CHAPTER XXI. 

 IMPERFECT PEARLS AND How TO IMPROVE THEM. 



MANY of the fresh-water pearls are imperfect. 

 Some of the imperfections are so serious the 

 pearls cannot be improved sufficiently to bring 

 much on the market. 



Others can be greatly improved through easy methods, 

 and can be sold for a much higher price than they could 

 have been sold for without the improvement. 



Pearl hunters often need information which will en- 

 able them to improve imperfect pearls, but are unable 

 to secure it. Some buyers know of various ways of im- 

 proving imperfect pearls, but they will not reveal their 

 me thods to the pearl hunters. 



Perfect pearls, of course, do not need any improve- 

 ment and are the only jewels which do not require the 

 services of skilled men to prepare them for use. The 

 high value of pearls is an incentive to improve the im- 

 perfect ones and many are made more valuable by special 

 treatment. 



Round pearls which have a slight flatness or a flaw on 

 one side may be improved by drilling through the de- 

 fect, and when these pearls are placed in a necklace the 

 imperfection cannot be detected easily. 



Jewelers also conceal such faults by setting the pearl 



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