The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 17, 1907, Page 12

TRANSLVCENT WOMANS NEVEST SHOWING RT jewelrs of stones and t nt ena the very newest mentation for ¢ It need scarce- |1y De s2!d the birthplace of this latest lgehtevement of the goldsmith’s art and craft was Paris—P; & beauty {loving ci ing in the is to be ne of d some of the finest of cceeded in perfecting a 1 whereby the imparted to transparent, ere nigh design art orna- ents e and wealthlest of © women He set up a little studio 2nd workshop in New Jersey, where he spends his days and many of nts with his forge and his is crucibles and his colors, some of the most beauti- ooches and pendants have ever been seen in this coun- necklaces ere are duplicates among %his works. ¢ piece is made from ach desigr nature, &n artist . T nandiwork. Flow- ers eaves and birds may be re- art objects of and precious stones but ne two are completed which st The the varlous pass ere the r transparency r is as capricious Despite the most ful preparation gh dely unit as 2 woman car and attention to de- e shading veries ever so little, degree of transparency differs each me by just a trifle, end when exam- ined closely two enameled flowers are as ey are found to be in the ature. For this reason there is ng element of ch e tn & out of a rare design, that spurs the worker eation, that with on raises his the sense of pride expectations are not a when the flowers come forth z bath of flames more beauti- oy he had dared to hope, but a to the very depths of a ks zed Now, however, the c 1 ph of the work is so perfected that tk svho know the ha secret fear of the from either t ng of colors pro e fur- e little t rese pleces of translucent is well worth close en held to the light the rays fiter through & stratum of color, 4 the effect of the enamel is height- ened a bundredfold. Instead of mak- @ evrenee work is done just out- < City. Not long ago o, after years of ex-* B i St et - ing flowers and faces the artist c designs with 100ses raised’ ones, so that each petal and wing and leaf catciaes the maximum number of light rays and iis beauty is intensified, while the coloring itself is improved. Among the nec es thus far offered the French artist in enamel work 1¢ most striking is a design in purp irls, two long petaled flowers, with buds and a graceful arrangement of leaves, being suspended from an oddly designed chain made of twin scrolls in pale green enamel and dull golden links The pendant is at least four inches long and detachable, so that it pat sur- I can be worn as a corsage ornament There are no less than eight shades of green and vyellow blended to- gether in the long vointed leaves. the noneycombed with fine gold wire very much after the fashion of cloisonne work. Every detail of nature is followed with rare perfec- tion, and the entire ornament, instead of being stiff, as the nature of the flower is apt to make it, is beautiful enough to attract the eye of the col- leetor. Rising from the center of the ornament are two iris buds, their sheaths being solidly encrusted with diamonds, while their curled and pointed purple petals are wrought of smoothly polished amethysts instead of enamel. The whole ornament mer- its e application of the word gorzeous, but with all its charm and beauty of coloring and design: it is less dear to those who are familiar with art jewelry than those necklaces which are a grouping of small flow- enamei belr of the top ADORNMENT Neure . or CARVED GoLo DURROUNDED BY ENAMELLED TLOWERS” E URENSLWUCENT LNamy, ers around a central fgure in_exquisitely tinted gold. Nothing could be lovelier than the half-nude’ figure 6f the dancing sgirl balancing daintily with one t#e on a bit of diamond studded drapery. One hand holds the folds of a long, grace- wrougnt ful scarf wrought in almost trans- parent enamel, while the other is raised high over head, clasping the other end of the filmy looking scarf. The girl's figure is exquisitely carved. By hand, of course,” for every tiny bit of this new art jewelry is care- fully wrought out by hand. Five-pet- aled flowers, centered with diamonds, form the rest of this extraordinary necklace. They are caught together with loops of gold and pearls. The general shape of the design is tri- angular, the back of the necklace tapering to a thin gold chain, un- ENAM D TL T LU IR —— ornamented, and, to emphasize the unusual shape of the design, a tri- angular diamond, quite flat and cut with a bevel edge, is suspended from the gem-studded scarf on which the jancer’'s foot rests. Not only does it take several days to design and carve a figure from solid gold, but the enameling process, its preparation and burning, the polishing and the choosing of appropriate and well matched stones all consume con- siderable time. = From three to five weeks are needed to work out a neck- lace such as the one described above, and while the artist does all the im- portant work with his own hands he employs a corps of assistants—men and giris—to help with the less important but nevertheless tedlous and