of the face, and in too many cases
simply effaces and outshines the face itself.

Edmond Russell severely criticises diamond solitaires for earrings and
esteems the stone a difficult one to wear except when small and used
in quantities as settings for other jewels.

The secret of good taste in jewels is for a woman to seek out those
gems whose colors harmonize with or heighten her own tints, as she
does the shades for her gown, and confine herself to them. It is quite
the thing now to have a special stone, as it is to have a special
perfume. For instance, the turquoise is very becoming to some (it is
Mrs. Langtry's stone), garnets or rubies to others. The pearl, where
it can be worn, softens the face more than any other jewel. The
moonstone is very nearly as effective, as well as the beautiful opal.

Rings, some authorities say, should be worn in barbaric profusion, or
not at all. A slender, beautifully modeled hand can afford to be
guiltless of rings. One less perfect in shape, but white, can be
enhanced in charm by a blaze of jewels.

Plump Women.

In the days of the painter Rubens stout women were the most
fashionable creatures that walked the face of the earth. Rubens would
paint none other than those of very firm build, and so artistically
did he drape them, so cleverly did he pose them, and so well did he
color them, that every woman aspired to sit for his pictures. To be
painted by Rubens was a guarantee of beauty, grace and feminine
loveliness of every description.

The Rubens woman is a stout woman of good figure. Stout women nearly
always have fine forms. Their bust line is good. It is low and the
neck curve full, even if not very long. The Rubens artist makes the
most of these good points and conceals others.

In modern times, however, the stout woman finds that the fashions are
rarely meant for her. In view of this, a number of wealthy New York
women have banded themselves together in a Rubens Club, with one of
its chief aims the designing of dresses for the members. For this
purpose a professional designer is chosen, an artist of no mean merit.

The president of the Rubens Club, who is a woman of beauty and wealth
and great loveliness of manner, had the honor of having the first gown
designed for herself. This was an evening robe of great beauty, a
regular Rubens gown.

The materials were dead white cashmere and dull black satin, with a
very little lace and jet. The under gown, or the gown its