58 THE ORLOFF.
rose.
Asiatic amateurs have always prized size above everything in their
gems. The lapidaries therefore treat each stone confided to them with
his object mainly in view. A stone is accord-ngly covered with as many
small facets as its shape will allow, and no attempt at a mathe-matical
figure, such as that presented by our European diamonds, is ever
ventured upon by them. Cardinal Mazarin was the first who intrusted
his Indian rose-diamonds to the hands of European cutters in order to
have them shaped into brilliants. The fashion thus set by him has been
generally followed throughout Western Europe. Russia, however, true to
her Asiatic traditions, keeps to Indian roses, most of her imperial
diamonds being of that cut.
The
Orloff is now back again safe in the Kremlin, where let us hope it may
long rest undisturbed either by rumors of invasion or a demand for a
new coronation with its probable attendant assassination, universal
terror and judiciary retribution.