delicate parts of the work. The price of a necklice like this is in the neighbor- hood of $1500. This rare enamel work is beautiful as a work of art, as a combination of colors and as a reproduction of nature. It is also exquisite as an ornament for women, because the delicacy and trans- Jucency of the enamel show to the best advantage againet the soft tints of the To hold a necklace or a brooch in the hands convinces one that the object is a beautiful plece of art jewelry, but just how beautiful and how effective enamel is with its dainty coloring taking on a greater delicacy from the background of a soft, fair throat can only be appreciated by visual evidence. It must not be thought that the creator of these particular art pieces ‘was the first to discover the charm and beauty of enamel jewelry. Others in France, in Sweden and elsewhere have worked in enamels and precious stones, but it is asserted that none has suc- ceeded in getting the same degree of transparency and delicacy of coloring achleved by the owner of the little studio in New Jersey. Knowing that the feminine fancy craves novelty as well as besuty, the artist set’ to work to produce both. To him the ornaments are not merely necklaces and pendants and brooches; they are paintings and sculptures, rare blendings of tones and forms and modeling. Fuchsias are wonderfully beautiful when wrought in enamel. The deep shades of their petals are difficult to produce. Two such flowers suspended from a diamond studded bit of rococo work make a pendant that is delight- ful. From the center of the flowers shoot forth tender green gold sprays, each one tipped by a tiny diamond. The chain upon which this ornament is hung is both unique and beautiful. A series of half-inch long tubes of enamel colored in light fuchsia shades are separated by tiny pale green leaves, rimmed and lined with fine gold wire. The delicacy and minuteness of the work can be appreciated only upon close inspection. The working out of a grape design shows how the artist loves to take un- usual motifs and how admirably he can adapt them. A pendant in oval shape, about the size of a half-dollar, is made up of a small, pinkish tint- ed wild flower, presented to the eve of the beholder from the side insteed of from the ordinary top. FEach petal is tinted carefully with & brush be- fore it is fired, and through its del- fcate coloring may be seen veins of gold. The center has the requisite number of pistils, these being fash- joned of fine gold wire, tipped with gems. The flower inside the curled-up pet- als is as perfectly designed as art and execution can produce. Surround- ing the single flower is a grapeleaf shaped wreath, gem studded, and from the lower side depend two long clus- ters of grapes made of graduated pearls in gray and white tints. The bunches are so arranged that they swing loose from each other in sec- tions, a scheme which obviates any stiffness. This beautiful pendant is hung upon a chain fashioned of long, slender tubes of enamel alternating with tiny translucent leaves and single -pearls. In the collection of brooches the de- signer had on hand was a large pea- cock balanced on a very large 'single diamond. so set that the rim of metal surrounding it was almost invisible. The wings of this gorgeous bird were incrusted with diamonds, and i the eve of each tail feather. enameled natural golors, was a single sparkling white gem. The minutest detail of the plumage has been carried out faithfully, and the workmanship is excellent. The designer is able to get almost as many tints of gold as AMETHYSTS he does of enamel, and working with both of these mediums he achieves wonderful effects. The peacock just descriled Is an ex- ample of opaque enamel. A y of equal beauty and gorgeousuess is one of the best products of t trans- lucent process. Nearly every color on the palette of the artist has added its beauty to the variegated ings of this creature. Pink o and brown, vellow and clear blu been dabbed with the brush of an artist on the graceful wjngs, and in lieu of the tiny spots and dashes of white color seen on certain varieties of this insect there . glow and sparkle pure gem More of these same stones tip wings, and vetween the two shorter ones is suspended a single large pearl. Anotherfue is a ragged robin, smaller than the red flower, but showing the same blue shades that make it so at- tractive. All wie petals of the and the slender stem and leav green enamel, while a big dash of blue is given by a pear-shaped sapphire suspended from the stem of the flower. Women who love jewels and jewelry that dangles—and who is there among the sex that does not?