284 



Marvels of the Universe 



'"'■/'] [ir. .'^uille Kenl. 



THE SOUTHERN CROSS. 



Thii 



remarkable Western Australian 

 pearl has been valued at £10.000. It is 

 composed of nine amalgamated pearls. 



the waters which furnish the food supply of the moUusc. 



The theory- that the colour is due to e.xternal influences rather 



than to an inherent quality of the oyster itself is supported 



by the fact that a pink and a black pearl have been found in 



the same shell. Such a change of colour could have been 



brought about by a change in the tidal currents, bringing 



at one time one mineral substance, at another material of a 



different nature ; but even here the data are insufficient to 



form a conclusive proof. 



All pearls are not perfect, for only those secreted in the 



fleshy parts of the oj'ster attain the regular shapes that are 



essential in the true " virgin " pearl. These shapes are either 



globular, pear-shaped, or egg-shaped. Some pearls adhere to 



the shell of the oyster, and becoming shaped like half-globes, 



are known as " button " pearls ; others are formed round a 



core of irregular shape, and themselves become irregular. 



These are known as " baroque " pearls. A pearl is easily 



skinned, layer after layer of the precious substance peeling 



readily off. Baroque pearls are sometimes subjected to this 



treatment, for it may happen that a perfect virgin pearl 



will be found secreted in the misshapen globule. 



Several such specimens are shown in the lower part of the illustration on page 282, while 



a particularly fine example attached to the mother-shell is shown on page 283. In the 



sixteenth and seventeenth century such pearls were greatlv in demand for making into 



grotesque pendants ; and famous jewellers have employed their skill in devising settings to 



show off these quaint gems. Several good examples of such work are to be found in the 



collection of jewellery lent by Mr. Pierpont Morgan to the \Tctoria and Albert Museum, 



South Kensington. 

 Yet others are fash- 

 ioned by the mollusc 

 to repel the invasion of 

 some boring parasites ; 

 they are hollow, and 

 are therefore termed 

 " blister " pearls; 

 some of these hollow 

 pearls are not even 

 composed of the same 

 material as the pearl 

 proper, but partake 

 of the nature of the 

 mother-of-pearl, and 

 to these is given the 

 technical name " coq 

 de perle." 



There is only one 

 certain test for pearls, 



A STRANGEL^-FORMED PEARL. . , , . . 



c 1. c- I L L J L L „ £ . n J , , and that is trymg 



hsn. r lerasrer. has here entered the shell or the mollusc and has been - 



entombed in the nacre deposited by his host thcm bctWCCn the 



Pholo In} 



[TT, Sarille Kent. 



