426 The Commercial Products of the Sea. 



In the Gambier Islands magnificent pearls are found, 

 and also at the Paomotu Isles. 



Of all the substances employed in jewellery, the pearl 

 is the one whose value it is the most difficult to establish, 

 because it depends upon so many variable conditions of 

 size, form, and colour. A pearl of the first quality should 

 possess, above all things, a fine " orient," or water. By this 

 expression is meant a pure whiteness, joined to a lovely lustre 

 that sparkles in the light. There are pearls, too, which, 

 with a white colour, show a delicate reflection of azure. 

 These are the most highly esteemed. The second quality 

 of a fine pearl is that it should be perfectly spherical, or 

 regularly pear-shaped. There are a great number of pearls 

 whose colour has a yellowish tinge. This alone is a mark 

 of inferior quality. The following table was made by a 

 celebrated West End jeweller to compare the price of 

 pearls of the first choice in 1865 and 1867 : 



s. d. s. d. 



A pearl of 3 grains 0170 to 0190 



55 4 55 I 6 O ,, I 12 O 



55 5 55 170 270 



6 35o 3 15 o 



55 8 55 4 12 O ,, 5 14 O 



,, 10 ,, 10 2 O ,, II 2 O 



,, 12 ,, 14 2 O ,, l6 I O 



,, 14 ,, 18 2 o ,, 20 3 o 



55 16 ,, 20 3 o ,, 30 5 o 



55 18 ,, 30 5 o ,, 40 4 o 



,, 20 ,, 40 4 o 50 8 o 



,, 24 ,, 6O 10 O 72 12 O 



,, 3 5, 85 13 o ,, ioo 17 o 



Besides the individual value which pearls possess in 

 common with all other precious stones, and which is ex- 

 pressed in the preceding table, they have another very 

 important one, which we may call associative value. Thus 

 it happens that two pearls of the same form, the same size, 



