Famous Pearls. 289 



Lapidibus." In this work he mentions a Pearl, 

 belonging to his patron Rudolf, which weighed 120 

 grains, and cost as much as 120,000 gold pieces. 

 Rudolf also possessed another Pearl that weighed 

 as much as 180 grains, 



The Youssotipoff Pearly 1620. 



One of the largest Pearls known in Europe, a 

 pear-shaped Pearl weighing 524 grains, was brought 

 from India in 1620, by Gongibus of Calais, and sold 

 by him to Philip IV. of Spain, for 80,000 ducats, 

 a sum equivalent to about ;^ 18,000, The merchant 

 when asked by the king how he could have been 

 bold enough to risk all his fortune in a single little 

 article, replied " Because he knew there was a King 

 of Spain to buy it ! " It is believed that this mag- 

 nificent Pearl is now in possession of the Russian 

 Princess Youssoupoff. 



The Shah Pearls, 1633 — 1635. 



The Shah of Persia possessed in 1633, a Pearl 

 an inch in diameter, which was valued at £6^^,000. 

 It is said that two years later he bought another 

 beautiful Pearl from an Arab, coming from the 

 Catifa fishery. The price paid for this was 32,000 

 tomanas, or ^^56,000. It weighed 6^2 grains, and 

 the shape was an almost perfect heart. At the present 



