Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1899-08-31
IN THE CLAM
HERMAN MYER DEVELOPS INDUS
TRY OF GATHERING THE GEMS.
IRON NATIVE STREAMS
Sugar River in wisconsin Said to Com
tain Costliest Specimens Wealth n
State of ssee-Gathering CT
the Gems MAY BE Promoted Arti-
ficially.

Half a gallon of pearls and one of
them worth more than 5000! This is
the remarkable sight today displayed
by Herman Myer of New York to a
few OF his personal acquaintance who
were invited to his rooms in the Pal
mer house. Although young man,
Mr.Myer is recognized as the chief
promoter of fresh-water pearl fishing
in the United States. He is returning
from an extended tripthrough the West
and South, in the course of which he
has not only visited all the streams
which have acquired reputation as
| pearl-producing waters, but has dill
gently prosecuted campaign calcu-
lated to give this peculiar industry n
start in places where the inhabitants
have not dreamed of having fortune
dormant and useless in the shells of
| the CLAIMS in the beds of their creeks
and rivers.
| Probably no other person has so wide
and accurate knowledge of the pearl
| fishing industry in America as Mr.
Myer, who now carries in a shot bag
the largest number of pearls ever coll
| lected in one place and at one time in
this country. His purchases on this
trip amount to $4,000, and include all
degrees, costing from 10 cents to $780,
THE finest and, indeed, costliest
pearls in the world said Mr.. Myer,
"are taken from the Sugar river in
| Wisconsin. This stream empties into
| the Rock river in the northern extrem-
| ity of this state. Pearls of a beauti-
| full metallic green and possessing a
superb luster are peculiar to this little
| Wisconsin stream. Generally speak
ing, these pearls are worth about three
times as cIuch as frst-class white spe-
cimens. Nothing found in the Orient
approaches in beauty the superb green
pearls or the Sugar river.
''The greatest find in the fresh-water
field is tn At of White river, Ark, dis
covered in 1879. The year following
the opening of these fisheries they
yielded at the lowest calculation
100000 worth of exquisitely colored
pearls which were bought to New York
and shipped to Paris, where the de-
mand for this variety is strong. Hun
dreds of negroes came UP from Mem
phis and worked the White river beds.
s8"At Paterson, N. j., in 1858, were dis
covered the first fresh-water pearls
brought to public attention in America.
About the same time settlers along the
Little Miami river, in Ohio, found few
good specimens in the mussel shells Of
that stream. Not until 1888, when
pearls were found in astonishing num-
bers in shells taken from the Cumber-
land river, in Tennessee, did the indus
try of fresh-water pearl fishinghave a
beginning. From the year of its dis
covery to the present the Cumberland
has yielded an annual pearl crop worth
S150,000 No finer white pearls are
found anywhere than those taken
from the Tennessee streams. These
have the brilliant silver-white iuster
which distinguishes the American from
the oriental pearl. The latter has a
creamy tint.
The pearl for which l willingly paid
$500 was taken from the Clinch river.
in eastern Tennessee, and was bought
BIZ the local jeweler for $1,000. l know
Of no other pearl in this country that
Is superior to this in size, luster and all
the other points which go to make
perfect specimen, with the exception
o. that owned by Mr.. Stetson of Phila-
dei2hia. That is far superior to mine,
and cost $4,000.
1.-The most expert and conservative
dealers in pearls are now ready to ad-
init that tho silverv globe taken from
the American clam is superior to the
oriental article The former has the |
billian. luster of drop of mercury,
while the latter is more like a globule |
of cream. London is the great pearl
market. and the dealers there at first
said the American pearls would not re-
tain their beauty; but this was only an |
excuse to gain time in which to dispose
of the orientals. They thought Amer |
lea would flood the market. On the |
contrary. the supply of pearls has
never been equal to the demand, and |
the demand is constantly and rapidly
Increasing.
This increase is to be accounted for
by combination of causes The first1
of the reasons for the popularity Of 4
the pearl is one of sentiment. The !
pearl has modest beauty and a purity |
quite its own--an individuality pos
sessed by no other gem. This makes |
it in good taste at all times and under
all circumstances. 1t can be appropri- |
ately worn when the display of an
ornacnent of any kind is allowable. |
The the wearing OF 'baroque. or
rough, pearls has become fashionable |
in Paris. They are mounted for scarf
pins for men and In hnnderd forms |
for feminine adornment Those re-
sembling in form the wing of an insect
are quite common and formerly were
regarded as OF very unfortunate form.
Now they are mounted as the wings of i
pearl insects and bring excellent prices.
Young men in Turkey have taken
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