110 THE WEALTH OF THE SEA 



ment of a number of diseases. The Hindus also use 

 them in many religious ceremonies, including mar- 

 riage and funeral rites. 



The mother-of-pearl of the abalone is highly 

 prized for its beauty and great brilliancy. So great 

 is the demand for this mother-of-pearl that the shells 

 are worth more than the meats. Some of the shells 

 are black, some red, and others green. They are 

 ground on a carborundum wheel until the desired 

 color is reached, and then are polished further on 

 a felt wheel sprinkled with carborundum dust. 

 Finally the shells are polished on a wheel made of 

 many layers of cotton, on the edges of which tripoli 

 has been rubbed. A single shell yields about fifteen 

 pieces of mother-of-pearl, from which buckles, but- 

 tons, watch-fobs, knife handles, ink-stands, cuff-but- 

 tons, and napkin-rings are made. Scimitar-shaped 

 paper knives are often cut from the larger shells. 

 In Europe and the Orient abalone shells are also 

 used in the making of inlaid work, such as opera- 

 glass coverings. 



Blister pearls are those which are formed on 

 the inner side of the shell of the pearl-bearing mol- 

 lusk. Their origin is much the same as that of true 

 pearls, for they are formed by the oyster around some 

 irritating object on the inner shell. The excrescence 

 conforms in a general way to the shape of the 

 irritating object. 



Abalone blister pearls are very popular in Amer- 

 ica, where they are utilized in jewelry in many ways 



