452 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



pieces are ground, and engraved as a flower, an egg, or some other design, and made 

 to serve, like ivory, as an inlay in raised gold lacquer work. The making of brooches 

 out of this material, however, and turning buttons and other articles of jewelry on 

 the lathe, are scarcely known. 



An enterprising New York firm utilized in a novel way all the available pearl, 

 sheets, or leaves, as are termed the paper-like pieces of ear-shell, or awabi, as it is 

 called in Japan, where, in preparing the abalone- shell for export, they break off the 

 thick edge, or "ear-piece," and reduce the rest almost to the thinness of paper, and 

 then polish. These thin sheets, or leaves, were ingeniously inserted for windows or 

 for sky effects on photographs made on glass, the plates being views of the World's 

 Fair buildings, and were sold in great quantities. 



SHELL CARVINGS AND CAMEO WORK. 



Among the most beautiful pearl work may be noted the high-relief cameos carved 

 on mother-of-pearl shells, seen in the Italian section and elsewhere. Here advantage 

 is taken of the difference of tint in the inner and outer portions of the dark variety 

 (Tahitian pearl-shells) to cut cameos, where groups of carved figures 6 inches in 

 diameter in white pearl are raised upon a background of darker pearl, producing a 

 peculiarly elegant effect. Cameo work is also shown on the pink conch of the West 

 Indies (Strombus gigas), where deeper and paler shades in the shell afford similar 

 opportunity for relief designs. Some magnificent specimens of carved Cassis cornuta 

 (queen conch) were in the exhibit of Rocco Morabito, of Naples, who, among other 

 fine examples, had one immense group of figures on a conch, representing scenes in 

 British history. This required two years' work. 



The firm Decaro, of Naples, had many remarkably fine cameos, as well as carved 

 shells representing Columbus, Diana, and Neptune. The firm Santa Maria (Rome 

 and Florence) and Michel Piscione showed remarkably fine carved conch shells; and 

 Leopoldo Pelissier had, among others, one depicting the Columbus caravels, another 

 representing the landing of Columbus. The latter has been purchased by Gardiner 

 G. Hubbard, of Washington, D. C. On the other side of the shell is a medallion 

 head of Columbus (see Pis. 20 and 21). Throughout the entire Italian section could 

 be seen many interesting examples of the utilization of the common conch and 

 the queen conch, mother-of-pearl and other shells, into various beautiful articles repre- 

 senting industrial progress. 



An interesting exhibit is that of M. Toledo, the work which he terms Massaniello, 

 a lava-like material, surrounding which is a square frame made up of long pieces of 

 the queen conch ( Cassis cornuta), ornamented with elaborate, delicate, and intricate 

 figures and scrolls in cameo work. This piece, is of the highest artistic merit, and 

 was one of the daintiest bits of carved shell work in the Exposition. 



The utilization of mother-of-pearl for carving was also well illustrated in the 

 exhibit of Dabdonb Brothers and by that in the Turkish Village. Here the polished 

 mother-of-pearl shells are engraved with allegorical and ornamental designs and are 

 known as Jerusalem shells, serving for trays, light screens, and similar objects. They 

 are also cut into paper-knives, spoons, etc., and rounded into beads and strung to 

 represent pearls, the beads being flat and the original nacreous surface being left 



