PEARLS AND THE PEARL INDUSTRY 113 



to their weights, add all the quotients together, and divide the price of the entire 

 necklace by this number to ascertain the multiple or base value. 



While it was entirely possible for a person to spend $60,000 for a single flaw- 

 less pearl of very fine orient in 1929, the same pearl would sell for only a very 

 small fraction of this amount today. The drop in price can be attributed in part to 

 the introduction of Japanese cultured pearls following World War I. 



Utilization in Jewelry 



Drilling. Pearls require no polishing or cutting prior to setting as in the case 

 of precious stones. The most important operation in preparing them for use as 

 ornaments is drilling. Formerly this was a laborious process, and even a skillful 

 driller could not perforate more than 40 or 50 ordinary pearls in a day by means 

 of a bow-drill operated by hand. However, with one of the modem machines 

 1,500 pearls of average size can be pierced in the same time. The bow- or 

 fiddle-drill is preferred for piercing fine pearls. The arm of this is made either of 

 steel or wood, with a strong cord stretched across it in the style of an archer's 

 bow. This drill is inserted in the end of a circular brass disk, with a V-shaped 

 groove on its edge to allow the string to be passed entirely around it like a pulley. 

 When the drill is in place and held at the other side and the bow moved up and 

 down, the wheel with the drill rotates rapidly. Of late years drill-holes have 

 been much reduced in diameter in order to preserve as much as possible the 

 weight of the gem. 



When the pearl is not absolutely perfect, which is seldom the case, the poorest 

 part is chosen to form the beginning of the drill-hole. Large pearls are put in a 

 pair of calipers, one arm of which is placed on the spot to be pierced, the other 

 of course touching the opposite side. The end of each caliper arm is rubbed 

 with a little rouge or lampblack which leaves a mark on the pearl. The drill is 

 then placed on the mark and the bow moved up and down. The work is so rapidly 

 performed that 5 large pearls, weighing 15 grains, can be drilled in less than an 

 hour's time; with small pearls the operation is performed much more quickly. 



Stringing. In stringing pearls for a necklace the thread, which is invariably of the 

 finest quality silk or nylon, is passed through the metal eye of the object serving as 

 a clasp; a knot is then made and the thread passed through the end pearl. Another 

 knot is made, and so on, until all the pearls have been strung and the thread has 

 been firmly secured in the opposite section of the clasp. Should there be a suf- 

 ficient number of pearls for the designated length of the necklace, knots are only 

 made at every third, fourth, or even fifth pearl. The silk thread must neither be 

 dyed nor contain any chemicals. One end is usually stiffened by pure gum arabic 

 dissolved in water. To avoid any danger of the thread being cut, the holes in the 

 pearls are carefully reamed out until they become quite smooth. In the case of 

 a long chain or sautoir as many as 300 pearls may be strung on a single row, 

 and great skill is needed to accomplish the task properly. Necklaces require re- 

 stringing according to the frequency with which they are worn. If, when the 

 thread is stretched, it can be seen between the pearls, or at either end, this is an 

 indication that they must be restrung. 



In the case of a collar, 13 or 14 inches long, there are frequently 23 rows of 

 pearls, kept straight by 4 jeweled bars. When there are from 10 to 25 pearls in 



