Sketcher.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 368, 28 May 1903, Page 7

Sketcher.

PEABLS. a WsF' remftr^B a scientist, * pearlto 111 Dea "Qg m 0 Ivlbc9 could be "n----o (Us fected artificially with the larval flukes, we should stand a (air chance of being able to produce pearls' at will.' ' i:f") ")M -:. ■- •_'■>' §j The ' larval flakes', sounds mystic. . It is explained Hsf Ife. H. Lyster Jameson—who has made exhaustive research upon the origin of pearls—that the red nucleus round which the substance, we call pearl accumulates is the dead larva of a Distoma or Fluke, water creatures which, during earliest youth, pass a certain period of their existence as guests in "the bodies of fresh-water shell-fish. Perhaps in years to come real, instead of the marvellous imitation pearls it is now possible to buy, may be produced, and, then there will be a differentiation made between them in shops, and customers will be asked whether they wish to purchase a,string of larval flukes er one of ordinary pearl e. . Apropos of the imitation pearls so many women wear, there is a true story extant concerning a string of them and a string of real pearls being submitted to an expert for judgment as to which was of the greater value.

The expert applied all his knowledge of pearls to the subject, and fiaally delivered judgment in favour cf the imitation pearls. . After that, is it to be marvelled at that heirloom sets are reproduced artificially for wearing upon occasions that may be hazardous to the safety of the real jewels, and to take from place to place on long journeys P Nevertheless, a true lover of pearls wears hers constantly, because a pearl hidden from the light and deprived of human contact soon ' sickens' and grows lack-lußtre ; i ! #j J ' There has lately been seit £6 England a m st'exquisite pearl fcuud in West! Australia. It is of perfect lustre, and is described as somewhat the shape of a baby's body without the anns; So far the price of it is undetermined, but round about from £9,000 to .£15,000 will have to change hands before the gem is given overtoita purchaser.

Toirty years ago Hot nearly so huge a sum would have been deemed quite a fancy price for the pearl, for the value of I such jewels has steadily been on the increase, and what then would have fetched only-jeßo to-daj is worth JE800! e#p •It has long in the ; Royal Family o£ Eagland ;io give each. Princess on her birthday, /beginning ate the first year, two or three perfect pearls. ■ The daughters of King Edward and Queen Alexandra all Lad exquisite strings of g6ms collected in thiß way by'the'-lime they were presented at their grandmother, Queen Victoria's Drawing-Booms. - - It-is a far longer and more difficult task than would be supposed to collect a necklet, and still more a rope of pearls, .because a perfect match aa, to shape, colour, ; lustre, and obtained/ W>> ; ;' '* -!<-.*?

The jewellers carefully sort out the consignments they receive with a?view to. their customers' oxdQipf and to; the completion of ropes and necklets they are forming for stock. Just at this time baroque, or irregular pearls, are in great request. Formerly such treats were held in small repute; but a firm of jewellers, who steadily treasured all that came their way for about forty years, proved their foresight by reaping a splendid harvest when e&eritricitieja became the rage. |No one would concede to tham the palm for beauty accorded with justice, to the round i anicQ \ drop-shaped pearls j! but that they are very arrestive and striking as, pendants in the Art Nouveau and: Lalique jeweliqry' now sofashionable as ferronnieres to be worn hanging upon the forehead from a .platinum chain;'wnd?aß fs sureV They are produced in the oyster at the hinge of the shells, and usually with them is found a pijpi.ee €M wood, fox irritant, round** winch 1 the oyster i has' t deposited its layers of nacre. -- In the trade such, gems are called malformation^' ' . " .

A pearl is like an onion in formation, and can be jwt as. an onion can. It is a very hard aiifr tough gem, and does not easily break. The most expert skill is required to' bore a pearl ready for stringing; and, since the" holes drilled .are ,sq small on account of the diminution of value—amounting to several sovereigns, on .each pearl even a small drill>raaies-4.the'material dh ; wniclr they are strung is necessarily fine, so a clever little knot is made in the stringing process, in order that should the; string break only one pearl can fall away! ...Still, every owner:of tfjiae pearls sends her treasures to be festrang from .time, to time to avert mishap; and wben'this'task only are the. pearls 'eS|h restruhg ln'their proper order, but they are turned towards one another in precisely thosray &§¥ aforetimes were. The careful?notes are taken ofe|he -pearls: individually, and collectjlvely, : humbe|, aipLl'any peculiarities, 'before the task is entered upon, and they are weighed before and after being dealt with.

