The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-07-28


 mented in this manner. In the resi- dences Of the wealthy. bedsteads. cup boards. foot rests. sofas. wardrobes, cabinet bureaus and washstands are similarly treated. While necessarily conventional. the treatment Is pretty and varied. In some instances the nacre is cut into vines and flowers: in others into irregular but graceful curv- cd lines: in third class 1t is used to make the ideographs of a quotation from the poets; in fourth 1t is ap- piled in geometrical patterns: in a fifth 1t is fashioned into queer outlines of human beings and animals; a sixth suggests mongolian study of tele- graphy, 1t being series of dots and dashes.
 The inlaying Is done with great skill. The shells are split and carved. the wood carved so as to fit the pieces of shell perfectly. and the glue employed of such strength as to make the two materials one Canton furniture cen tury old Is often as handsome and we'll preserved as that made but yesterday The shell-button maker in the Orient Is a bigger parsonage than his fellow workman in the Occident. The latter confines his efforts to the tantalizing little shirt buttons. The former turns out this style of goods likewise, but in addition turns out many other types of | work. Some of these are very ingen- | ious. One of them Is made by fastening wire loop to a cowry or mollusk by means of drop of molten solder poured l into the hollow of the shell. It makes a very neat. strong. and durable button for either the vest or coat. Two fas- tened together are an excellent sleeve link.
 Very small ones are manufactured for women's use. These are popular and show a wide range in color, polish and size. If instead of wire loop a steel or brass needle be inserted in the molten solder. hat pin, hair pin or scarfpin is the result. The hairpins as part of the head-dress and are quite attractive. White cowries. pearly whelks. red terebras and golden whorls are among the common varieties. Wealthy customers use silver and even gold wire loops and needles in- stead of iron. brass, copper and steel. The first quality of these little articles is made from live shells, which are carefully cleaned and polished. The prices are very low. A card of six handsome vest buttons can be bought for three cents, and a hairpin capped by an opalescent cowry for cent and a half. Inferior goods can be pur- chased for two-thirds of these prices. Shirt studs, whether of the button or twist-back variety, which are purely European in character, are made in the same way.
 The Oriental jeweler does an i'm mense business in cutting beads. balls, buttons, studs. ring stones and similar articles from shells of rich color, high lustre, or other physical characteristics. The lower shell of many species of mol lusk is thick, strong and variegated in color. In one there are layers of bluish white and bluish black; in another there are bands of yellow, gray and brown; in a third the predominant shades are gray, pink and red.
 Not even the onyx family can equal the mollusks in this particular regard. When the first Is cut so as to have the bluish white layer uppermost,\ an effect is produced similar to that of the cats eye of Ceylon. With the black layer on top good imitation of onyx is had. One red conch gives cuttings which re- semble precious coral, and a second something closely like carnelian.
 The smallest rnollusks are employed for the purpose, some being not an eighth of an inch in diameter. They cost trifle more than buttons, but seldom more than four cents for three.
 A word of caution is due at this point. John Chinaman has learned the art of coloring or staining shells, and turns out mollusks in tints and hues unknown to the scientihce world. He takes par ticular pride in selling these to sucb globe trotters and tourists as are eager to secure unique curiosities. They are an increasing army every year, and Johns gains are in proportion. In Sin- gapore recently wealthy traveller of this class is said to bought a set of cowries in the original colors of the prism! -....-..-
 Another type is banded white and pale yellowish gray, and is known as the white cat's-eye. Sixty or seventy species of shells are used for the pur- pose, and produce a seemingly endless of varieties of ornaments. Some dealers deal in no other line of goods. '
 There is no limit to the uses to which these carved shells are put. With care, they last for lifetime. and preserve their brilliancy and lustre unimpaired Handled roughly they rapidly lose their beauty and become dirty looking, worn and dilapidated. They are liable to in- jury from fruit Juice, grease. vinegar and alkaH, and are, of course, ruined by an unduly high temperature or by l strong chemicals.
 What seems a curious survival from ancient barbarous times, is> the use of 1 large shells for Ilnapufacture of table | ware of various sorts. Even to-day many savage and semi-sayage Malay l tribes use the conches and other large l mollusks for making bowls and drink ing vessels. The successors of the sav- age bring labor saving appliances to | bear upon the great shells. With strong | saws they cut the conches at various [ angles, remove partitions, erase irregu- larities, and then polish all rough sur- faces.
 A section at right angles to the axis of the shell gives bowls and deep dish es; parallel to the axis, plates and and oblidue to the axis. la- dies, tablespoons and tea spoons with exquisite twisted handles.