The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-07-03
From the y, Y. Journal Of Commerce
THE PEARL DISCOVERIES.


Inquiries made yesterday Of one our principal Broad
way jewelers. elected number of relating to this sub
ject which may be worth repeating Something like three
months have elapsed since the first pearls were found
and their value made known The search for Others is
still continued, though with diminished success. At Tiff
fny Co g scarcely day asses without more or less
Of them being offered fr SALE but the most of them are
detective either as 20 shape color and the
monty entertain the most exaggerated notions Of their
value We were shown the largest which has yet
been found, and asccrtaned its estimated value to be
81 500 This pearl is rarely surpassed either in size or
appearance, by any that imported being over u
quarter of an inch in circumference nearly the size
boys marble very lustrous perfectly spherical and
delicately tinted with blue--lterally 'pearl color
thus combining all the requisites for pearl of the first
class Its weight which is the chief criterion of excel
Ienoe is exactly ninety three grains It was found inNew
Jersey Most of these pearls beautifully tinted with
pink which color is deemed by Paris connosseurs to be
wise inferior to the white Tiffany Co. have purchased
about hundred valuable pearls, many of which arc
estimated to be singy worth from fifty to seventyfe
dollars and about the size of large pea Besides
these there something like three hundred or about
gill of all sizes, shapes, and colos, which are compare
lively valucless 1t is very for them to be ,ar
shaped irregular. Sometimes two three Little us
trous gobues found adherng and in nost cases the
pear Sechlh w DC aml
nae of calcareous matter. pair q very curious muscle
shells found recently BY one of the pearl ggers
having imbedded in tbsr interior surface a small white
button The anira, apparently, having been unable to
effect its removal had nearly covered it with substance
resembling that Of which the shell itself is formed.
The value and extent of the pearl discoveries in differ
parts of the country have been greatly exaggerated
The excited imagnations of and the mischevous
propensity of others have alike served to produce stories
with which the pearls themselves afford no comparison
Although pearls have been found most plentully New
Jersey it is calculated by well qualified to Judge that
the total value OF the discoveries docs not exceed Sc
Yet as many as thousand men have been employed
time in searching for pearls and at length the
muscle has been wellnigh exterminated This last re-
suit is not at all strange when is considered what
lentess warfare has been kept up against this unfortunate
bivalve. One who offered pearls for sale the
other day remarked that he opened two thousand without
finding pearl Taking all that have yet been discover
ed it is probable that four times their value has been
pended in the search Some very good pearls have been
found in this State also in Massachusetts, and in some
the small streams in the valley of the Connecticut
number have been received here from Ohio and Is
likely they exist TO extent wherever the black,
fresh muscle is found 1t has been observed that
the smaller and least attractive OF the muscle tribe such
appear to have had rough usage been broken ae
most likely to contain the bright svery translucent
article is unquestioned.