Have yoTi.ever .seen a bunch of pearls just as it-arrived' from the fishery, with its silver-tasselled ends? Some of the great London jewellers r>aye! their ;owa fisheries, otherp purchase their 'stock from various sources. To the Btringer the pearls are banded over as they came from India and elsewhere, by which announcement the fact will be argued that, besides stringing the gt ms, this individual must possess expert Knowledge and i discernment in sorting the globes, so as* to preserve ,rnle that they must graduate in size to perfection from a given centre, and match in colour equally well. ' * .-. The stringer's mode of procedure is''to lay the pearls out in a grooved-tray, into which grooves of various sizes the gems are blocked so that they may be picked, out and matched for colour. - ; it &. B When a rope of pearlß or a necklet is being formed;; a.temporary stringing is usually done at first, and the two halves are carefully weighed,, so that they, too, may be a true match. Pearl-drilling is a delicate process that requires a long and is accomplished by hand, and the. aid. of a little machine. One hand holds the pearl, and the other applies the drill. The jewellers say thafeihe biggest" and most beauteous pearls in existence still beJorig to. old. Father Neptune and the mermaids of the deepest ocean, and, that until divers can go further down than sixteen fathoms or so, the fairest treasures will remain where they are unseen by mortal eyes. - . - f . { But they could lay hands upon specimens of entrancing splendour at any hour, were they empowered to do bo, so particular and definite a history have all the renowned pearls that'come into' the market. ■':-■• '..

Those that belong, for instance, to Queen Alexandra;, those that her husband and son gave year by year on-her birthday to the Dowager-Queen of Italy, Marguerite the Pearl of Savoy; those that grace the sleiider neck of the Czarina

of the great jewellers of the world, had they the inclinatioH to do bo, could put into words that would thrill and delight their readers. There are romances wrapped op in i Shose milk-white globes that poets might pen in language suitably tender and;splendid: %&M r: ': %'""' It is necessary for every fashionable woman to possess a string of pearls, a rope of pearls, and a pearl oollar. ... , . The mereat debutante has the first* named which might well be calles the Order of the Qitrl of the Period; while there are also pearl hair- ornaments to be amassed, and pear rings, brooches, and bangles, A very splendid dog-collar of pearls, caught together with diamond slides, may cost the more trifle of .£Bo.ooo—a veritable fortune in itself—or a smaller sum; all depends upon the quality and size of the diamonds and'the colour, skin, and match of the pearls, also, of course, their number. Probably in all London there is not a more perfect string of pearls than the one showrr*by the GoldsmitbsLand Silversmiths' Company, of BegeiifrS&eet, at the Paris Exhibition. It is only a single row of forty-six pearls; but each pearl is a, marvel : of beauty and of absolute per* fection. like shimmering cream satin as to skin, of the most lovely globe-like shape, and graduated exquisitely. The price of this forty-five pearl necklet is £90,000, so that the string figures out at nearly two thousand pound per pearl. The larger ones would, of course, cost much more; the smaller ones, at the end, less than that sum. Constantly sums of from £6OO, or thereabouts, to £4,000, change hands for asingle row of pearls, and long chains and ropes come to about the same money, if the pearls are of less value individually. Baroque pearls are showy, but less costly i than perfect spheres; black and pink pearls are dear when they are of a good shape, because of their scarcity. The largest known pearl is one of irregular shape in the South Kensington Museum, \ § It weighs three ounces, • has at circum|ference of four and a balf inches, and is surmounted by an enamelled and jewelled gold crown, the whole forming a pendant of enormous value.. At one time a considerable number of pearls were found in the rivers of Sootland. These rivers, however, were over-fished, and as the industry was thought to .interfere with salmon-fishing; it ;was discouraged. Now only very few are obtained from this source, and these at irregular intervals.