﻿354 
  KEPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [2] 
  

  

  them 
  the 
  powder 
  was 
  obtained 
  which 
  in 
  ancient 
  therapeutics 
  was 
  used 
  

   in 
  certain 
  astringent 
  medicines^ 
  which 
  are 
  now 
  no 
  longer 
  employed. 
  

  

  Formerly 
  the 
  markets 
  of 
  Constantinople, 
  Venice, 
  and 
  Lisbon 
  were 
  

   celebrated 
  for 
  their 
  sale 
  of 
  pearls 
  ; 
  but 
  now 
  the 
  trade 
  in 
  pearls 
  has 
  

   taken 
  another 
  direction, 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  pearls, 
  which 
  are 
  found 
  to 
  some 
  

   extent 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  globe, 
  being 
  now 
  sent 
  to 
  England, 
  Germany, 
  

   North 
  America, 
  and 
  somewhat 
  less 
  to 
  France. 
  

  

  Quality 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  pearls.— 
  Pearls 
  have 
  formed 
  the 
  object 
  of 
  numer- 
  

   ous 
  classifications, 
  according 
  to 
  their 
  water, 
  luster, 
  transparency, 
  color, 
  

   form, 
  weight, 
  and 
  dimensions. 
  There 
  are 
  white, 
  gray, 
  black, 
  lilac, 
  rose- 
  

   colored, 
  blue, 
  and 
  yellow 
  pearls. 
  They 
  are 
  also 
  distinguished 
  as 
  odd- 
  

   shaped, 
  pear-shaped, 
  button-shaped 
  (flat 
  at 
  one 
  end), 
  virgin 
  or 
  paragon 
  

   pearls, 
  the 
  last 
  being 
  the 
  most 
  perfect 
  as 
  to 
  form 
  and 
  the 
  most 
  highly 
  

   esteemed. 
  

  

  Nothing 
  varies 
  so 
  much 
  as 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  pearls. 
  It 
  is 
  entirely 
  a 
  mat- 
  

   ter 
  of 
  fashion 
  and 
  taste. 
  Sometimes 
  white 
  pearls 
  are 
  most 
  sought 
  after, 
  

   and 
  sometimes 
  gray 
  ones. 
  At 
  present 
  black 
  pearls 
  are 
  those 
  which 
  are 
  

   valued 
  most 
  highly. 
  A 
  beautiful 
  pearl, 
  valued, 
  for 
  instance, 
  at 
  2,000 
  or 
  

   3,000 
  francs, 
  would 
  be 
  worth 
  5,000 
  or 
  0,000 
  if 
  a 
  similar 
  pearl 
  could 
  be 
  

   found 
  to 
  match 
  it; 
  that 
  is, 
  the 
  pair 
  would 
  be 
  worth 
  10,000 
  or 
  12,000 
  

   francs 
  to 
  an 
  amateur. 
  Pearls 
  are 
  sold 
  either 
  by 
  the 
  weight 
  or 
  by 
  the 
  

   piece; 
  by 
  weight 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  of 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  ordinary 
  beauty; 
  by 
  

   the 
  piece 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  uncommonly 
  beautiful. 
  Even 
  when 
  sold 
  by 
  

   weight, 
  the 
  price 
  is 
  not 
  fixed, 
  and 
  it 
  may 
  vary 
  from 
  one 
  price 
  to 
  tenfold 
  

   that 
  sum, 
  according 
  to 
  whether 
  the 
  pearl 
  is 
  round, 
  azure, 
  or 
  black, 
  or 
  

   whether 
  it 
  weighs 
  six 
  grains 
  or 
  thirty 
  grains. 
  A 
  pearl 
  of 
  ten 
  grains, 
  if 
  

   shaped 
  like 
  a 
  button, 
  would 
  be 
  worth 
  from 
  8 
  to 
  12 
  francs 
  per 
  grain; 
  if, 
  

   on 
  the 
  contrary, 
  it 
  is 
  round, 
  white, 
  or 
  rose-colored, 
  25 
  to 
  35 
  francs 
  ; 
  and 
  

   if 
  black, 
  55 
  to 
  G5 
  francs. 
  A 
  pearl 
  weighing 
  thirty 
  grains 
  might 
  be 
  

   bought 
  by 
  a 
  dealer 
  for 
  100 
  francs 
  per 
  grain. 
  (There 
  are 
  four 
  grains 
  to 
  

   a 
  carat 
  and 
  nearly 
  four 
  carats 
  to 
  a 
  gram.) 
  The 
  trade 
  in 
  pearls 
  is 
  

   counted 
  by 
  millions. 
  It 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  make 
  an 
  exact 
  valuation, 
  for 
  

   alter 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  worked, 
  the 
  articles 
  of 
  jewelry 
  and 
  ornaments 
  in 
  

   which 
  pearls 
  are 
  used 
  are 
  no 
  longer 
  valued 
  at 
  their 
  intrinsic 
  worth, 
  but 
  

   at 
  their 
  artistic 
  or 
  industrial 
  value. 
  The 
  only 
  information 
  which 
  we 
  

   possess 
  relative 
  to 
  the 
  trade 
  in 
  pearls 
  in 
  France 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  cus- 
  

   toms 
  statistics. 
  In 
  1883 
  France 
  imported 
  94,000 
  grams 
  of 
  pearls, 
  gross 
  

   weight. 
  Of 
  these, 
  84,000 
  grams 
  came 
  from 
  Germany, 
  5,000 
  from 
  Co- 
  

   lombia, 
  4,000 
  from 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  and 
  1,000 
  from 
  various 
  other 
  

   countries, 
  representing 
  a 
  total 
  value 
  of 
  800,000 
  francs 
  [$154,400]. 
  But 
  

   these 
  figures 
  do 
  not 
  represent 
  the 
  total 
  quantity 
  of 
  pearls 
  used 
  in 
  

   France. 
  French 
  jewelers 
  use 
  a 
  much 
  larger 
  quantity 
  of 
  pearls, 
  and 
  

   receive 
  them 
  from 
  sources 
  not 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  statistics 
  referred 
  to 
  above. 
  

   Nor 
  do 
  these 
  statistics 
  mention 
  the 
  pearls 
  which 
  come 
  from 
  England, 
  

   nor 
  those 
  which 
  come 
  direct 
  from 
  Tahiti. 
  Both 
  these 
  countries 
  furnisty 
  

   us 
  with 
  pearls 
  valued 
  at 
  very 
  large 
  sums. 
  

  

  