120 Pearls, 



adepts in the art. In Europe too, it is successfully 

 carried on, and Western Australia can boast of 

 some skilful workers. The term by which this 

 delicate operation is known in that colony, has 

 probably been derived from the convicts. This 

 process of " faking " a Pearl however, is an art 

 possessed only by a few individuals, combining great 

 skill with patience. The best ''faker" in the fleet 

 is Duncan McRae, the owner of the " Dawn," a man 

 of splendid physique, the boldest and most suc- 

 cessful pearler, and the fortunate discoverer of the 

 wealth of Roebuck Bay. At this delicate work the 

 leisure hours of this horny-handed son of toil are 

 passed — a very sharp knife, various sorts of files, 

 some pearl powder, and a piece of leather being 

 the only articles employed. Chinamen, however, 

 use a certain kind of leaf to obtain the final polish. 

 The shelly coatings over a buried Pearl are very 

 hard, and must be cut off piece by piece, except at 

 the lowest point, where the loose Pearl originally 

 made contact with the shell after its escape from 

 the oyster: at this point the layer of shell below 

 comes away quite freely. The sense of touch con- 

 veyed by the blade of the knife is of equal, if not 

 greater service to the operator, than his sense of sight. 



The value of a Pearl depends upon its size, 

 shape, colour, brightness, and freedom from defects. 



