The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1897-09-07
The AMERICAN PEARL.
BIVALVES' CHARACTERISTIC
WHICH PRODUCE THEM.
Influences That Tend to Waste in
Gathering the Gems-Reeent
Discoveries.

The recent discovery of valuable
pearls in the muddy bottoms of Arkan-
sas lakes and the excitement in that
part Of the country recall similar pearl
discoveries of former years. George
F. Kunz, the mineralogist and gem eX-
pert, who has been connected with Tiff
fanny & Co for many years, has given
much attention to American pearls,
and he told a Tribune" reporter yes
terday many facts of interest concern
ing the fresh-water varieties. The
rivers and lakes OF the United States
are, he says, inhabited by several hum
dred species of bivalves called by the
general term of Naiades, all of which
bear pearls, often Of great size and
beauty. OF these Naiades the most
common type is the unto, or ordinary
river mussel. The whole Mississippi
Basin teens with these mollusks' ana
the forms there are for the most part
distinct from those of the Atlantic
watershed and Of the old world. All
Of the unios have an iridescent inner
coating to their shells, but there is
wide variation in color, ranging
through tints Of pink, purple and
brown. The colors of the pearls de-
pend upon the tint Of the shell lining
to which they are attached, brilliant
pink pearls being found in the beauti-
full rose conch shells, and a similar cor
respondence being noted in other mol
lusks
A pearl is made up of carbonate OF
lime, intermixed with layers of animal
matter. 1t is supposed that each one
has for a nucleus some particle OF Tor
eign matter which has become inserted
in the shell, and which irritates the
nolfusk until it succeeds in forming
over it a coating, which is constantly
being thickened. Thus the pearl grows
and if removed before it is ripe, as
the pearl seekers say, much may be
sacrificed in point Of size and conse-
uuently of value. It is advisable, says
Mr.. Kunz, to search every creek ana
river where limestone is the character
istic rock of the country, since the
rnussels usually secrete pearls under
this geographical condition. Since 1t
is possible to open thousands Of mus
sells without finding a single stone or
value, the pearI-fishers learn to Know
from their outside appearance what
specimens are likely to prove worth the
trouble. The finest pearls are contained
in old. distorted and diseased shells
odd. protuberances often mark the To-
cation of the gem inside, which, by
drawing all the animal forces for It's
sustenance. has weakened the shell at
that part and caused it to become de-
formed.
A VARIETY OF SHAPES.
Resides being of many colors. the
fresh-water pearls show a wide varIe-
" of shapes. Many are perfectly glob-
Mar. while others are formed like cart
ridges. mallets. buttons and even take
the more fanciful aspects Of feathers
or fishlike creatures. Pearls have been
found which In tint, size and general
appearance were precisely like drop
of molten copper. The white pearls
are still more priced for general use
although those of other tints are often
really handsomer. and have become
quite popular in this country
Some of the earliest American pearls
came from near Waynesville, O., So
coo worth being collected in that neigh
borhood during the pearl excitement
of 1873. Large and valuable pearls
from mussels have been obtained IN
New Jersey. but the streams there have
not been productive in recent years. It
was in 1851 that the queen Pearl
was found in Notch Brook, near Pat
erson. 1t is round, has a beautiful
luster weighs ninety-three grains and
measures about five-eighths of an inch
in diameter. It was sold by Tiffany
E. co. to the Empress Eugene of France
for $500. Owing to the rise in the
n times
that sum to-day. There was great ex-
element after this discovery, and thou
sands of mussels We're destroyed in
further researches. A large round pearl
weighing 400 grains, which Mr.. Kunz
says. would doubtless have been the
finest of modern times was ruined by
boiling open the shell in order TO eN-
tract it.
Early in the summer Of 1889 some
magnificent pearls were found in NV
ers and creeks in various counties OF
Wisconsin. More than $4,000 worth
were sent 10 New York in three months.
In color they were principally copper
red. purplish-red and dark pink. The
pearl fever" in wisconsin ragged vio-
lently in 1890 and 1891 Hundreds Of
men. women and children flocked TO the
creeks. the men and boys assuming the
task Of getting the mussels out of the
water. while the women and girls
opened them. From one to fifty pearls
were often found in a single shell. At
ter a time the Wisconsin streams
seemed to be worked out, and the fish
fairgrounds changed. At present the
chief pearI-produeing States are Ken
lucky. Tennessee, Texas and Arkan-
sas.
THE PEARL-HUNTERS.
The pearls are usually found by
farmers. who hunt for them in their
snare time. or by unemployed country
Villagers. who are looking out for some
method of making money quickly with
out too much hard labor. The destruc-
tive mode of pearl-fshing which pre-
walls in this country is responsible for
the fact that rich streams soon become
exhausted. Mussels are destroyed by
the bushel, and, in the haste of the
pearl seekers, sufficient time is not
taken to sort them over first. pick out
those which promise rewards and
throw the others back into the water.
In Saxony and Bavaria the pearl-fish-
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