—will go into raptures of delight over a flower neck- lace of pale spring-tinted leaves and flowers of greenish yellow with drops of heart-shaped peridots and diamonds. All this is set in triangular form on an oddly designed chain of gold links. In this enamel jewelry it is possible to choose not only stones for which one has a preference, but those which are most becoming and also | flowers which suit the wegarer's style. Few women would find purple iris be coming, but these may have a choice of any blossom copied faithfully from nature. And as flowers are looked upon as the most beautiful decoration that a woman can wear, then such per- fectly copied blossoms as are found in the realm of enamel must be an exsel- lent substitute. T ALFONSO X1l WHO EXPECTS A VIOLENT DEATH BUT WHO IS NOT AFRAID By Arthur R. Hinton HE door of 2 popular theater in Madrid one night during the month of December, at the fash- fonsble hour of 10 o'clock, when Spenish theaters open and the sireets are thronged with happy, care- tree crowds of light-hearted sons and daughters of Iberia. Among them ware io be seen strangers from far- =weay ciimes; ror Madrid, while less cos- mopolitan than the more frequented capits Northern Europe, is not the s of without visitors from every land, while few countries of Europe and America sre without 2 representative or two g its permanent residents. door of the theater was a group of four. Two were Englishmen, easily distinguishable as natives of Alvion; ome had been for two years a resident of Madrid, the other was a recent arrival from London. The third member was an American lady, just ar- rived in Spain on a visit. The fourth and last of the group was a Spaniard. As they started to enter there was a stir in the crowd. A carriage with an escort of cavalry dashed up to the surb: a double line of police was quick~ formed from the door of the car- riage to the door of the theater and in another minute Alfonso XIII, the youthful monarch of Spain, jumped out, followed by the beautiful English Princess whom he has chosen as his Queen. cried one of the English- men, rting to elbow his way through the crowd to a place where a better view could be obtained of the royal couple. His Anglo-Saxon com- panions prepared to follow, but the Spaniard hung back. “No, mno,” he whispered hoarsely. “Don’t get near. It's dangerous.” The other three halted, their looks clearly expressing the amazement they felt as they gazed at their friend. “What on earth is the matter with you?” exclaimed the young man who had first spoken. “Are you crazy “No, no!” replied the other. “But surely you are not going into the the- ater, now, not where they are. There is too much danger. Madre de Dios, suppose a bomb were thrown. It's Jikely to happen any time. .If it did my wife might be a widow. For a moment there was silence as the three foreigners exchanged glances in which surprise and amusement min- gled with contempt, and then one spoke out freely. “Why, you miserable coward,” he said. “Ts that the kind of men pro- duced in this country to be frightened by old women's threats? You get our, dear English princess over here and this Is the way you treat her. Afraid to go into the building where she Shame on you!” But jeers and arguments failed to convince the Spaniard, who replied by referring to the fact that the King's life has already been attempted more than once and that the anarchists, hav- ing decreed his death, had nearly ac- complished it by means of a bomb on his wedding da He hurried away while the Englishman and the Ameri- can lady went into the theater and enjoyed the performance under the shadow of the royal box, and, as the ‘world knows, nothing happened to mar the pleasure of the evening. But let not this incident, for the cor- rectyess of which the writer can vouch, glve the reader any wrong impres- sions. The fears of the timid subject of Alfonso have, without doubt, a very substantial foundation, as shown con- clusively by past events. No one knows this better than the youthful monarch himself, although the knowledge does not seem to disturb him on his own account, though he fears much for the safety of his lovely young wife. Spain has a falr sized anarchist colony, re- inforced from France and Italy, in Bar- celona, and already a Prime Minister, Canovas del Castillo, has fallen a vic- tim to it. A theater would be an ideal spot for their deadly work, the fact that others besides the royal victims would probably suffer being of no in- terest to them. On. the other hand, let no one sup- pose that such timidity is in any way characteristic of the Spanish peobple. is. Few, indeed, would have done as did this man, and during the performance on the night in question the theater was filled with a gay, happy throns, Who laughed, applauded, chatted viva- clously and cheered their sovereigns as they arrived and departed just as If there were no such things as bombs or such people as anarchists. But this is not due to ignorance of the danger, at least on the part of thinking people. They realize the danger and take their chances. Alfonso is a very popular sovereign; few, indeed, were ever more So, and as for the beautiful young Queen, every one knows that ajl Spain is in love with her. But “uneasy rests the head that wears a crown,” and never was the truth of this old saying better exem- plified than in the case of Alfonso XIII, the only person in the world’s history Wwho. was actually born a King, and