " Regent," these treasures were stolen from the Garde
Meuble in 1792. But the blue diamond was not amongst the few gems
subsequently restored, although Mawe still speaks of it in 1823, as "
in the Crown Jewels of France ;" and Murray, writing so late as 1839,
describes it as still "belonging to the Crown Jewels of France."
Since
its disappearance in 1792 its fate continued to be enveloped in the
deepest obscurity until the mystery was at last happily cleared, as set
forth in Precious Stones and Gems, and made further evident in succeeding pages of the present work.
We have already, in a previous chapter, demonstrated that the true original of the " French
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