The Washington times., 1920-06-13

of nearly every woman of worldly ambi-
tion to be the owner OF a necklace OF real
perfect pearls.
That was a dream that lurked in the
bosom of Madame Emmy Destinn. the
noted opera singer, back In 1914. when
her purse was heavy with the proceeds of
her stage triumphs.
She confided her desires to Edward Ber-
ger. New York jeweler He told her
that he had in his tender care per
feet marvel OF a pearl necklace IN two
strands of sixty and seventy pearls each,
the largest gem attaining size OF hun
dred grains, which is quite extraordinary.
They were lustrous, rich, delicate. fasCi-
mating pearls. Madame asked the price
and the jeweler informed her II was ST.
900, and q great bargain at that. She
says he told her their real value would be
nearer $4,000. She was rather startled
by the price. but she looked at the pearls
again and again and heard about their high
virtues and found their lure too strong for
her.
She bought them without any further
of acting in temperamental and impul-
sive way like that
And now after six years Madame Destinn
has brought suit through her attorney,
Joseph ]. Myers, of No. sos Fifth avenue,
against the jeweler. She asserts that her
precious pearls are only "fresh water
pearls and not Oriental pearls" as she
alleges Berger represented them to be.
and that they are not worth more than
about $1,000, instead Of $4,000 to $4,000,
as he represented. She therefore asks for
the return of her $4,000.
Mr. Berger when asked for his side Of
the suit, said:
The statements made by the other side
are mostly fabrications. | never said they
were Oriental pearls. They are remark
ably beautiful pearls and OF extraordinary
size. Madame Destinn got good bargain
much more than she paid for. If they
were all she expects them to De-if they
were the finest pearls ever known-they
would be worth $5OO,OOO, perhaps $1,000
600.
"She never paid me $4,000, but gave
me some diamonds, an automobile and
promise to pay in instruments, some OF
which she has never met
We are therefore promised a lawsuit in
which the whole romance of pearls, their
lure and their mystery, and the expert
methods Of Judging and valuing them will
be made public.
The manner in which MadeTte Destinn
became dsillusioned with pearls was
quite romantic. After bu. chem she
wore them proudly during ne season in
New York and her tours Of the country.
In the Summer of 1915 she went to Bo-
hemia, her native land, where she has
castle and estate. There, to her great
distress, she was held prisoner by the
Austrian Government as a possible enemy.
She was not allowed to leave until last
year. and then passed on to London. While
there she says she visited the most noted
jeweler and pearl expert in the city, and
finding him very interesting said:
81 have a wonderful Oriental pearl neck
lace. 1t is worth $4,000. 7 suppose you
would be willing to lend me 100000 on IT.
The expert said he would like to see the
pearls. He examined them long and care
fully and then said:
"These are not Oriental pearls, Madame,
they are only fresh-water pearls They
are not worth anything like $4,000"
Madame Destinn was stunned by the
revelation. Everybody understands that
Oriental pearls are the desirable kind. All
the lure and charm of pearls, their asso-
citation with ancient romances and TRACE
dies, with gem-bedecked tyrants and beau
tiful sultanas, are inseparably connected
with their Oriental origin. Fresh-water
pearls, being largely obtained from the
Mississippi River and its tributaries, do
not appear to have the same prestige.
On her return to New York, Madame
Destinn says, she found the London jew
. elers opinion confirmed by American ex-
\perts and so she began her suit
Wherein lies the beauty OF pearl?
THAT gives fine specimen its enormous
,lue? What is the difference between an
riental pearl and fresh-water pearl?
N'an a person not an expert distinguish
between good artificial pearls worth, say,
S. apiece, and real ones worth $4,000?
DR.. George F. Kunz, the noted American
expert on gems. whom Madame Destinn
says she will call as an expert, answers
most of these questions in his remarkable
work, "The Book Of the Pearl" For in
stance, concerning the first question. he
writes:
The distinctive characteristic the great
beauty OF true pearl, is its lustre or
orient, which is subdued iridescence.
rather than the glittering brilliance OF the
tk.. .1,,Il.y A.