486 THEIR COMMERCIAL VALUE. 



bushy r , as is generally the case with those collected on the 

 coasts of France and Spain, the artists find the cutting 

 much more difficult, and the waste is also greater. A 

 primary requisite is, that they shall be intact. Now 

 it frequently happens, and more particularly with the 

 coral of Oran, that the branches are honeycombed by 

 the perforations of small annelids or sponges. Such 

 are of comparatively little use to the coral -worker. 

 Again, the value also depends on the colour and trans- 

 parency of the coral, the delicate rose-hued varieties 

 being most highly esteemed in Western Europe. 



The Algerine coral is principally wrought at Naples, 

 Leghorn, and Genoa. Little trade is now done at Mar- 

 seilles, and at Paris it is confined to mounting it for 

 jewellery. 



The coral issues from the manufactories in the follow- 

 ing forms, which the jeweller utilizes at his pleasure : 



1. As pearls of all sizes, smooth, or cut with facets ; 



2. Olives; 



3. Various sculptures ; and 



4. As " Arabic coral," composed of portions of the 

 stems, carefully polished, and perforated, for threading, 

 in the direction of their axes. 



In working the coral, it is first cleansed with lime, 

 and afterwards "turned" upon horizontal discs, resem- 

 bling the lathes employed by opticians in shaping glass 

 and crystals, by means of a paste composed of water and 

 emery. The turning process is several times repeated, 

 the paste each time being of a finer composition. 



The cutting of coral pearls, with facets, is a simple and 

 very rapid operation. The workman whose duty it is 

 to cut the branches makes a number of notches on the 



