The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-04-09
PEARLS OF PRICE FOUND
IN OUR LAKES AND RIVERS

that Injuries the shelIfsh. The presence
| OF a grain of sand may set up the neces-
sary irritation. Thus pearls are much
more frequently found in CLAIMS that lie
in swift-runninG streams than in those
that find resting place in the safety OF
soft mud. The pearl is nothing but a
modification of the she'll. and is valued
because 1t assumes a shapelv and disable
form. There is said to be a curious
pi..ctice among the Chinese Buddhists of
making little clay images of Buddha and
inserting them in TIE mantle of e clam.
After a sufficient time the shell is re-
opened and the crude image is found
coated with pearl. In the same way
pearls Of other shapes have been made
with some success.
Few Well-shaped Pearls.
The perfectly round pearls are most
highly priced. After these. the drop
shaped. But. to be valuable, a pearl
must be of considerable size. of even
color, glossy, slightly transparent and
pure white. A perfect pearl weighing
one grain is worth from 81 to 81, pearl
of two grains is worth IS: a pearl of
three grains may be worth SIS. and so on.
Ninety-nine pearls cut of hundred are
of no great value. The great majority
are too irregular. too small. or CT too
inferior quality to be priced as gems.
But occasionally the patient pearl fisher.
or the chance purchaser of a dish of
oysters in a cafe. finds a radiant speci-
men which alone is sufficient to bring
him n fortune.
1t is usual to associate pearl fishing
with far-off Ceylon or Australia and il
is true that throughout all time men
have sought these beautiful gems in the
depths of the tropic seas. But nearly a
generation ago il was discovered that
the shells of the clans in the fresh
waters of the United States contained
pearls in sufficient number to make the
search for them not only interesting but
profitable. Pearl-bearing clans are to be
found throughout the Mississippi drain
age area and in part Of that of the ST
Lawrence. Indeed, the fresh waters of
the United States surpass all others in
:he world in the number and variety of
the pearls which they have already
yielded. Some of the pearls found in
our streams now hold an important place
among the Jewels of the world.
Strangely enough, though the presence
CT pearls in the rivers of this country
was known even by the Indians, there
seems to have been little effort to de-
velop the wealth of the streams until
chance discovery in Notch Brook. near
Paterson, N. j., set half the population
chasing of to the waters with hoes,
rakes, and anything that could dislodge
a clam from its bed. The cause Of the
sudden interest was the finding of
perfect pearl, weighing ninety-three
grains. This pearl finally came into the
possession of the Empress Eugene. of
France at cost of $500. For short |
time the shellfsh were gathered by the
millions. but the weary searchers soon |
came to find that the shells were worth |
more than the pearls extracted from !
them- That was in 1857. Twenty years |
ater another pearl-hunting craze devel- |
oped along the Little Miami River. in /
Ohio. because of the finding of several |
line pearls.
From about 1850. pearls began to be dis |
covered In number OF places through |
'ut the country. and the pearl fishing !