li -..-. I 5fc ' " ' , . i . . . ii m ) EH 77ier World's Greatest Circlet, a Rope of Pearls Now Assembled in New York" After Years of Patient Searching, Awaits a Fair S3 gjjl (Copyrbtht. 1011. b7 the New Tor IB ' " II ""HEY call ttt simply "the neck- ftS J Incc" those who know ami ha c Sfnj ft; H Bcea. 5 1 or ncrc 's another superla- Sg L t!vc mado fact, nnd, like nil su- JKBfl J perlatives. it defies phrases. The Wfl C ultimate in jewels has been oolrcd; the Qfh J dream of gem lover-; since the dawn of 'Qll ,f time has come true. A single strand of jp J pearl1;, each unsurpnssed of Its sire, the awj j whole unrivalled as a collection, aliso- jUQ ?; lutelr matched, without a flaw and cx flVjl qulrftcly graded. 1N I Price, one million dollar;. nil Y Never before has there been such a H -a strand. It has been given to Mr. Michael H t. Drelccr. of New York, to nchlevo the H ft, unparalleled. H A man may differ with nnother as to m $ the perfect poem or the perfect vm H si phony or the perfect thought in marble. m j. isnt none may nuicr as to tnis .necklace fl sixty-one pure drops of prisoned stnrlight M y and moonslow lLself n poem, a syra- H phony and a masterpiece perfect! 3, Do yon wonder that they call It "the M . , necklace?' H What else might they call it? M ' Among those whose delight and joy it M is to gather and treasure and love and Bi . stndy the rarest and most beautiful of 3P " gems It will never have any other desig- nation than "the necklace." But mean- h while it will some day adorn fair shoul- " ders with its magnificence; some happy H ; one among America's queens at" least ' Mr. Drelccr promises it shall be Amcr-A Amcr-A ) ica will some day become owner of the l 't real thing. . And when that happons it j will have anamc the world over And whose name shall it beat? gl ; Some hundreds, probably some thou H sands, of persons are standing on tiptoe Hi , m, "1 VS.E.H. HARRIS l 0 (ACTUAL SIZE) feS I: From left to right: Perfect pearl worn by the Great Mo- 3. gul (1676) ; King of Persia's pearl, worth more than 110.000 pound sterling (1633)-; pearl of an Indian potentate of the seventeenth sev-enteenth century. I: i V to learn. Folks to whom pearls of great J price are masters of everyday talk and 3 eeasonable wear are wondering and guess- ?1 liajrf prophesying busily. The necklace t Sa to b eold some time, and whoever gets h will ha.ro eomcthing that truly answers ' tho dictionary definition of unique, "titc a only one of Its kind." That meann a good deal with pearl col- l lectors. Tho collecting of nnythlng ;ivcs ; canso for rivalry and keen competition. -f But tho collecting of pearls is a passion, ri and the possession of the finest pearl ( Decklace ever strung will be better than many titles of nobility and many patents of nodal distinction in tho eyes of con-nolssoura. con-nolssoura. glf Fable and history le Imparted to the f ' ' pearl tho glamour of romance. The gem ; dlsolved in vinegar which Marc Antony ll drank la scarcely lets famous thau that swallowed by Clodlus, tho glutton a jewel reputed to have boen worth a for-"i for-"i tune. Nor did a gallant of a later day, Sir Thomas Gresham, &cruple to grind a pearl which had cost him 15,000 into a cup of wine that ho might quaff the health of his queen. ProOlgato courtiers of Louis XIV. In their mad extravngance I emulated his example of misguided loy-nlty loy-nlty when th-y puhcrized their jewels and dried tho Ink of their love letcra with the powder. Thus in the excesses of sybarites often disappeared the fruits of thu labors of pearl fishers who plunged into the waters of the Persian Gulf, their nostrils compressed com-pressed with rude devices mud of horn, their ears sealed with beeswax, their feet wigbted with heavy stones. Freed of their weights, these uncouth natives rose to tho surface with cjes bulging and it'' hearts pounding until, after yearn of H scantily repaid toil, they succumbed to H' maladies engendered by their violent cx- Dl ' ertlonn. 