Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-27
Los ANGELES HERALD SUNDAY MAGAZINE

is eSllIIldlGu llldL dOOul 9GVlOOU 10 RoAA
for the pearls found in season. AS
the pearls as we'll as the shells are the
perQuisites of the divers the best of
the men are able to make from 5000 to
1000 francs ($965 to $1351) during
season; but the average diver probably
realizes about 5000 francs ($579), chief
ly from the sale of shells to the agents
of Papeete merchants who are on the
ground for that purpose.
Mother -of-pearl shells are the cal
careous covering of the bivalve pearl
oyster, meleagrina margaritifcra. This
mollusk thrives best in lagoonS where
it is protected from heavy seas and
shifting sand. 1t is necessary for 1t
to have some sort of support, such as
dead coral, stones or wood, to which
it may attach it's shell by means of its
byssus.
"The shells produced in this colony
are of the black-eyed variety and are
the best of the kind found in the
world. AS they are all brought to
Tahiti for expectation they are known
in the markets of the world as Tahiti
black-eyed shells. The dark edge is
from a half to three-fourths of an
inch in width. The rest of the inside
is of bright pearly appearance, with
iridescent hues around a wide border,
including the dark edge, the play or
these shifting rainbow colors being
extremely beautiful as the shell is
moved in the light. Many fine large
specimens OF these shells may be seen
in Tahiti homes, where they serve as
ornaments. The smaller ones would
make attractive dessert plates. The
outside of the shells Is quite rough,
but it also takes a fine polish and
then reflects iridescent hues as effec-
lively as the bright inside ones. The
largest shells come from the Gambler
islands, which are only four IL num-
ber, not counting insignificant islets.
Local schooners bring the shells in
bags or in bulk to Papeete, the COM
mercial center of the colony. The
work of asserting the shells according
to size and quality Is done chiefly Dy
native women, who also help men TO
pack them in strong boxes with ca
pacity of about 225 pounds eacn.
Nearly all Tahiti shells are shipped by
way of New Zealand to London, Whlcn
is the worlds greatest market for this
article of commerce. A customs duty
of s772 a ton is collected on shells
when brought to Tahiti and an add1-
tional duty of $11.5S ton when they
are exported
"Among the products exported from
the colony mother-of-pearl shells rank
second in value, copra holding first and
shells exported varies considerably
from year to year, the average being
about 475 tons a year, which is rather
more than the demand for such snelis
at good prices. In 1908 the exports
amounted to 635 tons, valued here at
$152, 2,46S Ga low valuation); last year the
amount was 593 tons. A large exporta-
tion always results in lower prices.
but the price of Tahiti black-edged
shells has been depressed for some
years because articles manufactured
of such shell are not fahionable, Wnlcn
affords a good illustration of the man
ner in which fashion affects the busi-
ness of even the remote islands of the
South Seas.
I'm 1902 the best Tahiti shells sold
for $1,000 long ton in London; at the
auction sales in that city early in the
current year the best brought $3.50 a
ton. At the same time the best white
shells from the straits of Macassar
sold for $1400; the best Australian,
$780, the best Manila, $1050; and the
best East Indian, 5000 a ton. Shells
are generally assorted into six grades.
The first grade does not embrace any
large proportion of the shells, prob
ably not one-sixth, but the second
grade sells for very nearly as much as
the first. Then there are defective
shells, wormy pickings and broken
pieces, all of which are sold at the
London auctions, the lowest grades at
about half the price commanded by
the first grade. No statistics are avail
able to show the worlds production OF
mother-of-pe shells, but it runs well
up into the thousands of tons.
"For a long time the United states
received annually large proportion