PEARLS AND IMITATION PEARLS 107 



fifty pearls of average size in one day. But since 

 machine drills have been adopted, one man can pierce 

 that number of pearls in an hour. Experts do the 

 drilling and take great care to drill in such a way as 

 to improve the quality of the pearls. This is accom- 

 plished by starting the hole at the poorest part or 

 spot. In stringing pearls for a necklace, a silk thread 

 is passed through a metal eye or other object desig- 

 nated to serve as a clasp ; a knot is then made, and 

 the end pearl is added, after which another knot 

 is made, and so on until the pearls have been strung. 

 The threads on which the pearls are strung gradu- 

 ally stretch, so that the necklaces must be restrung 

 about once a year. 



Inasmuch as claws hide part of the pearls, those 

 which are set in rings or on studs are usually placed 

 on pegs. Double pegs are often used, as they prevent 

 the pearl from turning and thus becoming loose and 

 falling off the peg. Great care must be used in 

 mounting a pearl to prevent the scratching of the 

 pearl by the setting. 



The most important use of mother-of-pearl is in 

 the manufacture of buttons, although large quan- 

 tities are also used for the making of knife handles, 

 inlaid articles, and ornaments of many sorts. 



The shells are classified according to their source, 

 size, color, and quality. The white shells come prin- 

 cipally from West Australia, Port Darwin, and 

 Macassar. The yellow shells come from Manila, Mer- 

 gui, Bina, and Singapore. Green shells are inferior 

 white ones, often with a greenish tinge having a 



