Diamond necklace

“ Everybody at Paris knew about the Diamond Necklace, and about de Rohan’s desire to get into court favor. This sharp-witted female swindler now came in among the elements I have thus far been describing, to frame necklace, jeweller, cardinal, queen, and swindler, all together into her plot, just as the key-stone drops into an arch and locks it up tight.
No mortal knows where ideas come from. ”

“ I opened the second case and laid the jewels side by side. You could not have told one bauble from the other unless you had possessed such an eye as mine, which will fidget over a sham diamond when it is yet a yard away. He had no doubt that they were identical; and when he saw them together, he began to cry like a frightened woman.
"What does it mean?" he asked. "Have they robbed my wife's grave? My God!—two necklaces alike down to the very engraving. Who has done it? Who could do such a thing with a woman who never harmed a living soul? ”

“ Marjorie, in spite of her twenty-four years and accredited dignity, was a bit of a child at heart, and this aggregation of many-shaped, many-sized packages to greet her waking eyes was the nearest approach to her childhood's dearly-loved stocking-hanging that she could devise.
Upon this particular Christmas morning the table was crowded with boxes, and the boxes were crowded with good things; yet all faded into colorless insignificance when Marjorie's pink thumb pressed the spring on the round, leather-covered box and disclosed the diamond necklace. ”

“ An untitled woman privileged to be present will wear nothing but diamonds and precious and semiprecious stones; imitation jewelry is out of place. If she has a large diamond necklace, with pendants, there will be diamond earclips; if the necklace is a choker, the earclip may have pear-shaped diamond pendant or emerald or pearl drops. A beautiful diamond bracelet and ring will complete the regal costume. ”

“ Just then the wise old woman of Hollowbush, who had the amiable peculiarity of appearing just when people most needed her, stopped before the window, and said, as she looked up at her young friend, "You were wishing for a diamond necklace, my child. What would you do if I should tell you of a country where diamonds are as plenty as flowers are here?" ”

“ A large clasp is apt to turn or become entangled in the hair.
With a pearl necklace, a clasp of a colored stone, such as a ruby or an emerald, will make an effective complement, highlighting the pearls; but for any necklace a diamond clasp offers perfect harmony. A frequently available diamond to use for such a clasp may be found nestling next to the little finger of the left hand—the diamond of the engagement ring, “grown too small along the years.” Such a stone has lost none of its sentimental value. Its sparkle and the memory of courtship nights may be preserved in a necklace clasp. ”

“ Do you know what a woman’s desire is, my dear prince?”
“No, countess; but I should like you to tell me.”
“Well, the queen has a desire, which she cannot satisfy.”
“For what?”
“For a diamond necklace.”
“Oh, I know what you mean—the diamonds of MM. Bœhmer and Bossange.”
“Precisely.”
“That is an old story, countess.”
“Old or new, it is a real vexation for a queen not to be able to buy what was intended for a simple favorite. Fifteen more days added to the life of Louis XV., and Jeanne Vaubernier would have had what Marie Antoinette cannot buy.” ”

“ Although the diamond necklace, especially the unsurpassed rivière, is worn only on the most special occasions, there is hardly ever an occasion on which a properly chosen pearl necklace is out of place. The pearl necklace is the most beloved as well as the most versatile of all such jewels. The simplest tailored suit will be graced by a tailored choker, or by one or two strands of well-matched pearls. The pearl necklace can be worn on a sweater, a high-neck dress, a V-neck dress, a low-cut gown. ”

“ At the height of mid-century necklace fashion is the addition of the single drop. This should not be long, like a pendant, but rather one large extra stone, clipped on close to the collier to add chic and smartness. It may be a pear-shaped diamond, a grey or a black pearl, an emerald, or indeed any stone that harmonizes with the necklace color—though most frequently such a drop is worn on a necklace of diamonds or pearls. The single stone is set with an almost invisible clasp and can be attached to the necklace at any point desired. Resultant effects can be startling. ”

