Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1890-10-23
AMERICAN PEARLS.
MANY FINE GEMS FOUND IN
THIS COUNTRY.

| Il
| Valuable Pearls.
There is current expression about
pearls and swine which would seem to
have wider application in a certain
sense than most people have suspected.
The sense referred to is this: While
| pearls are to be found in the streams and
rivers all over our country, few appreciate
the fact. People, with the exception Of
those who are we'll informed on the SUBJ
ject, have vague idea that all pearls
come from the remote East, and do not
suspect that some very fine specimens
have been found in American waters.
1t has even been stated by gentleman
connected with the Tiffany firm of New
| York that the state of Ohio furnishes the
| handsomest specimens of the American
! pearl. The same gentleman says that his
firm possesses several Wisconsin pearls
valued at 5000. The finding Of American
pearls began about thirty years ago,
when one was found in Bound Brook, N.
J. Tiffany gave 81, 900, with watch
and chain, to the dlscoverer, for this gem,
and finally, after passing though many
hands, it came into the possession of the
Empress Eugene.
| The discovery of this pearl created
| great excitement, and the waters in the
neighborhood where it was found were
carefully searched by many would-be
pearl finders. Nothing was found as
valuable as the first one, although one
was destroyed by being cooked before it
was noticed, which would have been
worth, it was estimated, $4,000.
Since that time they have been found
almost everywhere, and just at present
there is an exciting search being prose-
cuted for them in secluded pond up in
Michigan; already very valuable gems
have been discovered in this locality, one
of the last places where any one would
have supposed them to exist.
Although it is claimed by the above
mentioned representative of the Tiffany
firm that the best white pearls found in
America come from the Big and Little
Miami rivers of this State, the Times.
Star reporter found upon inquiry among
the jewellers that the Miami pearls were
considered almost worthless here. One
of these gentlemen said, when asked if
he had seen any: eyes. man came in
here not long ago with a handful of
them. They are too irregular in shape
and too impure to suit OR purposes.
ga friend of mine once spent his va.
cation upon the Miami gathering them
with the expectation of earning quite a
sum in that way. He brought them to
us, and we told him we could-not give q
dollar andN half for the whole lot'
where can the American pearls be
found2'
"Well, 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"
s'What 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 lapi
dary's art to reveal its beauty. Some
times when the outer covering is spotted
or otherwise imperfect it is peeled off.
Underneath will be found spotless sur
face, and the gem will pass as one smaller
but more valuable than the original
'eFew people understand about the
making of this precious gem. A grain Of
sand or some other small and irritating
particle gets lodged in an oyster or mus
sci shell. The oyster cannot remove it,
but can get rid of its irritating effects. II
deposits layer after layer of secretion
of lime and hides the irritating grain in
mother of pearl In China advantage is
taken of this fact, to obtain most deli.
cate pearl figures. Small pellets of clay
are moulded into various shapes or metal
| i Al Al H.
tween the shells of river mussels in the
month of May and left there until No.
vember. The mussel by that time has de-
posted several layers of 'nacre' or moth.
er of pearl, and pearl image has been
obtained, which could not have been cut
out of a completely formed pearl.
ut thus happens that when the exte.
rior covering is imperfect it can be peeled
off. A pearl is like an onion in that re.
spect and consists of many concentric
spherical layers. But no matter how fal
you may peel you rarely find the grain
which caused the construction of the
beautiful gem.
1.-THE perfectly rounded pearl, have
said, is the most valuable, other things
being equal Next in order of value
comes the pear-shaped, and last the egg
shaped Some have the form of buttons,
but these have to be cut into shape, and
when they are cut they do not possess
the lustre, which is a quality that renders
pearl valuable.
''While the pure white is the most val
ued, the colored pearl commands high
price. In India and China the yellow
ranks first in value. The Michigan
pearls are pink, and those that come from
the Gulf of California black"
"Have you ever seen any large onesp
"Oh, yes, in New York l have seer
one half in diameter. The size
has great deal to do with the value sci
. upon them. If you wish to see som,
! just as they are taken out of the shell,
have no doubt you can find some at Hart
& Cramer's. They find great man,
upon opening their oysters and CLAIMS.
1t is said that an expert can tell quickl,
whether pearl comes from fresh waite
or not. Such pearl lacks the lustre al
ways characteristic Of the Oriental O
salt water pearl.
American pearls are used principall