Black Pearls. 269 



even as late as the year 1870. The author was 

 asked by a member of a London Syndicate to pro- 

 ceed to the East, to value a large quantity of jewels, 

 as a heavy sum of money was about to be advanced 

 to a certain Power, to carry on the sinews of war. 

 On his way he was requested to stop at one of the 

 principal towns in Germany, to purchase some jewels 

 which had been valued for probate, but were not 

 easy of sale in that market. The valuation paper 

 was shown to him, and after examining the jewels, 

 he agreed to take them at the prices named. 

 Amongst them was an old gold brooch of Russian 

 manufacture, valued at ^4 ; in the centre of this 

 brooch was what appeared to be a piece of hematite, 

 but which was in reality a fine tound black Pearl, 

 weighing j'j grains. The colour had faded from 

 exposure to the sun, as explained before. This 

 Pearl was brought to London, and the outer layer 

 was taken off, when a perfect black Pearl of 6j 

 grains remained. This was sold to a manufacturing 

 jeweller in London for ;^400, but having heard that 

 in Paris, there was a Pearl that would exactly 

 match it, the author bought it back again for 

 £6Q0y and then sold it at a large profit to one 

 of the Paris crown jewellers who, in his turn, 

 sold the pair to a rich iron merchant for 50,000 

 francs {£2006). Since then the sum of 100,000 



