such as Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ar- 

 kansas. In Arkansas large numbers 

 of valuable Pearls have been found 

 loose in the streams and many of 

 the pearl hunters are of the opin- 

 ion that the mollusks "shed" their 

 Pearls at intervals. While the region 

 of the Mississippi valley is that in which 

 the Pearl-bearing mollusks chiefly 

 abound, they occur also in the waters of 

 the Eastern States, and these furnish an 

 appreciable supply. 



The common oysters and clams of the 

 temperate sea coasts produce Pearls no 

 less than those of fresh waters, but they 

 lack the desired luster and transparency 

 and are considered of no value. Some 

 gastropod or univalve mollusks also' pro- 

 duce Pearls, among which may be men- 

 tioned the Strombus of the West Indies 

 and the Turritella of the East Indies. 

 These Pearls are of rose tint but are 

 liable to fade and lack also the trans- 

 parency of the true Pearl. 



Pearls seem to have been valuec' by 

 people of all times, both civilized and 

 tmcivilized. The Hebrew Scriptures 

 make frequent references to them and 

 there are many incidents in history show- 

 ing the esteem in which they were held 

 by the Greeks and Romans. The best 

 known of these is probably Cleopatra's 

 wager with Antony that at a single meal 

 she would swallow the value of a whole 

 province. In pursuance of this boast she 

 is said to have dissolved a Pearl of great 

 value in a glass of sour wine and then to 

 have drank the wine. It may be worth 

 noting that this story cannot be literally 

 true, since a Pearl of the size re- 

 ported would only slightly dissolve 

 in such a mixture. If ground to 

 a fine powder, however, the Pearl might 

 be swallowed in the wine without injury 

 tO' the system, and if this was done the 

 story can be credited. According to 

 Pliny the wealthy Romans were accus- 

 tomed to mix Pearls with their wine, 

 presumably in this way, tO' improve the 

 flavor of the beverage. The name for 

 the Pearl among the Romans and Greeks 

 was Margarita," and the finest Pearls 

 are still known b^^ this term. 



The ancients believed that Pearls were 

 solidified drops of dew which had fallen 

 into the gaping shells of the oysters. 

 Among the Chinese and Hindoos to this 



day Pearls are regarded as of great med- 

 icinal value, and a large proportion of 

 the imperfect Pearls obtained in the fish- 

 eries are used for this purpose. The 

 Aztecs and Incas of America, when first 

 visited by the Spaniards, possessed quan- 

 tities of Pearls of the finest luster and 

 color. Large numbers of Pearls are 

 found in the prehistoric mounds of 

 America also-, showing that even these 

 people held them in esteem. These 

 Pearls generally lack the luster of the 

 Pearl of the present day, but whether 

 this has been lost through lapse of time 

 or whether the Mound Builders were 

 content with Pearls that would to mod- 

 ern people seem valueless is not known. 

 The mound Pearls are frequently found 

 bored and strung. 



The passion for Pearls continues at 

 the present day and they often command 

 even higher prices than the diamond. 

 The price, however, depends so much 

 upon individual quality that no fixed 

 scale of values can.be given. 



Emanuel gives the following quailifi- 

 cations as necessary to a perfect Pearl : 



1. It must be perfectly round or drop- 

 shaped, seeming as if fashioned or turned 

 into shape. 



2. It must have a perfectly pure white 

 color. 



3. It must be slightly transparent. 



4. It must be free from specks, spots, 

 or blemish. 



5. It must possess the peculiar luster 

 characteristic of the gem. 



Pearls are sold by their weight in 

 grains, rather than that in carats, four 

 grains equaling a carat. Seed Pearls 

 weighing one grain are worth from one 

 to three dollars each. With the increase 

 in size, however, the increase in price 

 is rapid, a two-grain Pearl being worth, 

 for instance, four times as much as a 

 one-grain Pearl, a three-grain Pearl nine 

 times as much, and so on. The largest 

 Pearls bring, like the largest diamonds, 

 individual prices. The Pearl is perhaps 

 the only gem that does not need tO' have 

 its beauties enhanced by cutting, nor 

 can any polishing process improve its 

 surface. The favorite, use of Pearls is 

 to string them in necklaces, but they 

 are also often set around other stones to 

 heighten their effect or they are used 

 alone in rings. 



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