442 The Commercial Products of the Sea. 



collection of Messrs. Phillips, Cockspur Street, London, 

 where they are shown as a great curiosity. 



A large part of the coral is wasted in the process of 

 grinding and filing to convert it into uniform well-shaped 

 beads, and this, of course, adds greatly to the cost. It is 

 not every one who can obtain and possess such a magnifi- 

 cent row of coral beads as the well-known necklace be- 

 longing to Mrs. Edward Baring. 



Much of the manufacturing process — grinding, drilling, 

 and polishing the coral — is carried on by women. The 

 working of beads consists of three diflferent operations — 

 cutting, piercing, and rounding — and is principally executed 

 by the females of the Val du Bisagno, in Italy. The manner 

 in which it is distributed among the different communes 

 affords a striking example of the principle of subdivision of 

 labour. 



All the operatives employed in cutting belong to about 

 lOO families in the commune of Assio ; those in piercing 

 and rounding to about 60 families living in other parts of 

 the valley. Every village works exclusively at beads of a 

 fixed size. In Genoa each manufacturer employs from 10 

 to 20 or more women, who submit the coral to a preparatory 

 process before it is given to the workers of Bisagno. Thirty 

 or 40 men and women are employed in their own homes 

 in cutting coral into facets. There are also about 30 en- 

 gravers of coral and cameos. In all from 5000 to 6000 

 persons gain their livelihood in the province of Genoa 

 either by fishing for, working on, or selling coral, and this 

 craft produces a revenue of ;^8o,ooo. Exports of coral 

 are made from Genoa to Austria, Hungary, Poland," 

 England, Aleppo, Madras, and Calcutta. 



Those who are connoisseurs of coral know that of late 

 years it has risen considerably in the estimation of the fair 



