The morning call., 1891-08-28
PEARLS OF PRICE.
The Most Beautiful Specimen in Exist
ence Now to Be Seen in Moscow.

The Most Beautiful Specimen in Exist
ence Now to Be Seen in Moscow.
The finest pearls in the world come from
the Persian Gulf, where the oyster beds
produce S2,000.000 worth per annum. Be-
cause the divers are Of rather light COM
ploxion they blacken their bodies 80 that
they may not be seen SO readily by tile
sharks. In the Sulu Sea women do the
diving for pearls and prove very efficient
in the work. 1t is their task to dive for crabs
and other sea delicacies W which the men folks
like. and thus they have plenty Of practice.
1t IS here that the finest pearl shells are
POUNDS, some OF them measuring yard
across when opened. The pearl fisheries of
Ceylon belong to England, the natives being
employed to gather them on basis of shares
IN the result. All sorts Of supeTStitions pre-
vail among them, and a large business is
done by sorcerers, who sell charms to re-
strain the appetite OF the sharks and to
dive away the dlabolical stingrays. An
other peril which the driver breads more
than either Stingray or shark is the giant
clam, that weighs nearly half ton when
full grown. 1t will snap off a mans leg
like pipe-stem If the victim chances TO
all events will hold him until he browns
miserably. The average diver thinks it a
fair days work to secure 100 pearl oysters in
90 feet of water. After being taken ashore
the mollusks are allowed to die, when their
shells open of their own accord. The
through a series of Sieves, which as
sort them into different sizes. Those
which are very small or defective are
sold to make preparation for sore eyes
and nervous complaints that is very poDu-
lar in the East. Gilded youth in India
make it their fad to mix powdered pearls
instead of lime with the betel nut they
chew. In Saxony pearl mussels are care
fully opened and examined upon being
taken out Of the water without injuling
them, special instruments being used for
the purpose. Those which are found not
to contain pearls are restored to their native
element Il is only in the Gulf of Califor-
MIA that regular diying-gear is employed in
connection with the pearl fishery. The beds
there were pretty nearly destroyed 80 years
ago, when from 800 to 500 pounds of pearls
were taken from them yearly. The latter
were packed on mules and literally sold by
the bushel.
The most beautiful pearl in existence is
La Pellegrini," at present exhibited in a
museum at Moscow. 1t is perfectly spheri-
cal, and so brilliant and pure as to appear
almost transparent. Weight. ninety grains.
The imperial crown of Austria contains a
pearl of 800 carats, but the biggest one in
the world is the Hope Pearl" now in Lon
don, which weighs SIX ounces and measures
six inches in length, its estimated value be-
ing $4,000. There is pearl in the Spanish
regalia weighing 400 carats. 1t was OBJ
tanned from the Gulf sof California. Green
pearls come from the Marianne Archipel-
ago. Two big ruby-red pearls were found
at the Ceyon fishery ten years ago, and are
owned by the Raiah of the Sulu Islands.
Pearls are very periShable. Great quanti-
ties of them have been found in old Indian
mounds and tombs, showing that the saw
ages did anciently appreciate their beauty,
but they were SO decayed as to be entirely
al pttl n ha nnt ir-
to greasy or soapy water, nor should any
fruit acid be permitted to come in contact
with them. They can be kept best in mag
Washington Star