36 



JOURNAL, K.A.S. (CEYLON). 



[Vol. X. 



The classes just enumerated are the inferior classes, and as seen, 

 pearls of these classes are valued by simple weight at so much per 

 halanchu, the market price of course varying for pearls of the various 

 "sizes." 



But this is not the plan followed with regard to pearls of the 

 superior classes — viz., 1, the A'ni class; 2, Anatdri ; 3, Samatayam ; 

 4, Kaiyeral ; and generally also 5, the Vadivu class ; and 6 (if tolerably 

 good), the MachchaTcai class. 



Pearls of these classes are not valued by simple weight at so much 

 per weight, but at so much per chevvu of their weight. 



This chevvu is a conventional artifice for assigning the proper value 

 by weight to a very valuable article of very small weight. Its effect 

 is much the same as if valuers agreed to assign to these classes of pearls 

 increased weights above their real weights, and then valued the pearls 

 at these fictitious weights. 



Something of this nature is usual with diamond merchants also. 

 Suppose that a diamond weighing one carat is valued at £8 ; then one 

 weighing two carats will be valued at £8x2, or £16; but a diamond 

 weighing three carats will not be valued simply at £8 multiplied by 

 3, or £24, but at £8 by the square of 3, or £8 x 3 x 3 = £72 ; likewise 

 a diamond of four carats is valued at £8 X 4 X 4 = £128, and a 

 diamond of five carats at £8 x5 x5 = £200. 



The price of the diamond is thus found on multiplying £8 (price 

 of one carat) by the square of the weight (in carats) of the 

 diamond. 



This is a good illustration to show what valuation by chevvu weight 

 of pearls means. The chevvu weight is simply three-fourths of the 

 square of the weight (in manchddi) of the pearls. 



Suppose, for example, there be a large A'ni pearl of first sieve 

 weighing four manchddi, and that we know the market price of A'ni 

 pearls of first sieve to be, at the time, 11 star pagodas per chevvu. 

 What is the value of such an A'ni f 



Square of four manchddi, 4 x 4 = 16 

 Three-fourths of this =12 



(As just stated, this 12 is the chevvu of the weight 4.) 

 Then 12 x 11 star pagodas = 132 star pagodas, or Rs. 462, the value 

 of this one pearl. 



This extreme example will tend to make the principle clear. The 

 weight of the pearl (superior classes) having been found in manchddi, 

 three-fourths of the square of this weight is taken. This is the 



