Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-07
ORIENTAL PEARLS.
Their Growing Scarcity Referred to by
an Expert

The scarcity of the oriental pearl. so
dear to the ladies' hearts. is becoming a
matter of deep concern to the trade, though
the general public is probably unaware Of
the fact" said a Washington expert In
gems TO Star man this morning
L am sure that the general public will be
surprised to learn that the supply Of orien-
tai pearls has fallen off within the past
year at least 80 per cent, and the price has
advanced from 30 TO - per cent Whether
the known pearl fisheries Of the world are
giving out for good l cannot say. but Ger
tain ii is that many of these fisheries have
OF late been worked out; and. as no new
ones have been discovered. the slpply is
correspondingly lessened. IL what remains
OF the ocean pearl fisheries continue to give
out as rapidly in the future as they have
in the immediate past II will become a case
OF literal exhaustion, and real oriental
pearls will command about their own price.
IF / had $JDOO0 worth of oriental pearls
L could sell them TO the trade like hot cakes
on a cold morning TO hungry man. We
get some pearls from Australia. but they
are more silrery in color than the Persian
! and Ceylon pearls, and the fisheries OF
these latter districts have been exhausted
for several years. Pearls are a'ways in
style Most women attach a sentimentality
to pearls that they throw around no other
precious stone 1t is the sparkle that
catches the eye of the diamond, and it is
the luSter Of the real pearl that has the
same ASSOCIATION TO women. Men DO not
especially care for pearls nor do they ap-
preciate them gems.
Pearls are graded by size. luster and
color. black pearls being costly: yet l. as a
jeweler. fail to see what there is about the
tabled black pearl that attracts beyond its
novelty. as the exquisite luster Of the white
pearl is absent. The most expensive and
rare pearl is a true pink. There are pearls
of a pinkish hue. but l have seen but one
or two true pink pearls in an experience
of thirty years. and true pink pearl the
size Of a single-carat diamond is worth al
most any price-say Scotland IL might
be impossible To match it. Pearls are sold
by the grain, a five-grain pearl being about
the size Of a single-carat diamond. one
reason why they are so costly is the diff
Guilty experienced in getting them To
match for a necklace or a rope. II takes
years sometimes to secure a perfectly
| matched necklace of from forty to sixty
| small pearls. or a larger string of thirty.
while order for a diamond necklace Of
almost any size and price may be filled
within a reasonable time.
How are pearls actually tested by jew
elers? Well, in several ways. but the best.
in fact, the almost infallible test TO the eN-
pert is called the mouth test The minute
a pearl is placed in my mouth ] can detect
the difference of the real from the imita-
ton. even though the imitation may deceive
the eve There is a peculiar. delicate gritty
touch to the tongue and teeth of the gen
uine which cannot be initiated. The french
make imitation pearls SO cleVerly that az
night few can tell whether the rope around
my lady's neck is the real or the imitation,
but the mouth test would show the differ
ence if she desired to sell them to a dealer.
1t is like the skill Of a tea-taster distin-
gushing between twenty different kinds OF
tea without error. while all teas taste about
alike to the uninitiated.
Here is a string of small Wisconsin
fresh water pearls" said the expert, taking
a little string Of the gems from the case.
which might be worth 30 cents to the
casual observer. at is one OF two Of the
best strings of round American pearls in
the United States. and it is worth $500
If it were composed of real oriental pearls
1t would be worth 5000 No. they don't
show like diamonds. \ necklace at either
of the prices | have named composed of
diamonds would be dazzling, but it's all
color in the pearl. Our American pearls
from the fresh water beds of our western
rivers and lagoons fill in a measure the
void caused by the dearth OF real oriental
pearls. but, you see. they are seldom round
in shape. being mostly irregular in forma-
ton. and. while possessing a lGster peculiar
to themselves, vsiby lack the exquisite
tinting of the salt water pearl Of the east.
Let it be the prayer Of all lovers of the
famous pearl, which has come down to us
in history as the gem Of gems from time
immemorial. that new beds Of the pearl
bearing oyster may speedily be found