Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-06
THE AMERICAN PEARL.
A Beautiful Jewel Found In Almost Every
Part of the Country-Every Hue In the
. Rainbow ObtainabIe-Wiscousin ana


Part of the Counrry-Every Hue In the
Rainbow ObtainabIe-wiscousin ana
Tennessee Rivers Most Prolific.
1.-THE Wisconsin pearl craze is not of recent
date" said Charles T. Cook, the head of
the pearl department for Tiffany & Co., to a
World reporter. "For several years we have
been receiving pearls found in the rivers and
brooks OF that State. The statement made by
the correspondent of Western paper that one
OF our agents recently purchased Wisconsin
pearl Tor Zoo is not correct because this
mouse has no agents, and we never buy such
gems until they arrive here for examination. 1
oouDt very much that pearl has been found
IN wisconsin worth 81 200, though we have sew
eral specimens which cost us 5000. The pearl
nsheries In Wisconsin are very prolific just
now, and day seldom passes without our re-
ceiving specimens or being advised regarding
them.
The fact is, American pearls are not . new
thing among jewelers.. have no doubt they
were found In the days of Washington. and.
there are records Of such discoveries go years
ago. The first real excitement over American
pearls occurred some 80 odd years ago. when a
man found a magnificent one IN Bound Brook,
N. ]. Mr.. Tiffany obtained that pearl for 81. 000
in gold and watch and chain. The pearl was
subsequently sent to Paris and sold to 1eweler,
genie. This accidental discovery caused great
excitement and Bound Brook was despoiled of
every full-grown fresh water mussel during
ina snas year great many pearls were found 9s.
was not discovered until 1t had been boiled. In
lts cooked state 1t was not worth cents, and
experts greatly differed in their estimates re-
garding It's probable value when raw. Judg-
ing from its size and formation, it would no
doubt have brought nearly $4,000.
t~t
Handsome Jewels Abundant.
." a MEXICAN pearls have a wide range. They
are found in the creeks of Connecticut,
New Jersey. Massachusetts,, Pennsylvania,
New York. Vermont Ohio. Tennessee. Wis
consin. Virginia and in Canada Other States
contribute pearls. but not in such quantities as
these have named. The Gulf of California
contributes black pearl, and fully nine-tenths
OF the black pearls bought and sold throughout
the world come from that section. They are
very handsome and valuable.
pearls is their lack Of uniformity in shape, size
or color. The Oriental pearls are pure white,
and, In almost every instance, as perfectly
round as nature can make them. The Amert.
can gems are nearly all button-shaped. They
are also varied in color. The Wisconsin pearls
vary from light purple to a dark brown,
though there are some of a delicate pink which
are extremely beautiful. Here are some Wis
consin specimens. That one has metallic
luster, this Is pure purple, and here is an
other entirely brown. The luster is not as
bright as those from the Indian Ocean, salt
water having, suppose, something to do with
II These Wisconsin pearls are valued at from
$500 to $500 each.
White Penrls From Ohio.
.tVERY few white pearls are found in Amer
ica. Those we have come from the Big
and Little Miami rivers in Ohio. Here is one
valued at $500. These Miami pearls are also
the most brilliant. We sent very fine col
lection of them to the Paris Exposition and all
were sold. Some very handsome pearls are
found in Tennessee, and the rivers and creeks
OF that State are regularly fshed every sum-
mer when the water is low. Whenever pearls
are found they are purchased by the local
who forward them to New York.
In valuing pearl its size, brilliancy, color and
weight are taken into consideration.
But these fresh-water pearls are considered
more as curiosity than anything else. for the
reason that they are difficult to match for the
purpose of setting. Here, for instance Is
star Three OF the points are made Of small
Wisconsin pearls occupy the others with one In
the center. If you examine the pearls closely
you will see that they are not exactly alike,
though the combination of color is a very beau
riful and striking one. Here is an American
pearl surrounded by diamonds. The pearl is
valued at $500 and the diamonds at 5000"
Mr.. Cook then opened drawer of his safe,
and taking out a handful of folded papers,
began opening them.
The American nnd the Oriental Product.
HTo SHOW you the difference between Ameri-
can and Oriental pearls here are several
sizes of the latter. These 10 are worth $1,000
each, and here 30 or 40 valued at 500 apiece,
while these smaller ones are sold for $40, and
I have here another lot valued at only 20 cents
You will notice, however, that all are as round
as peas and roll at the slightest touch. Their
color and brilliancy are also uniform. These
its superiority. Every one of them.
from the largest to the smallest, is
a perfect gem. With the fresh
water pearls 1t is entirely different. Now,
here Is NECKLACE containing 38 Oriental pearls,
with a fiat-cut diamond between each. and an
other on the clasp. The value Of the necklace is
$40 900, and, though the clasp diamond is worth
ornament. Though the white pearls from the
Miami and Tennessee rivers sometimes nearly
equal the largest and best Oriental pearls,
there are very few of them. An expert can,
however, detect at glance o fresh-water pearl
because it lacks a certain luster always seen In
the Oriental or saltwater specimens.
Very Pretty In Pins.
&c A MEXICAN pearls cannot be used for neck
laces such as you see here in this show
case, but in pins or brooches they create hand
some effects. That cluster is worth $4,000, and
here is one valued at $4,000 We have any
quantity of them, of all colors and shapes. The
American pearl is well known in Europe, being
chiefly valued for its oddity and prismatic
colors. Nobody can give an estimate of the
value of the yearly harvest, for though this
house receives the larger part of the best speci-