8' I Time has brought modern methods to 0 ;i the pearl fisheries, yet more than ono of S1 ' the lustrous gems In the million 'dollar 1 strand that is destiued to adorn resplcnd- B t eut beauty at the opera may have been 8 j procured at the cost of an Indian diver's HE k pain and pril, for some of these gems are Wm i of great age, and the pearl has not yielded H F to the march of improvement. The tnont 9 A up to dat apparatus has harvested uo Bj t more beautiful pearls thnn those gathered SBfi ky le prlulivu """ans of centuries ago. HbV In fact, one tho largest pearls on record IBT ' was that which was bought by Jean Fran- a k Hprnld Oo. All rlclitu TtrttxtA ) jcls Tavernier ,u Oatlfa. Arabia, where a pearl fishery existed in the dnjs of Pliny. This gem. which has disappeared, was prar shaped nud nearly three inches long. Ho sold it to the Shah of Persia for l110.000. The works of this romantic author-traveller, author-traveller, originally published In 1070, contnin mention of seeral famous pearls of that period. He described a great gem suspended from the neck of a peacock which was made of precious stonc6 and mounted above the throne of the Great Mogul. A oS carat pearl which he sold to Shaista Khan caused a grave disagreement disagree-ment between thnt noble and the traveller. This gem. by the way, came from nn American Amer-ican fishery situated in tho West Indies, on "the Island of Marguerite, one league (from Cubagua," according to tho writer V KSg MRS. H. M'K. M TW0MBLEY . r3l PHOTO nt RAJR. A Tavernier describes two other pearls of great value, both In possession of the Gmnd Mogul, who wore one of them in the middle of a chain of emeralds and rubies that encircled his august neck and hung down to lys waist. Wealthy pearl collectors of to-day possess pos-sess strings which undoubtedly would compare fatornbly with the gems of Oriental Orien-tal potentates. Some Famous Strings. Mr. George Widcner hua a strnnd valued at three-quarters of n million Judge II II. Gary, of the Unlt.-d Slates Steel Corporation, has been a keen collector collec-tor of pearls for years and has gathered a string for Mrs. Gary which is said to be worth $000,000. Mm. ..William B. Leeds has a wonderful collection, notably two strings of beautifully matched specimens, one of which gnvi rise to action In the courts when the late Mr. W. 13. I.ecd3 im-Krted im-Krted it. The duty on set gems being sixty per cent and that on unset gems but ten per cent, the government took the position posi-tion that the mere unstringing of pearls should not entitle the owner to the lower rate. Final settlement regarding the pearls, which are valued at more thau $300,000. is still pending. Mrs. George .1. Gould is known wher- icvor pearfe are mentioned as a devoted collector of pearls, owning muny fine strings. Mrs. Potter Palmer's ropes of pearls have attracted much attention at the British court, where notable pearls are fur from uucommon. Some of tire finest necklaces in the world are wprn by titled English women American visitors who pridv themselves 011 their pearls have to undergo comparison of their Htrands with such reiuarkablo collections as thoso of Lady Iveagh, Lady Guinness, Ludy Amherxt und Lady Yarborough. Mrs. Claude Wntupy Is said to hae tho finetl Hngl'isli collection of the rare black and , white pearls, Other famous strands owned In England arc those of the Duchess of Marlborough and the buperb black pearls which once belonged to the Fn-nch towii and which were purchased bj the late Sfr J. Blundell Maple for Lady Maple. it has been wild that Queen Marghprita . of Italy nud Qucon Alexandra of Kng- J 1 1 laud have the t.o finest collections of pearls, but, of late years the popularity of tho gems on this side of the water and I the steady search prosecuted by Amerl- cans for matched and graded Btrands have '-' MRS W,LL,AM B LEEDS MRS. POTTER PALMER 1 (((1 i '& ' PHOTO Er AIME. POPOTiTX; too 0,0 o or mmwzy1 Possibih Buyers of thel Ickla-ce 11il$& WBwi MRS- GEORGE J. GOULD MRS. OTTO H. KAHN P HW MRS. ELBERT H. GARY ' MRS. E. H. HARRIMAN jl) iSI MRS. WILLIAM B LEEDS MRS. POTTER PALMER WMf Smft MRS R0DMAN WANAMAKER MRS. H. M'K. TWOMBLEY MM fSSjB MBS. FRANCIS CAR0LAN MRS. W. D. SL0ANE - Hi mrs- w- k- VANDERBILT MRS. HENRY C. FRICK E$W rk MRS. COLLIS P. HUNTINGTON w MRS. HAROLD F. M'CORMICK MftMf? nan LP hW Xl brought many necklaces into existence that will bear comparison with the best abroad. 