Making Pearls to Order 



A Japanese plan for putting 

 oysters systematically to work 



The work on the oyster farm is done almost entirely by women. Here are women divers, with 

 no other equipment than their baskets, bringing up pearl-oysters from the deep-sea beds 



OXE of the queerest farms in the 

 world is situated on the Island of 

 Tatokuj ima, in the Bay of Ago, Japan. 

 The farm lands lie fathoms deep in water, 

 and the crops are lustrous pearls. 



Oyster shells are lined with a smooth 

 coating which is commonly called mother- 

 of-pearl, or nacre. The oyster builds up this 

 lining layer on layer. 



If any foreign substance — even a grain 

 of sand — happens to enter the shell of an 

 oyster the oyster immediately begins to 

 allay the irritation it causes by surround- 

 ing it with the material it uses to build up 

 the lining of its shell. This process 

 the oyster keeps up year after 

 year. 



Pearls are not made by 

 oysters alone. Any mol- 

 lusk may form them, 

 but pearls formed by 

 common oysters and 

 clams are not particu- 

 larly attractive. 



On the farm at Tato- 

 kujima the first steps 

 toward the production 

 of the pearls are taken during July and 

 August of en ' - ^"herever the larvae 



A perfect pearl of the "Oriental" 

 variety. The seed inserted inside the 

 shell was covered over with shell-lining 



of the pearl-oysters have been found most 

 abundant, small pieces of rock and stone 

 are placed. In a little while oyster-spat 

 will be attached to these rocks. Then the 

 rocks are removed to beds which have been 

 prepared for them in deep waters. If they 

 are left in shallow water during the winter 

 the oysters may perish from the cold. 

 They are left in the deep water beds un- 

 disturbed for three years. Then they are 

 taken out of the sea, and into each oyster is 

 introduced a small seed-pearl or a small 

 round piece of nacre which serves as the 

 nucleus for a future pearl. The oysters are 

 then returned to the sea where they remain 

 for four years. At the end of that time 

 they are taken out and the harv^est 

 of pearls is reaped. During the 

 four years the oyster has 

 been busily^ engaged in 

 piling layer on layer 

 of nacre around the 

 bit of foreign substance 

 which was so artfully in- 

 troduced into its shell. 

 The work of the oys- 

 ter-farm is done princi- 

 pally by women. The divers remain under 

 water incredible lengths of time. 



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