Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1892-05-06
FACTS ABOUT PEARLS.
METHODS SUGGESTED FOR MAX.
ING THEM BY ARTIFICE.

METHODS SUGGESTED FOR MAX
ING THEM BY ARTIFICE.
An Ingenious Frenchman's Process
Pearls Of Different ColOrs--The
Pearl Divers.
Ever 30 many experiments have been
made with a view 70 procuring the manu-
faeture Of natural pearls through artifice.
For thousands Of years the Chinese have
practiced q method Of introducing for
eign objects into oysters and other pearl
bearing mollusks for the purpose of
coating them with the beautiful nacre
which adorns the inside Of some shells.
Since their first trials in this line were
initiated numerous efforts have been es-
sayed to improve upon them. Quite
recently q distinguished Frenchman dis
covered a way Of accomplishing the
result, which he has declared to be- sus-
ceptible Of development into an import
ant industry. Now that the pearl market
! Of the world is seriously mennced by the
threatened exhaustion Of the fisheries, il
is high time for human ingenuity to step
in and supply the demand.
The process adopted by the French
man aforesaid, NJ. Bouchon- Brandely, is
simply to bore holes in the shells Of the
pearl oyster with u gimlet, introducing
through these perforations little balls OF
glass and stopping them Theoretically
with corks. After four weeks time the
balls of glass are found to- be covered
with a thin layer Of pearl. In six months
the layer has become Of a sufficient
thickness to be permanent, and the big
ness OF the jewel thus manufactured is
in proportion to the period allowed to
elapse. Of course this has its limitations,
inasmuoh as the mollusk will not deposit
nacre indefinitely. its only object being
to protect itself from irritation by the
intruder. The expert quoted believes
that pearls can be made of various colors
to order by selection.
This signifies selection Of the mollusks
employed for the purpose. Each one
naturally deposits its own sort Of nacre.
Even pearl oysters differ in that respect,
producing black pearls, gray pearls or
ing to the part of the animal where the
nucleus makes its Judgment. Conchas
ofa weli-known variety form pink pearls.
as do also certain fresh-water nuesels.
Surprising that there is anything in NJ.
Bouchon- Brandely's theory, one can get
any color of pearl he wishes by making
q choice of shellfish. Recent expert
ments made by the United States fish
commission show that marine mollueks
Of all kinds can be kept admirably in
aquaria, although previous notions have
been held to the contrary, aud thus there
would seem to be no good reason why
every II should not maintain his own
pearl fishery on a small scale, collecting
q valuable crop ut suitable intervals.
A great deal has been done with natu-
raj pearls by a%rtifce already. Partisan
jewelers. some time ago found out a way
to remove the outer layers of these gems
OF ocean, when they are not pretty, 80 as
to reveal the beauty that was within and
render them marketable at big prices.
Those which were found imbedded in the
mothor-of-p pearl of the she'll they discov-
cred a process for extracting, treating
them afterward with acid and rendering
them OF value. In similar fashion they
transform pear-shaped ones into perfect
spheres. Likewise they have found
means to make pearls of any color black
in a bath of nitrate of silver or to turn
them into rose color, lilac, gray or what
not, However, experts know how to de-
tect all of these receptions.
Pearls are very perishable. They
cannot be considered a frst-rate invest
ment, like diamonds. After a time they
decay. Sometimes a fine specimen will
lose its luster and beauty within a few
months, so that the possessor Of such
treasures does we'll to keep them put
away in a sealed place. They are very
delicately made, consisting of thin films
Oyerlnid one upon another, with more or
less animal matter between the layers,
and it is n wonder that they deteriorate.
After being buried in the ground for a
while they are found worthless. Those
which are dug out Of Indian graves
some of them of great size and doubtless
OF wonderful beauty when they were
new-are utterly ~valueless, even were
they not pierced.
Nevertheless, there is n pure and eva
nescent beauty about them which seems
better to become the maiden than any
other sort Of jewel.
Nothing varies SO much ia value as
pearls. With them fashion affects the
market constantly. Sometimes white
ones are sought, while other tints at in
teryals are in demand. For some years
past black pearls have been the rage. A
fine specimen wortb$6W will fetch*l, 600
perhaps it another can be gos to match
it perfectly.
The los skillful pearl divers in the
world are those of the Tuamotu Archipel-
ago. They think nothing of staying
under water for three minutes on occas-
ions, and they carry no weight to drag
them down to the depths, us do the fish
ermen OF Ceylon. Unlike the latter
they do not stop their ears and nostrils
with cotton soaked with oil, but descend
with no other preparation than a few
mutations of their lungs. However, they
do wear a sort Of head-dress. with spec
tacles Of glass, by the aid of which they
the able to look down many fathoms into
are clear water and mark the oysters
which they propose to gather. Forty
years ago it was possible to buy with a
gallon of rum or a few handfuls Of -four
in those South Sea islands most beautiful
molluscan jewels, but since then the fish
| or;no Eo,vn koo~ or. n.o.Lz A. H.