Portal logo
DIAMONDS IN FASHION: II
ing from the palace to a wharf jutting into the sea and dur­ing a period of seven nights succeeded in having the treas­ures all packed in chests, carried through the secret passage­way and stowed on board ship. The queen's diamonds, miniatures, snuff-boxes, etc., Emma carried to the British embassy personally, a few pieces at a time; she did it by placing them in the bosom of her dress or in little alms bags which she swung nonchalantly. The jewels were re­turned to the queen in exile at Palermo, Sicily, but nothing is known of their later disposal.
After the superhuman effort of getting the royal party and Sir William, Lady Hamilton, and her mother out of Naples in the dead of night in a driving rain, across the bay and onto his flagship, Lord Nelson, sickened from strain and exhaustion, began to review his will. He added a codicil leaving to "Emma, Lady Hamilton, my dearest and truest friend, the diamond box of my mother's, to have for her own," admonishing her to keep it. Other than this expensive trinket, it is not known that Nelson gave Emma costly presents, as he was far from being a rich man. But Sir William's credit was good on Bond Street, so when he and Emma and Nelson all returned to London, Lady Hamilton made triumphant appearances at the theater in a white satin gown which she says was "sowed with dymonds." Emma's April birthstone continued to bring her good for­tune and loyal affection until the death of Lord Nelson.
The Victorian era ushered in a new cycle of fashion im­portance for diamond jewelry. An accurate picture of this has been given by Miss Dorothy Dignam, American dia­mond fashion authority, in a memorandum specially pre­pared for this book. In the early part of Victoria's reign, Miss Dignam says, the queen was excessively fond of pretty clothes and wore chains and deep draped necklaces of rose
(185)