Fine Art in Jewelry.
THREE centuries ago the Jewelers of Europe were Artists in every sense of the word, and Artists of such taste and skill that their works which have come down to us now command prices as utterly disproportionate to the intrinsic value of the precious substances of which they are made as the prices paid for the best works of the Sculptor in bronze and marble are to the intrinsic value of the materials out of which those works are hewn or moulded. Many such Artists bequeathed legacies, since enormously increased in value, to the Goldsmiths' Company for the purpose of keeping alive their art, and the enlightened public of London are now beginning to insist that these endowments shall be put to their legitimate use. We have no Goldsmiths' Company in New York, but an hour spent in such an establishment as that of Mr. THEODORE B. STARR, 206 Fifth Avenue, in this city, will throw a great deal of light, for those who have eyes to see, on the possible importance, hitherto almost unappreciated among ourselves, of the æsthetic aspects of the beautiful industry by which that great corporation has been built up in the mother country. Mr. Starr has devoted himself steadily and successfully now for nearly twenty years to artistic work in Jewelry, and the display which he now makes of such work really deserves to rank among the most interesting and instructive of our existing art collections. In the choice and conservation of the more brilliant gems—for there is an art in conserving as well as detecting the special perfection of special gems as respects alike their surfaces, their crystallization, and their color—Mr. Starr shows the taste and training of an Artist, not less than in the skill and judgment with which he combines and sets such gems.—New York World.
COLUMBIA BICYCLE.
The permanence of the Bicycle as a practical road-vehicle is an established fact, and thousands of riders are daily enjoying the delightful and health-giving exercise. The beautiful model and elegant appearance of the "Columbia" excite universal admiration; it is carefully finished in every particular, and is confidently guaranteed as the best value for the money attained in a Bicycle.
From the President of the Local Telegraph Co.,
Philadelphia, Pa.