Evening star., 1924-02-10

With Ekmek1lan, the Arfnenl2n, J.
met n Buenos Aires jeweler named
Gerschater, who is up in Paris buy
ing. He had picked up quantities OF
imitation pearl necklaces from $3.50
to $40 apiece and real 'baroque"
pearls for hatpins that will stand
him So, SIS or even $50 apiece when
made up. But he was also buying
fine pearls. with a weakness for the
best Mississippi river variety.
Real pearl buying is a painful
complication.
They are sold by grains" but not
so much per grain, but so many
times" per grain squared-that is,
multiplied by itself. Suppose that
Gerschater fancies q six-grain orient
pearl and Ishwar says it's price is
twelve times" You multiply 6 by
6, which makes 36. Then multiply 36
by IL and you have 432, which is the
price in francs.
According to their beauty. they
may be sold not at twelve times"
but at "fifty times" .'one hundred
times" and up TO 'two hundred
times"-from the cheapest rate. "one
time" or even half time" In
France, of course, such. times" are
graduated to francs.
Japanese pearls are sold in the
same way" says Miriam, but at from
one-half to one-quarter the price of
orient pearls. But with them one
never gives a bill for real pearls A
great many are sold. You can tell
them by their greenish-white trans
parent tint"
Our own American river pearls
have better reputation. Among them
may be found true beauties of great
value. though their tendency is to-
ward an unpublished white.
CERscHATER was particularly
~ pleased with four such Missis-
sippi pearls which he had bought.
First, a large one, seventeen carats.
nearly round, though classed as "ba-
rogue" in shape (baroQues are always
sold by the carat. After it he
showed two others. almost quite
round. Of seven carats and ten carats,
respectively. . All three had been
slightly repaired" and greatly i'm
proved" and rendered smoother and
more brilliant He paid $3.50 for the
three.
Then the fourth pearl. It was quite
round. pure white, verging on the
smooth bri1liance Of true orient pearls,
and about five carats.
'1f the other three were like this
one," he said, Il would have given
$500 for them quickly. Such river
pearls need not be perfect to be
worth even $3.50 for the three If Of
good form. In Buenos Aires, where
I sell retail. they know what's what,
and care little for mere names, 50
long as quality is right"
Miriam has American river pearls Of
twelve grains and eight grains each
and thereabouts, worth from 5000 to
$3.50 apiece, the largest no bigger
than q three-carat diamond. And
they are dearer-greatly dearer.
Good old Mississippi, you have
reputation abroad!
Bonner. the pearl man, began by
making yearly trips down the whole
length Of the great river. stopping
or at little places. picking UP river
pearls for q trdfie.
True orient pearls are on an ocean Of
complication.
All day men bend over them. They
use small metal blades (called cali
bers"), with graduated holes cut in
row slong then, for roughly esti-
mating q pearls grains or carats by
its size.
Miriam lets & square-faced man have
a magnificent faint-blush-rose pearl
in hand, Of living beauty. deep-down
brilliant, not big, say, 20 grains. But
even I could see it's value.
zone hundred times" said Miriam
quietly.