Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1920-03-02
PEARLS NEARL Y EXTINCT
As THE DEMAND GROWS
New York Alone Sells More in
Six Months Than World Pro-
duccs in Year.
New York Tribune.

Now IOrk lFibuns
Tho pearl business in the United
States is still in its infancy. according
to Ludwig Nissen, one of the largest
handlers Of pearls in the world. The
reason for this, Mr. Nissen explains
is because they have become fashion
able in this country, only within the
last fifteen or twenty years.. while IN
Europe this gem has formed the height
OF ambition OF refined woman's adorn-
mcnt for the last century.
americans did not begin to APP
preciate pearls, adds Mr.. Nisssn,
until so many of them began touring
European countries. In moving in Eu-
ropaan society they began to- realize
that the American woman was far be-
hind the European woman of equal
social standing in the matter of refine
ment of personal adornment.
Prom that period emanates the de-
sire for pearls by those. in America
who rank among the people Of fashion.
From that period also emanates the
fact that pearls have become so cnor-
mously expensive that only. the people
of fashion can satisfy their desire to
possess them. This is due, of course,
to the fact that the pearl is becoming
almost extinct as product Of nature.
"In olden times divers went TO tho
bottom Of the sea and brought up with
them some of the oysters that they
thought might contain pearls OF sufii-
cient size TO be valuable. When they
became so fashionable all over the
world, the owners of pearl fisheries,
Of which there has not been new one
discovered in more than fifty years, look
ing to the enrichment OF themselves, en-
ployed the swiftest methods possible to
bring the pearls to the market.
"rhis they have done, to the extent
that the oysters which they have not
brought TO the surface they have driven
away from the beds by the use Of their
prapplcs: and not having relocated
them, the production of pearls, par
ticularlv of any appreciable size, has
practically ceased Where you pick n
peach blossom YOU cannot pick
peach: and where you take the tiny
oyster out Of its bed and take out the
seed pearl you prevent the pearl from
growing to any size.
Statistics prove that within the last
five years the total production of pearls
in the entire world has been IN the neigh
borhood of 10000, 900 year; and these
figures being calculated not upon tho
quantity, but upon money value. the
production in the last year cannot have
been m ore than one-half Of the production
of the first year, as during that period
they have increased loo per cent IN value.
To show that the supply is absolutely
to the demand It IS only neces-
sary to say that three or four companies
in New York alone sell as many pearls
a wear as the whole world produces.
Nature. therefore, practically pro-
duces no moro large pearls. and the
sources that they have been drawn
upon for the last ten or fifteen years,
namely the pdarls that have been
boarded by the Oriental. having also
been depleted, The only chance IN the
future of owning fine pearl of any
size will be upon the same basis as ac-
curing a Rembrandt painting, which
cannot be produced, and therefore can
only be obtained by transfer from one
owner TO another