The Washington times., 1903-12-27
PRICELESS PEARLS
FROM AMERICAN RIVERS
Yankees Pay Fabulous Sums
for "0riental Gems"
SENT ON A SEA VOYAGE
Drilled in India and Then Returned to
Paris, Where Jewellers Make
Enormous Profits.

LITTLE ROCK. Dec 26.-How many
American women realize that the strings
of cleaning pearls. now so fashionable.
that adorn their slender throats and
shine milk white in their hair for which
they eagerly pay TO the crafty jewelers.
OF the gay French capital prices that
would ransom a king. were found, in
America and went out OF their own
country but "A few months before for
just half the sum in good American
dollars they expended for them in francs
70 bring them back again,
They would be slow 20 believe anyone
who told them this. for the cunning
French salesman assured them that
they We're securing one Of the rarcct
prizes Of the orient But it is true
nevertheless.
An American Pearl.
Only short time ago. beautiful
American pearl. which the experts of a
big Milwaukee firm of jewelers. pro-
nounced the largest and most perfect
even IN its crude state that had ever
been found ON either continent was
brought TO them by a Chicago dealer
who had bought il in his own city. di-
rect from the finders. for several hum
drcd dollars. He had not paid nearly its
value for it, and in turn sold IL to the
Milwaukee firm for $1,000
They thought they were getting 1t
cheap. and they were for as il is. in its
crude condition. il does not at all APP
proach the value il will have when r
is made ready for the adOrnment of
milady. Experts have not been able 20
determine the enormous sum this LITTLE
sphere of ivory white will bring when
il is mounted and polished
Found in the Mississippi
Whoever saw the gem and thought Of
the place of it's origin and discovery
would Immediately coniure UP a picture
OF warm Eastern lands and swarthy-
skinned Orientals, their dark eyes
cleaning with excitement and awe, rev
erently gazing at this beautiful white
BAH, while several other men. evidently
Westerners. clad in white linen. inn
patiently lowered on the outskirts OF
the group. each intent on gaining pos
session of the prize for as little as the
owner would take for it.
The reality is far different The banks
Of the Mississippi form the scene OF
the finding of this American pearl and
bare-footed fishermen. negroes. Italians
and Americans of the poorer class take
the place of the turbaned men Of the
East.
The American women. with their craze
FOR everything foreign in lingerie and
jewelry. and their contempt for nativ,
productions of the same articles would
be d,smayed to hear that they had paic
a foreign price for an article that they
could have bought here AZ an American
price
To India Via Paris.
But. they say the jeweler told us that
they came from India. Maybe they
did. but they travelled from American
pearl-beds to Paris before they reaches
India II has long been popular con
CeptiOn fostered by jewelers. that this
Oriental pearl is the only kind worti
having They are deceived
Pearls are daily coming into tn,
United States from Paris and Londor
that were found in the Black and Whit,
Rivers OF Arkansas and in the Missis
sippi They go 90 Paris, which is the
European market for pearls. and arr
sent from Paris to India. They arr
Crilled In that PARKWAY country. not be
cause the drilling is any better there
ol done more cheaply. Indeed, in many
cases il is not so cheap. but becaus'
India is "A good place from which e
have them billed back TO London ant
the United States.
il is a fact which is daily becoming o
more interest TO pearl importers ant
domestic pearl dealers that the larges