1 Mrs. Rodman Wanamaker Is the owner of a beautiful strand, as nre Mrs. Samuel New house and Mrs. Francis Carolan. bo was Miss Pullman. Mrs. W. K. Vander bilt has a wonderful collection, and Mrs Collis P. Huntington's fifteen strand necklace neck-lace is world famous Mrs. Otto II. Kahn n.is some fine pearls, and Mrs. D. II. Uar-.iman, Uar-.iman, Mrs. II. Mcjv. Twombly, Mrs. W D. Sloauc, Mrs. Henry C. Frick and Mrs. Harold F. McCormlck aro to be counted among the owners of strings that are rarely equalled. Mme. Nordlca's collection is not to be overlooked, and purchasers of pearls in this country lime always to face the possibility pos-sibility of competing with Mr. J. Pierpout Morgau, who Includes them umong the rare things which he collects with discern dis-cern men t. Any ono of these Americans may bc-coiiio bc-coiiio the owuer of tho million dollar necklace. The collecting of pearls lays upon tho ono who adopts it a peculiar fu.sciuation not to be compared to the interx-st of tho gatherer of less attractivo gems. It ifl a matter of obtaining a fair string, of learning learn-ing its beauties and of straightway seeking seek-ing 11 little better pearl for Uils point lu tho Htraud, a little larger pearl for thnt, a differently hhaded pearl here, a more fully rounded pearl there. A collection of pearls grows and changes more slowly as it approaches perfection, but Is almost nlw.i.vs open to modification. Pearl lovers find the tensest pleasuro in developing their collections and watch ouo another's strands jealously. Tho possession of the necklace when it Ik hoUI will give rlso to many heartburnings. Somebody in one day Ik going to obtuui perfection in pearls and distance all who have laboriously nnd slowly guthcred their strings. Popularity of the Pearl. But it is quite possible that tho pur chaser may be found among admirers of the pearl who hae achieved nothing rc-markuble rc-markuble lu thu way of a collection as yet. Ah Mr. Drelccr puts it, "Anybodj has a $100,000 necklace nowadays." Allowing Al-lowing for Mr. Drcicer'a point of view, which Is a trifle loo professional, the fnct remains that pearl collecting has become enormously popular among persons of wealth. Tho result has been a swift rise ACTUAL SIZE OF THE NECKLACE c I ( MRS. RODMAN WANAMAKER PHOTO BV OAR.O in the valuo of pearls and a decline in the avuilable supply. With tho best disposition disposi-tion In the world to spend money for pearls, a collector might conceivably have found no opportunity to acquire 11 fine string within tho last few days. Meanwhile, there Is "the" necklace, which represents ten j ears' labor in sifting tiic pearl markets of the world. Undoubtedly the Uothechilds could assemble as-semble pearh which in ngiiregnte weight would surpass the necklace. Baroness Gustnvc de Rothschild has 11 wonderful five strnnd circle, and Baron Alphonso de Rothschild possesses some magnificent specimens, liiclpdinp a pair worth $200,000. Other members of thu fnmily, which has beeu collecting pearls for a centuarj , hav rnsuy r.iru and valuable slnglo and grouped pearls. But among all the Rothschilds,. If their collections wyro pooled, nothing lil.u this necklace could be mude up." Within the limits of a slnglo strand it can never be cquulled. Mr, Dreiccr began with specimens he had In Now York. Few of these original pearls now remain in the finished strand. After that, whenever he heard of time and place whore fine pearls were to be had he made nn engagement with himself to bo there. The Hotel Dr'ouot, In Paris, and Chryetio's, in IOndon, are the chief oun.es of art treasures to modem purchasers, pur-chasers, and private Europcau collectious of all kinds have a way of comlug under the hammer at one or the other of them. Iho pearl seeker was on hand at every sale of jewels, content If he might obtain oue specimen tor the strand. At the dispersal of the famous Dudley collection of pearls, about the time the search began, some of the fineat single gems known to collectors went to various parts of the world. Mr. Drelccr pa-tieutb pa-tieutb followed those he wanted. Several of the pearls now In the necklace formerly belonged to the Dudley strings. Matching as a Fine Art. As the strand approached perfection the filling of the gups presented dllUcultics to make the most enthusiastic despair. The collector hud set tho highest standard, a pure whito pearl with just a hint of the most delicate flesh tone, absolutely spherical, spheri-cal, without a Haw, without the slightest break lu the contour and of a certain soft brilliancy. Mr. Drelccr took to sending ngents Into fnr corners to look for what he lucked. Oue of his men ransacked India. Thu Jut" of Janiuogur, Prince Ranjit-slnjhi, Ranjit-slnjhi, who holds forth in Knthlawar, is a famed pearl