The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-11-30
Frederick Haskin's Letter
Making Pearls Cheap.
Especial Correspondence OF The Argna.A

Washington, D. C., Nov. 2s.-The
true peali, formed by the wild
oyster, is having a hard time COM
peting with less aristocratic pearls
First, the Japanese produced a
cultured pearl that differs from a
true pearl only in n respect In
the wild mussei. the pearl is the
result of an irritation, generally a
bit of sand or a parasitic worm,
which accidentally gets inside the
shell. In the cultured pearl, the
irritating substance is implanted.
After years of experiment a
Japanese succeeded in so introdue-
ing this irritant that the patient
oyster would build as perfect A
pearl round it as if the IFTitant a
accidentally slipped in
This has raised the question: is
a cultured pearl Of this sort entitled
to the same distinction as the wild
pearl? Are pearls grown on a
farm like so many berries and -har-
vested when ripe to be compared
with the pearl for which the diver
risks his life in shark infested
waters? Gem dealers, gathered re-
Gently in London, shouted no.
Because the ingenuity of a Jap
anese scientist led him to produce
| pearls by putting oysters to work
on a farm, he was none the less a
manufacturer, they claimed. 1t was
| agreed that the true pearl is the
work of nature unassisted and that
bearIing should remain a business
of hazard and not a truck farm
process.
The meeting decided that while
cultured pearls might look just
| like true pearls-Which not all the
experts would admit-still, they
yer not to be officially regarded
as true pearls. French dealers
went home and issued a warning in
a French paper that merchants
selling cultured pearls under the
title of fine pearls" would be
liable to prosecution for fraud.
That was supposed TO make the
world safe for the wild pearl.
Glass Pearls.
But now word comes from Ger
many that a jewel expert of
Thuringia has attained a new
standard in manufacture of syn
thetic pearls from blown glass. 1t
is claimed that experts are put to
it to distinguish these limitations
from true pearls.
There is no fine distinction to be
settled regarding the status of this
German pearl. It is an imitation
and claims to be nothing else. But,
if it is so good that all but experts
are deceived, and if it can be sold
for one-ffth the price of other iml
tation pearls, as the maker an
nounces, may there not be a de-
mand for this cheap article to the
d%etrinlent of trade in other pearls,
both real and imitation? Dealers
fear that there may. So the pearl
business is still disturbed.
The German pearl maker, Herr
Heinz, is known as an expert i'll
imitation gems. He used to claim
that he could produce a beautiful
imitation of any gem except the
pearl. That, he admitted, was the
most difficult to initiate, but still he
experimental with formulas, until
at last he has hit upon a satisfac-
tory ne. His formula is reported
as a mixture Of fish lime, wax, and
silver nitrate in molten glass.
Blown glass pearls are far from
new. A preparation made from
the scales of the bleak fish has long
been used to coat the inside surface
of glass to make pearl beads. This
fish skin substance contains brill
liant colors and gives to the glass
the creamy, opales cent tint of the
pearl.
Wax is generally used to fill the
hollow inside the glass bead to
make it the solid structure of a
pearl. But the surface has a CLASSY
shine. and the bead is slightly
lighter in weight than a real pearl
Glass beads have, therefore, al
ways been readily distinguishabIe
from real pearls to any practiced
eye.
Apparently, Herr Heinz has i'm
proved on this product. 1t is an
nounced that the blowing of his
new glass pearl is a difficult art.
Heinz says that he can copy the