The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-10-13

'F"Vt EttuSSt W WNxfN tUlHI tNtDf
Wa, Ne mrsssVrs.
Pearls are the most capricious ~ all
gems. SAID = connois-cur. and are per-
ceptiblv Influenced IVY the physical ron
dition ~ those who wear them.
They are clss-ed ne p~recioun stones.
but ~ most people know they do not belong
TO the mineral kingdom a. all, the opinion
among scientific men being that they ar.
formed by an crort on the part % the oyster
70 rid itself ~ an irritation caused by the
presence 81 some foreign body which has
found entrance into II from without. and
indeed they seem 10 reflect the principle 81
life which produced them.
Al times pearls Veem TO suggest hap
pines. and AZ other times sadness. according
rs thc.r lustre may appear brilliant or dull
Pearls are actually said 10 die, and that i.
when they have lost NIL lustre and have a
cold. sombre appearance.
These changes in color are nearly always
accounted for withodt any difficulty. When
worn close to the skin. for instance pea ,s
often become yellow and lose their brill
fancy because they readily absorb perspi-
ration.
1t IL not generally known that one of
the hest means of restoring the lost iustre
to these sad gems is fresh cows milk. The
pearls are boiled in the milk, in which soap
has been dissolved. for aboufffteen minutes,
after which they are taken out. rinsed ia
clean water and dried with a clean whue
cloth. Then they are carefully inspected
and IL the desired result has not been OBJ
tanned the operation In repeated.
III this method should prove ineffective
the following rather curious but never
theless effective method should be followed.
Have a baker make for you a small loaf
Of bread in which. before the loaf is baked.
lay the pearls strung upon a silk thread
or closely wrapped in n piece Of gauze. Allow
the bread to bake thoroughly. but do no,
let il become brown.
When the loaf il Withdrawn from the
oven It is allowed to cool. after which i, ia
broken and the pearls are taken our. They
ill generally be found very satisfactory
and Immediately white.
when dirt has become imbedded i'm
the pearls, or when the discoloration con-
eists OF greenish spots, due to the fact
that they have been strung upon silyer
plated copper wire, it may be hard 10 clean
10 available:
Put the pearls, strung upon n silk thread
or wrapped in a piece Of gauge, in a teacup-
" - u "hh Niut&hT u ~ lew mlUlt4As
take them out and rinse we'll in water. A
repetition Of this method will readily make
the pearls white and cause the green spots
to disappear. Hhis method will be found
effective except when the pearls are natur-
ally yellow in color in which case there In
OF course no remedy. Should one so de-
sire. sulphuric acid. diluted with an equal
amount OF water, may be used instead Of
, the vinegar.
The reason why these seemingly odd
' vnAtbnIa ralnAxya ftirt ans ~,ho. $500 -
ter from pearls is easily explained. Wben
the pearls are boiled in milk and soap the
exterior coating Of dirt il simply dissolved.
while the baking in bread causes the dirt
to be removed by the steam. The PEARS
may be treated in these two ways n great
number OF times without being il INJURED.
III the last rather drastic means ia re-
sorted to. w%atchfulness and care are neces-
sary because the acid in the vinegar at
lacks the pearls and dlssolves a little Of the
outer coating. This acid would, in fact,
dissolve the entire gem il care were not
taken to remove the pearls in time. When
sulphuric acid is used still greater care
should be taken.
The dissolving progresses very slowly,
however. and there is hut slight danger Of
running the pearls IL proper care is taken,
, This will be made clear when IL is ealized
that pearls are composed OF thin laminm. or
different layers of skin. and hence when
they are immersed in the vinegar only the
' oaNVs ost - ~ 1otN ttIOt InItITV
to the other lamins. With the removal
Of the outer skin the dirt. Of course. Ia aIso
removed.
| when pearls are strung on silver plated
copper wire they often become blue or green
| In places. The wire being Of copper. from
, which the silver will soon wear on. per-
] SEPARATION will dissolve a little Of the metal
, and the solution will be formed which Ia
! called verdigris. This penetrates the pearls
, m givesthem that unattractive color.
: The best wire on which to string pearls
, Is made of pure silver, in which case the
: pearls will undergo no change except that
, which 10 caused by perspiration. &c.
: "A pearl to be perfect must possess the
/, following qualifications: First, II should
be perfectly spherical. seeming as II il had
been artiicialfy fashioned and turned into
shape by some mechanical means.
SECONDLY, 1t must be slightly transparent
and free from specks, spots or blemishes.
Third. 1t should hsve the peculiar lustre
or orient character stic of the rem.
.Choice varies in regard to color, many
psyp.s pf7;eir.i.k tie pore white pearls,
while others have a prediction for pearls
/ with q slight tinge Of pink