“ They will be yours when we are married.'
"'Come and look at them, Beryl,' exclaimed Lady Violet. 'Are they not splendid?' As she spoke she lifted a diamond necklace of extraordinary brilliancy and quaint device out of the case. I knelt down by her and examined the gems with delight almost equal to her own. I have always had a great love for jewels, and for diamonds in particular, and these were quite the most magnificent I had ever seen. The necklace was accompanied by a tiara and earrings, and the gems were worth, Lady Erstfield said, from fifteen to twenty thousand pounds. ”

“ The rivière necklace, round or baguette, is often made so that it can be separated to form two bracelets. It is thus a flexible jewel and can be used on the arm when the informality of the occasion would make the all-diamond necklace less appropriate. ”

“ It is not our intention to give an account of [Pg 239] the many types of necklaces which have found favor in the eyes of humanity. To do so would be quite beyond the scope of these stories. We propose on the contrary to select but one—one especially notable amid the necklaces of the past. We may mention that the first diamond necklace ever known in Europe was one composed of rough stones which was given by Charles VII. of France to Agnes Sorel. ”

“ I had seen him make mental calculations as to their value with a greedy, almost ferocious light in his unpleasant eyes. There was a particular diamond necklace which seemed to move him more than any other of her possessions. ”

“ Here a woman may display her most colorful jewels. Rubies and sapphires will be resplendent, but colored stones of all sorts will brighten the scene. A pearl necklace may be becomingly worn. Long earrings, however, and diamond necklaces should [211] be reserved for the party that will follow the race. Particularly if the wearer’s horse has won.
If a horse of one’s own is entered in the race, this may be made a part of the design of the jewels. An imposing pin may be set with precious stones in the colors of the stable. Or the horse itself may be designed in diamonds ”

“ I had my own diamond necklace on, and my hair was tout brillant, all glittering with jewels.
His picture set with diamonds I had placed stitched to my vest, just, as might be supposed, upon my heart (which is the compliment in such cases among the Eastern people) , and all being open at the breast, there was no room for anything of a jewel there. ”

“ Frank says that nobody can take them away from me. Why shouldn't a man give his wife a diamond necklace as well as a diamond ring? That's what I can't understand. What may he give her so that men sha'n't come and worry her life out of her in this way? As for an heirloom, anybody who knows anything, knows that it can't be an heirloom. A pot or a pan may be an heirloom;—but a diamond necklace cannot be an heirloom. ”

“ For there, on the white satin, sparkled the most wonderful pair of emerald ear-rings,—each a big, beautiful stone set around with lovely diamonds,—a pair of bracelets set with emeralds all around, two immense emeralds set in rings, and a necklace of the same stones most beautifully matched and finished with a diamond clasp. ”

“ She does not care for gold or jewels, and likes a simple flower as well as a diamond.”
“I do not know that; I only know she wishes for this necklace.”
“Prove it, countess.”
“It is easy. I saw the necklace, and touched it.”
“Where?”
“At Versailles, when the jewelers brought it for the last time to try and tempt the queen.”
“And it is beautiful?”
“Marvelous! I, who am a woman, think that one might lose sleep and appetite in wishing for it.”
“Alas! why have I not a vessel to give the king?” ”

“ Joseph entered.
"Here is the address of the jeweler, my lord; his name is Baudoin."
"My dear M. Doublet, you will go, I beg you, to this jeweler, and tell him to bring here, in an hour, a diamond necklace worth about two thousand louis. Women can never have too many jewels, now that dresses are trimmed with them. You will arrange with the jeweler for the payment."
"Yes, my lord. It is on account of the surprise that I do not groan this time. Diamonds are like buildings, the value remains; and, besides, this surprise to the marchioness! ”

“ I had sold my jewels, all but the fine diamond ring which my gentleman the jeweller used to wear, and this at proper times I wore myself, as also the diamond necklace which the Prince had given me, and a pair of extraordinary ear-rings, worth about 600 pistoles ”

