Rensselaer Republican, Volume 13, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 August 1881 — Odd Tastes in Jewelry. [ARTICLE]

Odd Tastes in Jewelry.

N. Y. Sun. “Hereis something new in the way of ornamentation,” a salesman in a large uptown jewelry store said, openiqg a box. Out walked a monster beetle, fully four inches in length. About its body was a solid gold band, looked by a tiny padloek, to which Was attached a costly gold chain, about two inches in length, fastened to a pin. The beetle’s back glistened in the light, having been treated to a suit of gold, and as it lumbered along Us long legs worked together in a curious fashion. “It’s a shawl pin. You fee the pin is used*to fasten lace or a shawl, or perhaps worn on the bonnet, the insect crawling around the’ length bf the chain. They are perfectly harmless and not expensive, as they live on air—that is, they have never heed seen to eat. This one was brought here to mount, which is a ,very fine operation, as the legs and atteume are all so delicate. After all there is nothing so objectionable nbout them, except the idea of having them crawl over you. They all come from South America, and the only lot now in the city is to be taken to France, were the owner will try to introduce the fashion of wearing them. They cost from $lO to SSO, depending entirely on the mounting of tne ring. There is nothing cruel about it, as they are bound looely, and the gold has no effect on their hard aides.” In Brazil the fashion of wearing beetles is carried to a great extent, A well known resident has a beetle with a-collar of gold which meets at the top, and is there ornamented with a diamond of great value. The insect has a' cage, surrounded by th*, plants among which'it lives in its native state, and nothing is neglected to make it as comfortable as possible. But the most popular insect used for ornament is a small phosphorescent beetle. These are often worn fastened in the hair and as the tWo phosphorescent or lightgiving spots are on the sides of the head, the-black insect is of course in* visfable, especially when in the raven looks of the fair Brazlllians. Twenty or thirty of these beetles will throw out a light sufficient to read' by, and when acanged around the head in a circle,

Several years age a New York lady gave a masquerade ball at her rammer: house in Newport. The dancincf was on the lawn, and the guests were re--quested to be there half an houf before dress, covered with ivy leaves; did act attract special attention, bat when .she appeared In the gay throng after dark she presented a perfect blaze of light, and was the center of an admiring and wondering' company. Tremulous waves of. relish-yellow flame seemed to move over her entire drees, while in m cap on her head gleamed one flrey star. The cause of this illumination was the phosphorescent light of more than five, thousand fire-flies. .For weeks previous to the ball the designer of the costume had been storing away fixe-flies, and on the day of the fete they were rapidly put on the dress; As the light-giving is on the ventral surface, each one was placed on its back and held down by a fine Bilver wire, so

skillfully caught that it could not torn over or escape, and was not injured. Thestar waS formed of mkny beetles. In Jamaica a large beetle, the Lampvris, is used by ladies. Some of the pnosphoßßSoent beetles Used < by. them give ou.t lights that have to be seen to be appreciated, and more than twenty different kinds are used, representing a« many different degrees of light, shade, tint, Ac. One, the Pygolampis, has a rich orange color, changing to yellow, flickering in intermittent flashes of light; another, called r Photuris, is curious for the gradual increase of light it shows. Commending with a faint reddish hoe, it rapidly grows in brilliancy, finally bl&zing.like a torch, a rich green 7 light, and then dying away to reappear again. They attract other light giving beetles, and frequently numbers of lesser lights are seen flitting around them, combining red and yellow lights of the greatest brilliancy. Other uses are made of these beautiful creatures than as ornaments. Travelers have fastened them

to their feet and carried them in baskets of wicker to light their way in the dark. Southey mentions this in following lines in his poem. “Madoc:” She beckoned and descended, and drew ont From underneath her vest a cage, or net It rather might be called, so fine the twigs Which knit It—where,confined, two Arc flies Gave their luster. Snakee has been Used as ornaments, the small inoffensive green snake being the most popular, on account of their beauty and harmless nature. They coil around the arm, clinging on with all the tenacity of their golden, bejewelled imitators that are now so fashionable. Animals, or parts of them, although naturally the adjuncts of barbaric splendor, are generally used in the make-up of fashionable toilets of the present day. Someof the handsomest sleeve buttons and studs are made of polished fish skin—shark or dogfish being preferred, ar> they take a fine polish, ana closely resemble Jhe fossil 1 coral FavositieS, that is also used 1 ) and when highly polished the delicate cells that were once the home of the coral polyp are distinctly visible, and as a whole resembles honeycomb.

An expensive costume was a cape made of an extremely rare humming bird. The whole bird was jiardly larger than one’s thnmb, and on its breast a single patch of gold wab found about an inch in length. The cloaq was composed Wholly of these patches, and in the sunlight must have vied with the golden fleece. The birds are vsiued at SSO each. A lady (in St. Augustine created a sensation by appearing in public with a chameleon renting on her headdress, and .held there |by a delicate silver chain. The little oreature was perfectly tame, and made no attempt to escape; but when touched by other than its owner its throat puffed up and curious waves of color passed over the whole body, ranging from deep green to a dark ~ brown. Small lizards are used in Egypt by some of the natjve ladies as ornaments, and lie half concealed in the drapery that overhangs the face. The red-clawed soldier crabs are some times used in Mexico as pins. The crab isxfislbdged from its stolen - shell kndgivefl a beautiful pearly one, or onithat Inis bCe»—plated with gold or silveTr—Fastened to the lace by a i n and chain, they make inents.