Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) STORIES ABOUT FAMOUS PRECIOUS STONES BY MRS. GODDARD ORPEN _ILLUSTRATED_ BOSTON D LOTHROP COMPANY WASHINGTON STREET OPPOSITE BROMFIELD COPYRIGHT, 1890, BY D. LOTHROP COMPANY. CONTENTS. I. THE REGENT 9 II. THE ORLOFF 37 III. LA PELEGRINA 59 IV. THE KOH-I-NUR 79 V. THE FRENCH BLUE 111 VI. THE BRAGANZA 131 VII. THE BLACK PRINCE'S RUBY 149 VIII. THE SANCI 177 IX. THE GREAT MOGUL 198 X. THE AUSTRIAN YELLOW 218 XI. A FAMOUS NECKLACE 238 XII. THE TARA BROOCH AND THE SHRINE OF ST. PATRICK'S BELL 262 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. The Regent 14 The Orloff 40 The Koh-i-Nur 83 Koh-i-Nur, as recut 95 Tavernier's Blue Diamond 118 The "Hope Blue" Diamond 119 "Brunswick" Blue Diamond 123 "Hope Blue" Diamond, as mounted 126 The Crown of England 171 The Sanci 183 The Great Mogul 209 The Austrian Yellow 220 Diamond in the rough 229 Diamond after cutting 232 "The Necklace of History" 243 The Tara Brooch 265 St. Patrick's Bell 279 STORIES ABOUT FAMOUS PRECIOUS STONES I. THE REGENT. Of all the gems which have served to adorn a crown or deck a beauty the Regent has perhaps had the most remarkable career. Bought, sold, stolen and lost, it has passed through many hands, always however leaving some mark of its passage, so that the historian can follow its devious course with some certainty. From its extraordinary size it has been impossible to confound it with any other diamond in the world; hence the absence of those conflicting statements with regard to it which puzzle one at every turn in the cases of certain other historical jewels. The first authentic appearance of this diamond in history was in December, 1701. In that month it was offered for sale by a diamond merchant named Jamchund to the Governor of Fort St. George near Madras, Mr. Thomas Pitt, the grandfather of the great Earl of Chatham.