Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 October 1891 — POINTS ABOUT PEARLS. [ARTICLE]

POINTS ABOUT PEARLS.

THE BIGGEST PEARL IN THE WORLD IS WORTH s#o,ooo. Pearls Are of Yarlons Colors —Valuable Abalone Shells—How Pearls Are Rounded —Their Perishability. Apparently, Nalure does not make pearl for deeorative purposes, else it would not bo on the inside of shells and hidden beneath an ugly cout of lime. The object for which it is intended is evidently to afford a smooth and comfortable dwelling for the small animal within. The color of tho nacreous deposit varies very much. Thus pearls themselves are white, black, blue, purple, pink, and even rarely green. Among tho most valuable ones are tho rose-tinted pearls produced by a species of conch found in the neighborhood of the West Indies. A single oyster may produco at tho samo time botli white and purple pearls, according us tiie object enveloped in micro is situated beneath a portion of the muntle which secretes the corresponding ooior. Concretions of peucock-huod material are sometimes found in tho abalone, which fetch high prices ns pearls. It is estimated that no lees than $200,000 worth of abalone shells are shipped from the Pucific coast annually, tho wholesale price being from SOOO to S7OO a ton. The “Haliotis splendens,” os it is called by conchologista, Is gathered chiefly by Chinamen, who detach the animals from the rocks at ebb-tide, when they adhere to tho cliffs near the water-mark with their single shells slightly lifted. Tho end of u polo shod with iron is thfust quickly beneath the “foot” of the creature, so ns to destroy tho suction, whereupon the abalone fulls off’ and is captured before it can reattach itself. Otherwise it might be smashed to pieces before it oould bo torn from the rock. Now und thou a lone Chinumuu gets his hand caught by one of these shells and is held prisoner until he dies. Clams of the common sort yield pearls sometimes of good size, hut. they look so much like common pearl buttons ns to be worthless. Occasionally pearls are found of very Ourious and fantastic Blmpes, so as to represent, with the addition of a littlo gold or enamel, heuds of animals and other objoots, for mounting in scarf pins and such ornaments. One was sold at u largo price not long ago, which strikingly resembled the head of Michael Angelo. The pearl-forming mollusk has an interesting way of using its nacre for protection ugamst tho .boring worms and sponges which attack it. To keep those borers out, tho uuiinul sprcucls cout after coat of pearl over the spot whore tho hole threatens to come through, thickening the wall on the inside us fast ns it is eaten away from tho outside, just ns a man might mend tho roof of his house from within, Heenuse the nacre which makes pearls must be ’ subtracted from the material which would otherwise go to niako the shell, oysters which contain pearls are usually deformed. Frequently a pearl that seems opaque and therefore of no value, is found to l»o lustrous and beautiful upon removing this outor layer with u weak solution of acid or by pooling it off' witli a knife. Charles L. 'Tiffany, the Now York joweller, snys u pearl is rounded by tho mollusk’s revolving it. continually. The finest pearls of the world come from the Persian Gulf, whore the oyster bods produce $2,000,000 worth per annum. Bocuuse the divers are of rather light, complexion, they blacken their bodies, so that they may not be seen so readily by tin' sharks. In thoHulu Boa women do the diving for pearls and prove very efficient in the work. 11 is their task to dive for crabs and other sou delicacies which the men folks like, and thus they have plenty of practice. It is hero that the finest pearl shells iire found, some of thorn measuring a yard across when opened. 'The pearl fisheries of Ceylon belong to England, the natives being employed to gather them on a basis of shares in the result. All sorts of superstitions prevail among them, and a large business is done by sorcerers who sell charms to restrain tho appetite of the sharks and to drive away the diabolical stingrays. Another peril which tho diver dreads more than either stingray or shark is the giant olam that weighs nearly half a ton when full grown. It will snap off a man’s log like a pipe stem, if tho victim chances to thrust a limb between its open jaws, or at ail events will hold him till he drowns miserably. Tho average diver thinks it a fair day’s work to secure one hundred pearl oysters in fifty feet of water. After being taken ashore, the mollusksare allowed to die whon their shells open of their own accord. The pearls are classified by passing them through a series of sieves which assort them into different sizes. Thoso which are very small or defective are sold to make a preparation for sore eyes and nervous complaints that is very popular iu the East, Gilded youth in India make it their fad to mix powdered pearls instead of lime with the betel nut they chew. Iu Saxony pearl mussels are carefully opened and examined upon being taken out of the water, without injuring them, special instruments' being used for tho purpose. Those which are found not to contain pearls are restored to their native element. It is only in the Gulf of California that regular diviug gear is employed in connection with tho pearl fishery. 'The beds there were pretty nearly destroyed one hundred and fifty years ago, when from three hundred to five hundred pounds of pearls were takdn from them yearly. The latter were packed on ihules and literally sold by the bushel. The most beautiful pearl in existence is “La Pellegrini,” at present exhibited in a museum at Moscow. It is perfectly spherical, and so brilliant and pure as to appear almost transparent; weight ninety grains. The imperial crown of Austria pearl of three hundred carats; hut the biggest one ill the world is the “Hope Pearl,” now in London, which weighs three ounces and measures two inches in length, its estimated value being $60,000. There is a pearl in the Spanish regalia weighing four hundred carats; it was obtained from the Gulf of California. Green pearls come from the Mariunne Archipelago. Two big ruby.red pearls were found at the Ceylon fishery ten years ago, and are Owned by the rajah of the Suiu Islands. . Pearls are very perishable. Great quantities of them have been found in old mounds and tombs, showing that the savages did anciently appreciate their beauty, but they were so decayed as to be entirely worthless. Pearls should never he put into greasy or soapy water, nor should any fruit acid be permitted to come into contact with them. They can be kept best in magnesia. It was believed in early times that hollow pearls wore caused by the oyster’s taking fright at thunder when in the act of conceiving them. It is perhaps to be regretted that the story of Cleopatra’s dissolvingagrebt pearl in vinegar and driakiug the mix--, ture must be set down as mythical. It would take a very long time for vinegar to dissolve a big pearl, and any acid

; strong enough to dissolve it quickly could not be drank. Doubtless Egypt'* fail queen had a groat many huge pearls.. One of them is said to have been sawnm two, the halves being used as pendant* for the ears of the Capitoline Venus. What are known as “Roman pearls" aremade by lining globules of gloss with a. substance derived from fish scales, which owe to it their iridescence. —[Boston Transcript.