enthusiast and extracts cery possible thrill from his hobby by running a pearl fishery of bis own. Him the agent nought, as also the Gaekwar of Baroda ami the Nawab of IUmpur, whose wealth iu pearls is almost fabulous. fabu-lous. Within the lat few weeks tho last wondrous won-drous pearl w uW th fft,uous string There wns the perfect strund, with tho big $100,000 pearl in the centre und tho thirty beauties on each side, all of a Uncuess. shade, finish and duality, graded from thu Mzo of a bird's egg to that of a large pea. Strung on silk and liued with a plain clasp of a single diamond, dia-mond, they I'O' before tho collector a uuit. a thing to set heart throbbing and uyph BtriuninS 11 rope of chastened fires and subtle Uamiugrf. "I owrt to' being ulmost wrry that it Is over," wild Mr, Dreiccr recently, as he sat with th necklace in his bauds. He was scon at No. GOO Fifth avenue, the headquarters of Drelccr & Co. "Almotrt A- . lorry that I have nothing more to do for it. I have had the keenest pleasure from collecting it, and now it is complete, and whnt am I to dream about? Still, one could hardly wish it were to do over again when ono looks at It," ho added, with a smile'. The reporter looked at it and agreed. Pnlma Vecchio may have had some such thought when he finished his Santa Barbara Bar-bara or Michael Angclo when tho last chip fell from his David. But gazing at the completed work neither could hnve wished It were to do ngain. "It has almost a personality, hasn't ItV" asked Mr. Dreicer. And again ho was right, for the necklace neck-lace has a most delicate and compelling personality, like every perfect thing of pure art. There was no chance of interviewing inter-viewing while it lay lu sight B. , 'VrfrnfiiSCrKPttSV' 111 , MRS-w-D- 111 k sloane rKy - w$ Vf& M Gu Z H w COPViaCHT gY WMCWtf PHOTO PY TtATCCEAU . H MRS. GEORGE J. GOULDS MRS, OTTO H. KAHW H ' qS(ACTUAL SIZE) 0 From left to right: Pearl, weighing fifty-five carats, sold M by Tavernier to Shaista Khan (seventeenth century) ; one of the H great pearls of the seventeenth century from the East;' pearl H hung from the neck of a peacock made of gems, at court of H Grand Mogul. H "It represents, you might say, a life work," went on Mr. Dreicer after the box was closed and the reporter had rubbed his eyes nnd sighed. "I shall never be ablo to form another to equal It neither I nor any one else. There is an element of satisfaction in that, however, if you get my meaning. Why It Is Unique. "Now, T don't say that if all the pearls of tho Dcst hundred collections were brought together one could not make np a similar strand, but It is fairly 6afe to assert as-sert that they never will be so assembled, and under normal conditions no single collector col-lector will ever be able to gather into one string such pearls as these. "I had some remarkable opportunities In making my selections, opportunities euch as are not likely to offer again. There Is something of luck in all uncertain matters, isn't there? Well, it was with me whilo I was making up the necklace. Some of tho historic collections of pearls were broken up during that time A few of the Dudley pearls wsro Indispensable to tho necklace that would bo the boot. It so happened that I could get them. The dispersal of the Polotsoff collection aided me. Then there wero wmo memlrers of European royal families who found It necessary to disposo of Hpeciinena that had been thu wonder of courts. I was so fortunate as to have my chance at them. "Some of thcao pearls havo been well known lu Spain. The troubles of the royal house of Portugal huve been associated associ-ated with others. There are strange stones anil stranger adventures back of certain of this string, if ono could ouly come at the truth. The pearl, you know, has a way of mixing ittelf up with tho intimate in-timate dramas of life. It Is a very human gem. j "Yes, tho nccklaco hius been gathered from all parts of the world The pearls are all Oriental ami camo originally fromi fisheries in the Persian Gulf, off Ceylon, In tho China Sou, or off the IslaniLs of tliuj South Seas. Who shall say where they J have been since? Sonni to the strong boxes of ChlneMo merchants, some to tho crowns of Chinese princes, somo to the Mcret hoards of Indian rajahs, some to the recesses of Asia and Africa, no donbl. 