The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-01-28
PEARLS OF MANY COL0RS
Valuable Gems FouHd In The Gulf
Of California.
The story of Frnmk =. Bourne. Who
III Thirty Ienrs Has Handled over
eight Million Dollars Worth OF
Theu1-Soni" Famous Firds--itaEd-
ships Endured bH The Diver.

the coast fer q vacation. Re mas been
pearl fisher fov thirty years. ana has nan
died more than SS.+JeeC0 y orta Of pearls
For sixteen years he mas been manager of
the largest psarI-hshtng institution in the
world. the Lower California Pearl Com
pany.
La Paz,' said Mr.. Bourne. is many
centuries old. When Fortune Etmfnes.
lieutenant Of Cortez. discovered the iowa
in 1885 there we're some 4Ce or SEQ red
skinned people living there, and Nimires
believed the spot had been inhabited for
a. least I0o years before that
There are 10 accurate records Of the
nearls taken OUT by the ensIaved fishers
y and about La Paz for the Spanish down
to 1921. when Mexico Won her freedom
fron Spain. but there can De little doubt
that IN the go years Of Spanish oppression
fully sec, 100000 worth of pearls were sent
from La Paz to Spain The magnificent
pearls which ornament the crown 81 Spain
were found IN oyster shells in the Gulf Of
California. They used 10 find pearl OF a
SOFA delicate blush tinSe IN the waters OF
tns gull about Hermos!II0, Mexico. and
thsss are the TaEEsL pearls ever kEG,- =.
There We're q few CT ttese n the diadcus
o. the kingdom of France. and the royal
Jewels OF Spain include :. dozen Ire div
or who found two or three Of these blush
pearls. weighing forty or more cara-s.
nowadays would get a bonus CT say $1,000
from our company, and we should make
fortune besides.
a few years ago the value Of pearls
taken in at La Paz caused rush TO the
ground eQGaling that to the gold fields
One pearl Weighed sayenty-Eve carats and
cold F,- - ri n
shape and finely tinted, Weighing forty
seven carats. brought $500 One Of the
largest pearls found here II the last cen
fury brought S5G.JcG. One of the best
years Tor pearls in modern times was 1851
in which : black pearl vas found OF TWEEN
ty-eight carats weight, whichbrougnt &c.,
/ coo IN Paris IN 1888 two were found weigh
realized S11G0o- IN 1888 a light brown
pearl was found which weighed sixty-five
carats and sold for $SO00. while a pear
shaped spotted pearl brought $7.59e.
To illustrate how the natives are
cheated even today. one man found in
Guatemala . pear-sh2ped white pearl Of
great lusIre. which he sold for SO 10 d
merchant, who in turn sold i III Paris for
$500 Las June an ignorant Mexican
| who had been diving on his CWn account
brought TWO rough pearls 10 a clerk in
general merchandise store. The clerk
gave groceries ana u DIttS 10 the VI de OF
SIG for the pearls, and q week later sold
them 10 our company for $500 The gems
/ are now in London. where they are cas-
lily worth 50 Gee or s., see.
"Cn the other hand in the spring q
| 1896 q boy fifteen years Old found an oys-
ter that concealed q jewel now offered for
sale in Paris for $40 000. He received s.
coo for it from = negro speculator named
JUstiana a Guaymas- The latter took Il
to Panama and sold it 10 Felix Ehrman.
the banker. for a considerable advance on
| that price.
..One OF the best peals OF late years has
been called the Cleopatra II was perfect,
weighed thirty-siX carats ana sold for
SIC 600 The pearls are divided into eight
or nine classes, the lowest grade being
imperfect and rough pieces, the highest
are large and symmetrical and range il
price from $3.50 to $1,000. and from pure
White with rich lustTe TO black and me
taIiic hues and pink
Formerly We sent pearls 10 London and
Germany. as well as 70 Paris. but now the
demand seems 10 be greatest at Paris
and altogether, We can do better there
than anywhere else The strange thing
TO ne is that Americans place = higher
value on the pearls after they have been
20 Paris They could really buy them
cheaper al home. If they only chose TO-
a teacupIul Of pearls and about 1850
tons or shells is a profitable year for as
! The shells are sold 20 buyers, who come
from French Dutch and New England
button factories. One firm al Brussels has
z standing order with Us for , GOO tons Of
mollusk shells of certain variety each
year 4 JeacUpful OF pearls Of the aver
age size, color, and shape IS worth now
adays from $4,000 to $4,000. But in
sucn q quantity OF gems there viii very
likely be dozen or twenty pearls Of ex-
ira fine color and rare size. so that the
value Of the seasons work is enhanced
$50 GC0 or Sc eco.
The cOlors Of the pearls found in the
( Gulf OF California are white, blue, black
and green. and the best are worth from
81 coo TO 81 600 each The finest pearl
/ found is = black pearl Of seventeen ca
rats weight The green and blue pearls
are not found anywhere except along the
Lower California shores. The black and
white pearls are found in all the fisheries
OF the world
a black pearl in the NapOleonic rega-
LA came from La Paz. and its history
may be traced back 10 the day when q
Mexican DeOu brought in a shell TO the
Spanish military headquarters at La Paz
1t was valued at Madrid at a sum equal
in cur money 70 SO, 0C0 and was presru .-
ed to the French Government in $50
along with other jewels. The Gulf Of
California is noted for its fancy pearls
that is. the colOred. and especially the
: black ones There is a collection OF pearls
in this State that shows them OF ali cCloTs
I from pure white 10 peacock green. md
from perfect spheres TO pear and other
shapes
one of the finest pearl necklaces e.er
seen was owned by the Empress Eugene.
/ L was composed Of $40 pearls Of the first
quality 4 that time IL vas valued at
/ $4,000
The pearl fishing season along the in
ner shore Of lower California usually
lasts through July, August. September.
and October The season OF The PaoiIc
Coast side If Mexico and Central Aa.-sI a
usually begins in March and Tirses when
the 81 asol Of sudden #hirlw .nEs AMI nur-
r.c@ucs 50 common in tlc tropics. ltEl-s
IN June
"A pearl hunter goeS through each Oys-
ter carefully. feeling Tor The precious
pearl. which is a great rarity as in Crcr-
ing a ton Of shells h plI Eud galv about
one hundred seed pearls and seldom enc
as farce as q yea The pearl Is formed
either hy thc intrusion Of some particle
that initiates lie o.s er. "a sing e. TO tOr-
or the irrIrau- with a coat al ua.re.
which when hardened becomes the TearI.
CT as many divers believe by para e.
fa-.gshorS by EAasG parasites cont Iu the
. largest and finest pearls The p~a-i is
found embedded in lire oyster. anl not as
. many suppose. attached 20 the shell
-F.uEee Invention and the introduction
/ o. business methods have very much al
! tered The life and wavs Of pearl fishers
.Fr I.