During my stay in Russia, that same Prince Galitzin was the victim of probably the cleverest piece of fraud ever perpetrated, in which his luck forsook him. He was a great amateur of diamonds and precious stones, and also claimed to be a judge. One day, in the card-room of the English club at Moscow, he noticed an Italian wearing a ring with a diamond of the first water, and of extraordinary size. The prince went up to the wearer of this magnificent jewel, and asked to be allowed to look at it. ‘And you also, prince, are taken in by it,’ replied the Italian. ‘What looks to you like a diamond is only a bit of paste, very beautiful paste, but after all, paste.’ The prince shook his head. ‘No paste ever sparkled like that. Will you mind confiding it to me for a few hours?’ he asked. ‘I wish to show it to the emperor’s jeweller, in order to prove to him the rare degree of perfection imitation can attain.’ The Italian made not the least difficulty in granting the request. The prince ran to the jeweller to ask him the value of the magnificent single stone. The dealer examined, weighed, and tested the thing, admitting that he had rarely seen so perfect a specimen of petrified carbon. ‘But it’s a bit of paste,’ exclaimed the prince with glee. The dealer examined and weighed again, subjected the stone to more tests, and finally pronounced the gem to be a diamond, a diamond of the first water, which in the trade would fetch at the lowest estimate a hundred thousand roubles, and for which he, if it was to be disposed of, would be willing to give eighty thousand. Galitzin makes the dealer repeat his words again and again, and finally returns to the card-room, where the Italian is engaged in a quiet game of piquet. The prince gives him his ring, asking him to sell it; to which the Italian replies that he is not in want of money, and that in any case the ring has not the slightest value. Galitzin will not take no for an answer, but cannot get the Italian to budge. He sets great store by the bauble, not because of its worth, because it has none, but for the associations attached to it, inasmuch as his mother gave it to him, exacting his promise never to part with it. Seduced by the prospect of an enormous bargain, Galitzin would take no refusal, offered ten thousand roubles, increased his offer to thirty thousand, and finally proposed fifty thousand.’ ‘Very well, prince,’ said the Italian, as if weary of the struggle, ‘fifty thousand be it then; and you, gentlemen--’ this, turning to the lookers-on--‘you can bear witness that the prince compels me to sell him for fifty thousand roubles a mere bit of paste.’