The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-05-10
A Genuine 8 S-4 Grain MIX White Pearl
Brought Up from River Near Knoxville.
OYSTER SHELLS LINED WITH THE GEMS.
Preparations to Bring Pearl Divers from
the West Indies and To Establish rear
fisneries-A Great Pearl iis"e'S
Nav Rival the Oriental Ones.

uielt become great o"S'"o9S "a '"N
IN ms country rich in sold and silver
in ores ana salt, '"~NNu '"N
Jewel OF tue sea.
Ybe new pearl-hshery was dlscoNei'u
a. river OF Tennessee. ana, though
me "nua, from ~ has been lew anu
me reports ana location kept as SIN as
,,ossinle. there lI every hope that really
sauablc poArI-neld has been found. Tie
discovery was made TWO weeks ago
AN VINO have handled gems remember
tho great sensation caused 10y tho us
covery Of the Wisconsin pearls IL"
years ago. or awhile Wisconsin pears
We IN such demand that $40 was
,beorfullv paid Tor an ordinary GEM ana
SIel for "A pearl that now can bc bought
Tor SD. ,,
TAs Wisconsin pearl fisheries still so
on. Llt the supply is small compared 10
The demand, and the great sensation
which they made has died out TO own
q native pearl was 80 desired ny pearl
collectors that they would pay anything
10 set one. And the pearl-divers' not uh-
dorstanding the Cecil Rhodes plan OF
kcepslg the market Selntily supplied
hooded 10 with their pearls, brinsins
down the price. Then the supply u"iH-
died.
Now. dealers say. fl is rare that they
get good one. Private sale monopolizes
them.
THE DISCOVERY.
The discovery OF the Knoxville pearls
WIS made by drCdgor ia a small river
This dredgcr. who was not proiessional
diver brought up large round sne"
that had "a strange foreign look 10 MN.
lie opened il. and found an oyster inside.
The oyster was Of curious shape, alino"
Trt ffl elf -
bed Of clistening substance. 4 second
look told the drodgcr that he had found
a mother-of-pearl she'll, and that he had
I'm his hand the much-desired pearl oys-
ter OF the sea. In the soft body Of the
oyster was small, hard mass, which
proved TO be a white pearl
SO important a find led to further
dredging The result was several Of these
shells an Of which were sent 10 New
York TO be examined by Jewel-eXperts.
Their finding was that the shells were
OF the purest mother-Of-poarl and that
the one pearl discovered had thick
sskin." clear and almost transparent.
with a milky OpaQuencss. - weighed
"a grains, and was of perfect round
ness.
In pearl-nshing the diver brings up the
shells for the mOther-of-pcarl that lines
them. The oyster is not edible, but. be
through il for lump. The lump means
n pearl. Few oysters have gems. one
pearl to a thousand oysters is fair
average. II Is. therefore. considered
good sign that a pearl was found with
such a small examination OF oyster
shells. And. Of course nothing had ever
been done TO plant the shells.
PREPARATIONS FOR DIVING.
The pearl fishing I'm the newiy-discover-
a al ffar
possible. But this will be slow, at best.
The first requirement of a pearl fishery
Is a luggcr or boat for lowering the diver.
There must be a wheel for pumping air
down the diving tube and every diving
apparatus must be present for the diver.
When all is ready the man, who is
hardy eonugh 10 take his life IN his
hand and descend to the bottom Of the
sea with 1t. must be found.
The scarcity of pearl divers in this
country is very remarkable, where so
much industry exists. There is said TO be
only one thorough pearl-diyer, and Dee Us
a New-lsngland man. who was sent
upon a diving expedition ia the West In
dies. and, losing his diver had 10 teach
himself, TO save the expedition from iai-
ure.
In the Bahamas there has been pearl
industry carried on for some years. Their
principal find IS a conch-shcl pearl This
Is all col0rs. pink, green. yellow, and pur-
pie. and IS very prt .ty. But IL does not
compare In value TO the milk-white pearl.
The conch-shell pearl IS irregular in
color. shape, and size. and must be
worked before IL can be used for or
naments.
The value OF the pearl as a jewel Of
trade Is that IL requires no workman
ship after IL is discovered. 1t is brought
TO the surface I'M the oyster, washed.
and put into a bottle. When the bottle
id full it is shipped to a icweler. The
pearls are ready Tor necklaces. rings, and
pins.
The most valuable pearl Is the round
one. nearly white. The oval ones have
their uses. but bring less money a good
pearl of nine grains brings fully $40 That
was the exact price for which the Knox
villo pearl was sold. and had the pearl
dealer been inclined TO 10 SO. De could
have held it TO secure his price for tie
first pearl OF the new fishery.
A diver in going down for pearls car
ries a big bag with him TO hold the shells.
1t Is fun OF water. and the shells are
dropped in carefully until the bag is full
a tug al the lifeline and be Is raised
up to unload and descend again.
PEARL SHELLS.
The size of "a pearl oystor-shon IS as
big as dinncr-platc. 10 lies tipped upon
the bed OF the ocean. with others grow
ing near II. II rests against a stOuc, as
though II had driftcd along when small
until lodged firmly. The knocking against
the stone may have made the irritation
I'm the shell which produced the pearl.
Opinions OF experts differ Many think
the pearl the work Of a parasite that
boros holes I'm the she'll and lives I'm it,
old shells full OF parasites have the most
pearls.
Divers are so careful OF the oyster
shells that they will not drop them into
a bag. but prefer TO come up 10 the
iugger with a shell I'm each hand and 70
down again.
The lining OF the shells IS n very beau
tiful thing II IS used for countless orna-
menta among those being opera-elasses.
tabie-tops. and table-ornamcnts The
making 81 these IS so delicate that the
shells are sent 20 Germany ana Austria.
where the art IS well known. and there
the lining Is carefully removed and the
pearl sent 20 this country in other shape.
The mothcr-of-pearl ia valuable enough
20 repay the trouble and expense Of diving
for II.
4 diver gets 50 a pair for the shells
lined with pearl and ~ he Is expert ne
can gather 3O0 pairs I'm q dav.
Tho diver. as he has existed in this
country has been a dock-divcr. trained
20 lay submarine foundations. and "a
remove wrcckaCe lie works IN The dark
and runs no risk from the decp-sca fishes
The pearl-eiver walks or runs upon tho
bottom Of tho sea HIS lureor IS two
masted or steamboat that moves along