Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-08


In the cretaceous epoch, hundreds Of thous-
snds OF years ago. there lived certain cephalo-
pods, since extinct which science calls lam
monites." The pearl they produced was of
| wonderful beauty, and many fossil ammonites
dug up today have been so operated upon by
the processes Of decay ~ to form elaborate pat
terms on the shells in pearl and white. No arti-
fetal work can compare with the rainbow-hued
| richness OF these relics Of the past, reminders
| Of that strange age when oysters and other mol
lusks had more important place in creation
than they now possess.
Apparently nature does not make pearl for
decorative purposes, else it would not always
be on the inside of shells and hidden beneath
an ugly coat Of lime. The object for which it
is intended il evidently to afford a smooth and
comfortable dwelling for the soft animal
| within. The color Of the nacreous deposit
varies very much. Thus pearls themselves are
white, black, blue, purple, pink and even rarely
green.
RosE-r1NrED PEARLS.
Among the most valuable ones are the rose
tinted pearls, produced by . species of
conch found in the neighborhood of the
West Indies. A single oyster may pro-
duce at the same time both white and
purple pearls, according as the object en-
veloped in nacre is situated beneath portion
! Of the mantle which secretes the corresponding
color. Concretions Of peacock-hued material
are sometimes found in the abalone, which fetch
| high prices as pearls. 1t il estimated that no
| less than $500 600 worth Of abalone shells
are shipped from the Pacific coast annually,
the wholesale price being from $500 to S70Oa
| ton. The ''haiiotis splendens," as it is called
| by conchologists, is gathered chiefly by China
men, who detach the animals from the rocks at
| ebb tide, when they adhere to the cliffs near
water mark with their single shells slightly
| lifted. The end of pole shod with iron is
thrust quickly beneath the foot" Of the
upon the abalone falls off and is cap
tured before it can reattach itself.
| Otherwise it might be smashed to pieces before
it could be torn from the rock. Now and then
| q lone Chinaman gets his hand caught by one
Of these shells and is held prisoner until he
dies. CLANS Of the common sort yield pearls
sometimes Of good size but they look SO much
like common pearl buttons as to be worthless.
Occasionally pearls are found of very curious
and fantastic shapes, so as to represent, with
the addition of little gold or enamel, heads Of
animals and other objects, for mounting in
scarfpins and such ornaments One was sold
at large price not long ago which strick-
| ingly resembled the head of Michael Angelo.
ing way OF using its nacre for protection
against the boring worms and spOnges which
attack it. To keep these borers out
the animal spreads coat after coat Of
pearl over the spot where the hole threatens
to come through, thickening the wall on the
inside as fast as 1t ls eaten away from the out
side, just as q man might mend the roof Of his
| house from within. Because the nacre which
makes pearls must be subtracted from the ma
terial which would otherwise go to make the
shell, oysters which contain pearls are usually
deformed. Frequently . pearl that seems
opaque, and, therefore, of no value. is found to
be lustrous and beautiful upon removing this
| outer layer with q weak solution of acid or by
peeling it off with knife. Charles L. Tiffany,
the New York jeweler, says that a pearl is
| rounded nv the moll1aEa viz cor lin
| ally.
WOMEN PEARL DIVERS.
The finest pearls of the world come from tie
Persian gulf, where the oyster beds produce
100000 worth per annum. Because the
divers are Of rather light complexion they
blacken their bodies so that they may not be
seen 80 readily by the 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 which the
men folks like, and thus they have
plenty of practice. 1t is here that the finest
pearl shells are found, some of them measuring
a yard across when opened. The pearl fish
cries Of Ceylon belong to England, the natives
being employed to gather them on a basis Of
shares in the result. All sorts of superstitions
prevail among them and q large business is
done by sorcerers who sell charms to restrain
| the appetite of the sharks and to drive away
| the dlabolical stingrays. Another peril which
shark is the giant clam, that weighs nearly half
| a ton when full grown. 1t will snap off a man .
leg like pipestem if the victim
chances to thrust limb between its open Jaws
| or at all events will hold him until he browns
miserably. The average diver thinks it fair
days work to secure 100 pearl oysters in fifty
feet of water. After being taken ashore the
mollusks are allowed to die, when their shells
open of their own accord. The pearls are
classified by passing them through O series of
| siavas which fhau into
Those which are very small or defective are
sold to make preparation for sore eyes and
nervous complaints that is very popular 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 mus
sells are carefully opened and examined upon
| being taken out of the water without injuring
them, special instruments being used for the
purpose. Those which are found not to con-
| tain pearls are restored to their native element
1t is only in the Gulf Of California that regular
diving gear is employed in connection with the
pearl fishery. The beds there were pretty
nearly destroyed l5O 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
SOME GREAT PEARLS.
The most beautiful pearl in existence is LA
Pellegrini," at present exhibited in museum
at Moscow. 1t is perfectly spherical. and SO
transparent. Weight. 80 grains The imperial
crown of Austria contains pearl of 800 carats,
but the biggest one in the world is the "Hope
Pearl" now in London. which weighs ounces
and measures two inches in length, its esti-
mated value being $685. There is a pearl in
the Spanish regalia weighing 400 carats. 1t
was obtained from the Gulf Of California.
Green pearls come from the Marianne archi-
pelago. Two big ruby-red pearls were found
at the Ceylon fishery ten years ago and are
owned by the rajah of the Sulu Islands.
Pearls are very perishable. Great quantities
of them have been found in old Indian mounds
and tombs, showing that the savages did
anciently appreciate their beauty, but they
were SO decayed to be entirely worthless.
Pearls should never be put into greasy OF
soapy water, nor should any fruit acid be per.
mitted to come in contact with them. They
can be kept best in magnesia 1t was be-
lieved in early times that hollow pearls were
caused by the oyster taking fright at thunder
| when in the act Of conceiving them. 1t il
perhaps to be regretted that the story Of Cleo
patras dissolving a great pearl In vinegar and
drinking the mixture must be set down az
mythical. 1t would take very long time fol
vinegar to dissolve a big pearl, and any acid
strong enough to dissolve it quickly could not
be drunk. Doubtless Egypt's fair queen had a
great many huge pearls. One Of them is said
, | to have been sawed in two, the halves being
used as pendants for the ears OF the Capt.
tolne Venus. What are known as 'Roman
= | Dea rlan uua6a nv lining olOhules of glass