S4 THE WEALTH OF THE SEA 



beautiful jewels will cease to be the most costly 

 of gems. 



The pearl-shell or mother-of-pearl fishery is 

 always carried on simultaneously with the pearl 

 fishery. It is of considerable importance in many 

 countries, and the world's production is valued at 

 approximately one hundred million dollars. There 

 are extensive pearl and pearl-shell fisheries in Aus- 

 tralia, Ceylon, Japan, California, Mexico, Venezuela, 

 and the Persian Gulf. The pearl shell obtained in 

 California is the abalone, which is manufactured into 

 a large variety of ornamental and useful objects. 



Not only is the sea the source of true pearls and 

 of mother-of-pearl, but it also furnishes the material 

 from which imitation pearls are made. Fish-scales 

 are covered with a nacreous substance which gives 

 fish much of their beauty. Clever chemists have 

 learned how to transfer this lustrous substance from 

 the scales to beads. The chief difficulty lies in obtain- 

 ing a permanent, uniform, waterproof coating on 

 the bead. Recently economical methods of preparing 

 pearl essence have been perfected so that it is now 

 cheap enough to be used for general decorative 

 purposes, such as the ornamentation of pyralin. 



Beautiful ornaments are also made from the pre- 

 cious coral, which is the skeleton of a curious little 

 animal that grows in branching colonies, and, because 

 of this characteristic, was formerly thought to be a 

 plant. Rose-pink coral usually commands the highest 

 price. It is extensively used in the making of beads, 

 cameos, and many other ornamental objects. The 

 carving and engraving of coral requires great skill. 



