PEARLS AND PEARLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 200, 24 August 1929, Page 13 (Supplement)

PEARLS AND PEARLING.

NATIVE DIVERS AT WORK.

ALLURING, BUT DANGEROUS

HOW THE GEMS ABE SORTED,

(By DUNCAN CAMERON.)

A sea of pearl shells, two thousand miles in length, is ono of the lures offered by Australia to the venturesome, epirits of the world. The treasure waters lie along the coast of the Indian Ocean, in the western and north-western portions of the Island-continent. .In this extensive area there are vast natural riches which recall the romance of the pearl fisheries of ancient India end the Persian Gulf.

Tangible evidence of the treasure is afforded by one pearl of unusual size, found near the city of Broome, on the north-west coast, so recently as to continue as a topic of gossip to the present day." This specimen had a net weight ©f 173 grains, and has been valued at £3000. On this scale a necklace of 65 pearla would represent a valuation of close to £200,000.

In the same general area the waters are rich in. the pearl shells which form .the bask of the mother-of-pearl industry. Australian enterprise devotes much enercry to the production- of the precious stones and the shells. There is a wide market for the shell output among the manufacturers of buttons and the makers of handles for fruit and dessert knives, pocket knives and the like. Romance of Diving. The pearl diver is one of the romantic figures of the Australian coast, as he has been throughout the centuries in the countries bordering on the Persian Gulf In the most modern development of the industry the divers use perfected helmets and armour, which enable them to spend long periods under water without having to come up for air Thelre are still many pearl hunters, however, who follow the primitive methods of their ancestors, and do their. submarine work without mechanical assistancedivin" in the natural.state, and hoUing their breath as long as possible. Some of the pearl divers rub their bodies with oil before making their plunges. As protection to the ears.they itSrthe openings with wool, saturated Sith oil. Some of them carry in their mouths pieces of oil-soaked sponge, in the rpparent belief that this expedient enables them to go longer without breathings. .■ - •' v The diver carries a flat stone with a hole in 4ts centre. A rope is attached to the etone, communicating with the fishin* boat from which the man makes Ms pfunU. By means of the rope the men S the boat are enabled + to guide Sβ diver to particular eppts- below. overhead to draw him to. the surface.

The average length of stay beneath the water for the natural diver does not run more thattCd or 80 seconds, but there are cases on record in which a diver has been.sufficiently hardy to remain below for two full minutes. Divers Work in Relays. Under the diving system the boats are «ent out in groups, reaching the banks at sunrise. The work ocntinues throughout the morning, each diver resting between trips, and keeping at it until he is played out. When one man becomes exhausted by the strain he is relieved by his assistant, and the first diver takes his turn at watching the rope from a restful seat in the boat. The work is not without its dangers, for in the waters of some fisheries there is an abundance of sharks, which produce constant peril to the diver. As a means of protection against these voracious fish the native Oriental pearl hunter carries spikes of ironwood, in the use of which he ia an expert. Some of the men never descend without making themselves the subject of incantations delivered by shark-charmers, : carried aboard the boat. There.seems to be a deep-seated belief that the mummery of the professional charmer will eliminate the danger of shark attacks. The Australian - divers mostly are Malays or Papuans. Sold at Auction. At noon the-fishing boats lift anchors and return to shore with the day's catch. The entire lot of material is assorted by the simple process of piling the oysters in four heaps, three _of which belong to the owner of the fishing outfit, while the fourth is the reward of the divers for their arduous work. There-is prompt ealo of. the catch iat auction, with competitive bidding from buyers who represent the large dealers of the entire world.

The pearls found in the oysters are sorted into sizes by a sifting process, in which they are passed through small brass colanders known to the trade as "baskets." The first colander used has large holes and allows the passage of all pearls, but those of .considerable size. As' the sorting proceeds the holes in successive baskets become smaller and smaller, till only, the little fellows remain. After, the sizing is completed the pearls are graded as to colour, and then weighed and , giyen preliminary valuation. . :, ■

In the Australian waters there is considerable use of dredges for bringing pearl shells from the bottom. This method prevails also in the recently developed fisheries in the Gulf of California, which represent North America's contribution to the world's markets in this type of merchandise. Under this, method the average fishing party considers three tons of shell as a fair return for the day's work. When it is understood that one shell in a thousand contains a pearl it will be seen that the search for the precious jewels must offer some of the difficulties _ connected with the needle in the traditional haystack. .

In the days of Christopher Columbus there was some pearl fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, but this region is no longer regarded as an important source of supply—("Star" and /.A.N.S. Copyright.)