Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-06
AMERICAN PEARLS.
Some Very Fine Specimens Taken From
Rivers In the United States.

Rivers In the United States.
From the Cincinnati Times star
There is . current expression about pearls
and swine which would seem 10 have q wider
application in q certain sense than most people
have suspected The sense referred 10 is thisf
While pearls are TO be found in the streams
aud rivers all over our country few appreciate
the fact People. with the exception Of those
who are well informed on the subject, have .
vague idea that all pearls come from the re-
mote east and do not suspect that some very
fne specimens have been found in American
waters
IL has even been stated by gentleman con.
nected with the Tiffany firm Of New York that
the state Of Ohio furnishes the handsomest
specimens of the American pearl The sama
gentleman says that his firm possesses several
Wisconsin pearls valued at $500. The finding
OF American pearls began about thirty years
ago, when one was found in Bound Brook Nj.
Tiffany gave $1,000 with q watch and chain to
the discoverer for this gem, and finally, after
passing through many hands, il came into the
possession of the Empress Eugene.
The discovery Of this pearl created great
excitement, and the waters in the neighbor-
hood where 1t was found were carefully
searched by many would-be pearl finders.
Nothing was found q valuable the first one.
although one destroyed by being cooked
before II was noticed which would have boon
worth. il was estimated, $4,000.
Since that time they have been found almost
everywhere and Just at present there is an ex-
citing search being prosecuted for them in .
secluded pond up IN Michigan. Already very
valuable gems have been discovered IN this
localfty-one Of the last places where any one
would have supposed them TO exist.
Although il liz claimed by the above men.
toned representative of the Tiffany arm thst
the best white pearls found in America come
from the Big and Little Miami rivers OF this
state, the 7,neS-Sdr reporter found upon in
qury among the jewellers that the Miami pearls
were considered almost worthless here. One
] OF these gentlemen said, when asked IL he had
seen any: Yes; a man came in here not long
] ago with a handful of them. They are too ir-
regular in shape and too impure to suit our
purposes"
"a friend OF mine once spent his vacation
| upon the Miami gathering them with the ex-
| pectation OF earning quite sum in that way.
He brought them to Us, and We told him that
We could not give dollar anG half for the
whole lot
Where can the American pearls be found?"
''Wei1, Michigan is the place just now that is
attracting the most attention. But nobody can
tell where they will be found next Diamonds
have been found Unexpectedly in all kinds OF
out-of-the-way places, and it is just the same
] in the case OF the pearl"
| "Nhat gives the pearl its value2"
The most valuable pearls are OF pure white
and perfectly round. This is the only gem
| which does not need the lapidary's art 20 re-
veal its beauty. Sometimes when tho outer
covering Is spotted or otherwise imperfect il ID
peeled of. Underneath will be found a spot
| less surface and the gem will pass as ono
smaller but more valuable than the original
| Few people understand about the making Of
this precious gem. grain of sand or some
other small and irritating particle gets lodged
| in an oyster or mussel shell. The oyster cam
not remove it, but can get rid of Its irritating
effects. IL deposits layer after layer of q Sc
erection Of lime and hides the irritating grain
| in mother of pearl In China advantage ID
taken Of this fact TO obtain most delicate pearl
| figures Small pellets OF clay are nodded into
| various shapes or metal images are msdet
| these are inserted between the shells Of river
mussels in the month Of May and left there un-
| til November. The mussel by that time has
| deposited several layers of 'nacre,' or 'mother
| of pearl and pearl image has been obtained
| which could not been cut out Of q completely
| formed pearl.
1T thus happens that when the exterior
covering Is imperfect ii can be peeled of. A
pearl Is like an onion in that respect and con-
| sists of many concentric spherical layers. But
! no matter how far You may peel you rarely
| find the grain which caused the construction
OF the beautiful gem.
1.-The perfectly rounded pearl, have said, ID
the most valuable, other things being equal.
Next in order of value comes the pearl-shaped
| and last the eGg-shAped. Some have the form
4 OF buttons, out THESE nave 10 De cut into shape
and when they are cut they do not possess tho
luster, which is quality that renders pearl
valable.
] while the pure white is the most valued the
| colored pearl commands a high price. In In
dia and China the yellow ranks first in value.
The Michigan pearls are pink and those thae
| come from the Gulf of California black"
Have you ever seen any large ones?"
"0h, yes; in New York have seen one hale
| inch in diameter. The size has a great deal to
| do with the value set upon them. IL you wish
| to see some just they are taken out of the
shell have no doubt you can find some 40
Harf & Cramer's. They find a great many
| upon opening their oysters and clans.
1t is said that expert can tell quickly
whether pearl comes from fresh water or not.
Such a pearl lacks the luster always characters
istic of the oriental or salt water pearl
American pearls are used principally for pins
and brooches and are well known in Europe.
They are priced for their oddly and prismatio
colors. great many were exhibited at the
Paris exposition and all were sold.
The pearl ranks among the most beautiful
gems, not for briiliance, but for luster and
translucence They have been long known to
the world, and ancient writers refer TO them As
"angels' tears" and drops of dew from heaven"
Browning has suggested their value in few
lines:
There are two moments in q divers life
One, when a begynr be PR pares 10 plunge,
One, when prince he rIses With his pearl"