On the Value of Pearls. 311 



29 grains ... 



... is worth 



841 Crowns 



30 » 



»» 



900 „ 



31 n 



»i 



960 „ 



32 „ 



• • »> 



1,024 „ 



It is remarkable that this "curious and intelli- 

 gent " man, by the very simple method of multiplying 

 the number of grains by its own number, approached 

 nearer to the true value of the Pearl than is done, so 

 far as we know, in any other published table. It should 

 be mentioned that in the greater part of the original 

 table, the weights are given in carats, and that tn 

 the above extract they have been reduced to grains, 

 in accordance with modern practice ; 4 grains making 

 one carat, and \^\\ carats making one ounce, by 

 which weight seed Pearl and baroque Pearls are 

 bought by the trade. 



Value of Pearls, A.D. 1753. 

 The next Table is extracted from a "Treatise 

 on Pearls," by David Jeffries, printed at "The Rose," 

 in Paternoster Row, 1753, and therefore 82 years 

 later than the date of the preceding Table. Although 

 the author gives the following value of Pearls, it is 

 most probable that the large ones existed only on 

 paper, inasmuch as not half-a-dozen fine round 

 Pearls of over 50 grains each come into the market 

 in the course of a year. The Table is, therefore, to 



