Appendix K. The "Great Sancy"

Appendix K.
The "Great Sancy"

According to Mr. Streeter, "this is the very Sphinx of diamonds"; for its history "seems to be wrapped up in a dense cloud of mystery." By some writers this gem, which weighs 53½ carats, has been confounded with one of only 34 carats in the Prussian Royal Treasury, known as the "Little Sancy." The name originated from the circumstance of the gem having been brought from the East by Nicholas Harlai, Seigneur de Sancy, about the year 1570. "Harlai was attached to the Courts of Henry III. and Henry IV., having been ambassador for the former in Turkey, for the latter in England during the reign of Elizabeth." Of the romantic story of the loss of the diamond referred to in the lecture (page 36), we subjoin the version given in "Great Diamonds:"—

The "Great Sancy."

"Henry IV. of Navarre, being desirous of strengthening his army by a body of Swiss recruits, is reported to have borrowed the diamond of Nicholas, now superintendent of finance, intending to raise money on its security. But the messenger charged with the responsibility of conveying the gem either to the king from Harlai, or from the king to the Swiss (for the story is here somewhat confused), disappeared on the way. A long interval elapsed before it became known that he had been waylaid and assassinated. Full of confidence in the loyalty and inventive faculty of his servant, Harlai proceeded to the forest where the murder had been committed. After a long search the body was found, disinterred, and opened. In the stomach was found the diamond, which, as suspected by his master, the faithful valet had swallowed to prevent its falling into the hands of the thieves."

Somewhere between 1590 and 1600 Harlai sold it to the British Crown. Then there is good reason to believe that the Queen Dowager Henrietta Maria, when in exile, sent the "Sancy," with other valuables, to Somerset, Earl of Worcester, "in return for the sacrifices he had made in the cause of the house of Stewart." It passed into the hands of James II., who sold it to Louis XIV. for £25,000. Like the "Regent," it disappeared in the French Revolution. About the year 1830 it was the property of a French merchant, and since then of the Russian Prince Demidoff, Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, and the Maharajah of Puttiala, who wore it in his turban at a Grand Durbar when the Prince of Wales visited India. Mr. Streeter finishes up the interesting story of the "Sancy's" vicissitudes by stating that owing to the death of the Maharajah the gem is once more on sale.

Works on Precious Stones, Regalia, Etc.

Although we have in the foregoing extracts acknowledged our indebtedness more or less distinctly to the several authors, we here give the titles of their works in full, together with three smaller works, which may be of service to those who are desirous of information on this interesting subject.

Precious Stones and Gems. By Edwin W. Streeter, F.R.G.S. Fifth edition, revised and largely re-written, with chapters on the Ruby Mines of Burma. George Bell & Sons. 1892.

"An exhaustive and practical work for the merchant, the connoisseur, or the private buyer." The Great Diamonds of the World: their History and Romance. Collected from official, private, and other sources, during many years of correspondence and inquiry. Same Author and Publishers. 1882.

Diamonds and Precious Stones: their History, Value, and Distinguishing Characteristics; with Simple Tests for their Identification. By Harry Emanuel, F.R.G.S. Small 8vo. Illustrated. 1867. In relation to the subject of the lecture, two of the early chapters of this able work are noticeable. The first is "On the Precious Stones mentioned in the Bible," and is followed by a description of the "Stones in the Breastplate of the High Priest," extracted from the Talmud and several Rabbinical commentators. We believe that the Author is of the Hebrew persuasion, and therefore makes no mention in his book to New Testament references to Precious Stones. It contains a most comprehensive Bibliography of Precious Stones.

Gems and Jewels: their History, Geography, Chemistry, and Area. From the earliest ages down to the present time. By Madame De Barrera. 8vo. R. Bentley. 1860.

History and Mystery of Precious Stones. By William Jones, F.S.A. Thick 8vo. R. Bentley & Sons. 1880.

Crowns and Coronations. A History of Regalia. By William Jones, F.S.A. With ninety-one illustrations. 8vo. Chatto & Windus. 1883. The following smaller books are of an entirely different character, but will interest Bible students and teachers:— The Precious Stones of the Bible: Descriptive and Symbolical. Being a Treatise on the Breastplate of the High Priest, and the foundations of the New Jerusalem; with a brief History of each Tribe and each Apostle. By a Physician. Nisbet & Co. 1878. Crown 8vo.

God's Jewels; or, a Mineralogical Illustration of Scripture. By Thomas A. G. Balfour, M.D. Nisbet & Co. 1873. Crown 8vo.

God's Jewels: their Dignity and Destiny. B W. Y. Fullerton. Passmore & Alabaster. 1891