“ The diamond ring, the stone thereof, was in Maximilian's ring at the time he was shot.
But that is all; there is nothing to tell what hand snatched the jewels from the lifeless fingers of the dead Emperor, or who purloined the necklace from the royal household.
[Pg 309] In a dusty compartment on my desk there lies a brown manila envelope, and sometimes, when the day's work is over and I have glanced for the last time across the court-yard of the Tombs at the clock tower on the New York Life Building, I take it out and idly read the press story of the famous diamond. ”

“ Gold should be seen on the jewels, accented with a few diamonds. Pearls with diamonds are also effectively in place. Always there is distinction, as I have said, in one earclip with a black pearl, one earclip [218] with a white, while a black and a white pearl are set together in a finger ring.
For a White House cocktail party, jewelry with diamonds and multicolored stones may be worn. Still more appropriate, with the simple cocktail dress, is a parure. An especially effective set is a pearl necklace with a diamond clasp on each side, and matching earclips, bracelet, and ring. ”

“ Stone.
She was not afraid of startling them. The story of her return had leaked out; the Boston papers had given it publicity. So she went in Mrs. Stone's carriage the next morning to the great jewelers, and was received by them with the greatest affability. They overwhelmed her with congratulations on her resurrection. But when she asked about her diamond necklace they told her an amazing story. Ivan Belmont had come to them soon after her supposed death, and redeemed the necklace by the payment of a thousand dollars, acting, he claimed, under the instructions of his mother. ”

“ I told him that I would, and left. You may ask why I had any truck with such a complete blackguard, but the answer is obvious: I had guessed from the first that there was something in the mystery of the green diamonds which would not bear exposure from Brewer's point of view, and his tale confirmed the opinion. I had learnt from it two obvious facts: one that Jules Galimard was anything but the friend of my friend; the other, that this man knew perfectly well that a sham diamond necklace was buried with Madame Brewer. ”

“ Do you know any honest jewelers in Paris?”
“There are MM. Bœhmer and Bossange, jewelers to the queen.”
“But they are precisely the people I do not wish to employ. I have just quitted them, never to return.”
“Have they had the misfortune to displease your excellency?”
“Seriously, M. Ducorneau.”
“Oh, if I dared speak.”
“You may.”
“I would ask how these people, who bear so high a name——”
“They are perfect Jews, M. Ducorneau, and their bad behavior will make them lose a million or two. I was sent by her gracious majesty to make an offer to them for a diamond necklace.” ”

“ Diamonds will naturally flash and sparkle, elegance will prevail; but amid the brilliants there is opportunity for the display of other precious stones. As always, the central factor from which other considerations radiate is the wearer’s complexion. This has already determined the choice of emerald, ruby, or sapphire as the gem around which to build a parure. The choice of the parure leads to the color of the evening gown, which, even if mainly white, may well be touched with the chosen color. A matched necklace of the chosen precious stone interspersed with diamonds is admirable. ”

“ A clasp may often be fashioned of an heirloom. There may be a brooch or a ring which has been passed along in a family for generations or been linked with personal and sentimental episodes and memories. Or there may be a piece of jewelry which a woman does not wish to abandon—yet which has fallen out of style. What may look old-fashioned on the dress front may preserve all its beauty as a clasp. Indeed, an old piece of jewelry, without altering the setting, may in this way be incorporated into a necklace. ”

“ When a little pleasure has flashed for a moment against the dark, I have made that jewel mine. I have hundreds of them, from the time my baby fingers clasped my first rose, to the night you and Lynn came to bring more sunshine into my old life. I call it my Necklace of Perfect Joy. When the world goes wrong, I have only to close my eyes and remember all the links in my chain, set with gems, some large and some small, but all beautiful with the beauty which never fades. ”

“ A small Necklace, all dull gleams and unusual tints, strung finely and strongly and beautifully on shining gold. The sweet Soul droops like a wilted lily under even its slight weight. Strong fine rivets hold it firm-clasped and the weight of the two charming imitation pendant-stones keep it gracefully in place. ”