36 CEYLON PEARL OYSTER REPORT. 



" Kuruval," meaning " short " ; deformed and double pearls, but not necessarily 

 inferior in quality, may be of excellent lustre but of irregular form. " Ani- 

 Kuruval " is where two Ani are partially fused together, whether the pearls 

 be of equal size or not ; but each must be so formed that if not fused it would 

 be spherical. " Pisal-Kuruval " is where several pearls of good lustre and 

 colour are partially and irregularly fused together. " Pampara-Kuruval " is a 

 pearl grooved regularly, like a top. 



" Kayaral," meaning " the clasp of a necklace " ; a dark-coloured treble pearl, not 

 completely round, and of a dull colour. 



" Samadiam," a pearl with a reddish tint, pear-shaped, but of a dull colour. 



" Nimelai," a nose-pearl, a perfect-skinned, pear or egg-shaped pearl. 



" Sirippu," a pearl grooved with irregular wrinkle-like furrows. 



" Masaku," badly coloured pearls ; usually grey, but symmetrical and with lustre. 



" Pisal," meaning " torn " ; a deformed pearl or cluster of small misshapen pearls 

 of little or no value, of bad colour, usually slag-like in appearance. 



" Kodai," meaning " brown " ; like a nut, with no nacreous lustre, formed of 

 prismatic shell, may be large and is usually spherical and includes pearls of 

 different colours, and those white ones that have black or brown marks. 

 " Van-Kodai ' is a Kodai pearl with one side nacreous. " Karunk-Kodai," a 

 black or blue-black slag-like pearl. 



i: Vadivu," meaning "beauty"; also "decreasing"; that which is strained or 

 sifted, an intermediate pearl, found in the 100, 200 and 400 sieves. These 

 small pearls of regular form, good colour, and lustre, are what are held in most 

 general esteem in the East. 



" Madanku," meaning " folded or bent " ; all pearls of Vadivu size that are 

 imperfect in form or colour. 



" Tul," meaning " powder " ; the seed-pearls, smallest size, those that are retained 

 by the 600, 800 and 1000 sieves. 



"Masi-Tul," meaning "ink-dust" or chalk powder ; smaller than the 1000 sieve. 

 These are generally used for medicinal purposes or burnt and used as chunam 

 to be eaten with areca nut and betel by the natives. 



" Oddu " or " Ottitmuttu," meaning " shell-pearl " ; an attached pearl or nacreous 

 excrescence on the inside of the shell. 



If we consider only the size of the pearls as separated out by the sieves, we 

 find : 



" Mel-muttu " in the 20 to 80 sieves ; 



" Vadivu" and " Madanku" in the 100, 200 and 400 sieves ; 



" Tul " in the 600, 800 and 1000 sieves ; while 



" Masi-Tul" are those that pass through the finest sieve. 



Considered from the point of view of perfection in lustre and quality generally, 