13ven the most savage and primitive of people prizo the pearl, you know It la n universal object of desire." "And arc you going to sell it' he was Mr. Dreiccr smiled "Whnt-clsc can T fl do? After all. my business is to sell such tilings. It must be sold some time, but I shall keep it by mc as long as I can. be J sure of that." And ho opencd'the bn- again nnd looked jH within. It was not ililficult to set a hint of his feeling toward the' necklace.' A IH man docs nut part easily with hi jdr-il H "When must It be sold?" "I'm not thinking of that." said M' H Dreienr. "I don't like to think of it H Perhaps in a year, perhaps InVm. After IH I have had time to take my delight 'of it ' IH "And to whom?" I Again Mr. Dreicer smiled "A great H many wonld like to know that. Many IH lovers of ncarls linvo seen if nnuiv ntlinna ll have heard of it. A collection like this jH makes a great stir nmong collectors, yon mny imagine. Of course I have a pretty H fair idea about where It'h going. Pcrson-i H who havo such things arc not like the snndn of the sea. But what one is to H wonr it?" He shook )iis head. H "Some one in America?" "Probably " And that was all he would say as to the disposition of the million dollar neck- H Mr. Drelccr was asked concerning tho care of snch exquisite gems whether pearls of such rarity did not require spe- H clal precautions in treatment and liand- IH Laying Low a Superstition. H "Well, we don't play mnrblc with them j or throw them around the floor, but the H pearl is a durable thing. Under ordi- H nary conditions it never loses its beauty. H There is a strange superstition among H tho uninformed that pearls become 'ill' H and have to be 'treated.' One bears about H pearls being sunk in the ocean to renew H their lost brilliance. Thero is nothing in H that. A pearl that has ceased to show H its lustre can never bo restored. H "ITi ere aro two ways in which pearls H may be injured. If worn too frequently H next to the akin they may become af- H fected, deadened. When that happens H nothing can be done, 'xhe pearls are no H longer perfect, that is aJL Careful own- H em of pearls wear them upon their shoul- H ders but seldom, and then for as short a H tlmo us possible. H "Another causo of injury to pearls Is H bad stringing. Even balls ot steel strung H closely together would show the effects H of friction in time. The proper way Is to H tio a knot in the string botwecn pearls." H Mr. Dreiccr spoko of tho tremendous H increaso in the popularity of the (tearl in jH recent years. jH "Our great American fortunes have H been the cause of high prices and scarcity H In all works of art, Jewels and other rare H and precious commodities. Pearls have IH been particularly sought after. You H might ulmobt call the lovers of the pearl a cult nowadays. They nre tremendously H keen collectors. Diamonds are tho gems H of display, but pearls are more especially H the gems of culture and refincmenL jH "It takea jears and years to build up jH even a fair necklace If one begina col- jH lecting. Some of tho best necklaces bavo IH been building two or three times as long H as this. I had unusual opportunities, as H I have said. A very pretty custom among H persons ot wealth, here and abroad, is to H begin thu daughter's necklace when she H Is born. A Gne pearl is purchased and H on each succeeding blrthdav .tuother, cr- H Cecily matched, is added, lu tins wa shu H has the beginning ut u nuaibk necklace H when he is old enough to appreciate it H und to conduct her own search. H "You would be surprised to leuru tho H number of nmatuur pearl collecturs of H marked ubiIt. Very trequeutly they 1 know n great deal mote hIkjiii pearls H than most dealers. The judgiug of pearl H allies Is an exceedingly ililtlcult and del- H icalu mnlter and requires much study jH and ciperl"uce-" .Mr. Dreicer was asked whether the IH Auicncui fresrh water ooarls huve ever IH come into tavor. lie said that the arq l without honor In their own country, H though they sell well abroad. Somu of IH them, he said, arc vorj fine, scarcely to IH be distiuguishcd from the real Orientals IH Uo once handled one worth $12,000 'and jH had heard of a Mississippi pearl valued H at $100,000. H As thu reporter was leaving he lieggeil H for oue more glimpu of thu ueeklace H He got it not the necklace, but thu H glunpze. H "Then you really won t say who is H going to havu'lt7" asked the reporter. M "1 should like to know myself," sail' M Mr. Dreicer. H