whose reign began with the minute of his birth. Born in the midst of a Cabinet council, called thus into extra- ordinary session to prevent the possi- bility of fraud which leaders of the op- position to his dynasty professed to be- lieve was intended, his troubles began. Admittedly Alfonso’s personal popu- larity should do much to strengthen his dynasty, threatened as it has long been on the one side by the Carlists, the ex- treme reactionaries, and on the other by the republicans, insignificant in numbers at present, perhaps, but lia- ble to become strong at any time should the general political ation veer, as it may at any mom especially if the controversy opened by ‘the polit- ical-religious question embodied in the pending assoclations bill come to a crisls. At present gpalu shows signs of enterifig upon the first stages of a battle between so-called clericalism and so-called liberalism similar to that in France and Ttaly, the end of which no man who knows aught of Spanish char- acter dare attempt to foretell so far as its political effect is concerned. Through it all the King pursues the even tenor of his ways. He is said to be something ‘of a fatalist, and to have declared his conviction that he is yet to die a violent death, but he does not let this keep him in. An_ ardent autemobile enthusiast, he drives through streets and over moun- tain roads, teking the wheel himself and delighting In getting away from the restraints of ‘public life. An inci- dent has just been published in the Madrid press that shows the King's democratic w: as well as his humane nature. While motoring in the moun- tains his Majesty came upon a pass- enger and mail diligence stopped on a steep grade, where ons of the horses had fallen from exhaustion, and the driver, stupid and brutal to the last degree, like many of his class, was belaboring the unfortunate beast with a fury that knew no bounds and ac- complished no results. - ¥ The King stopped and dismounted trom his car. He wore a motoring cos- tume, large goggles effectually con- cealed his features and the cochero 'ullea to recognize him. op beating that amimal,” cried the King. A volley of curses and renewed abuse was the only reply. The King stepped forward and stood between the driver and his dumb, helpless victim. The cochero was about to let out another volley of curses when one of the pass- engers recognized his sovereign and hastily warned bim to be silent. The feelings of the cochero may be better imagined than described. He fairly groveled before the King, unable to speak from shame and terror, evident- 1y fearing that he would be killed or glven some horrible punishment for his conduct. When he recovered sufficient- ly to act, the King made him get the horse on its feet and properly started on the journey before he re-entered his car, after warning the cochero against such outbursts of temper in future. Alfonso’s English marriage has not only been popular, but it has made the English people and language more pop- ular, and this esteem Is of advan- tage to American visitors, for in or- dinary Intercourse the Spaniard makes no distinction between English and American; in fact, he can only know of it as he is told. Wken he has been told he often distinguishes but little. English customs are already coming into wogue in Madrid and Barcelona. Alfonso seems to be proving him- self a sovereign of progressive ideas. He takes a deep personal interest in all public questions, while following the established policy of King Edward VII of keeping aloof from the warring po- litlcal factions. His personal popu- larity is likely to be of great assist- ance in staving off intrigues against the dynasty of which he is the represen- tative, and which has been none too popular in the past. The exile of his grandmother, ex-Queen Isabella, the feeling toward his late father and the attitude of the Deople in regard to his Austrian mother are too well known to call for comment. Beginmiag his actual ruis immediately after the loss of Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philip- pines during his minority, he felt the loss of prestige, but he felt also re- lief from a wellnigh unemndurable con- dition. That Spain is gradually begin- ning to bestir herself and perhaps to wake up industrially is the belief of some well informed persons. But, while politics remain a disturbing factor, with the.chance of revolution in the air. eapital is timid. Fears of anarchistic bombs, too, do not help public confidence, as the death of Al- fonso at this time might readily lead to no man knoweth what. With no immediate heir to the throne yet born, who can say what would be the fate of the dynasty with the constant battle on between Liberals, Conservatives Republicans and Carlists? A revolu- tion might not be at all impossible. Under the circumstances, where iy the man who wants to be in the ptace of the monarch—barely grown to man's estate—whose life has been al- ready three times attempted, and some of whose subjects fear to enter s Build- ing where he chances to be? !