Imitation Pearls

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVI, Issue 16, 23 April 1908, Page 12

Imitation Pearls

The recent prosecution in London of M. Lemoine on a charge of. having obtained money o n the strength of a promise of being able to manufacture imitation diamonds that could not be distinguished from Ihe genuine article has directed attention to the-trade in imitation stones ywhich.. has been brought to such perfection in modern times. The manufacture of imitation gems from specially prepared glass, paste, etc., has become an important industry in Continental countries. Ihe means of ascertaining the genuineness of' pearls wnicn are frequently imitated with marvellous" skill ,(s a ys the " Jewellers' Weekly ') is especially important t 0 + * 1 i a J man » eve n though the jeweller may quSckly detect thkm. Imitations are usually lighter .than real rnSISW ¥ n ?? U7 -,«* brittle « al « 10U S h Sn/a?e SS? Jl l \ ?f? f fishl scales ' and d 0 n °t break so easily, JmLS % f leS ' Whachl in the real P 6arl are drilled very an£Lv« a^ c a ? arp **&>■ in the fals 2 are larger IS? hSip* hv nt ***£' As a rule ' the illation pearls are little hollow, spheres of glass colored internally with a coatmg imitating the orient of natural pearlZ The manufacture of these articles embraces two set intrSducS atl f OnS 4 * he P"> ductio * °< the sphere and The fst v swarfs, t.rJ: m» I mm T^J+ m flte tlOn P*^ 1 ? were manufactured in Egypt at SWipiß Place of. mercurial mixture ,h-™ii~ ld ®f ot using in .«j« **a st *yg wSsi » sa s jag. tts kSS to settle. The sedamen.t thus obtained forms tHe essencp of onent. it requires from seven-teen thousand L era to- preserve it. These &, v&n?sSt££fißZ

j is known! thiat liquid ammonia or the volatile alks&i is one of the substances most commonly used. The discovery of a method of , preserving the brilliancy of fish scales has led to their export, from Res-tov-onnDon, Russia, for the last five or six_ years, The fish used are so small that nets of 5,000,000 to 8,000,000 strands in Itoe mesh are used. Seventy-two pounds of fish yield fourteen ounces of scales 7 which are powdered with some preservative, packed in ten pound tins, 'hermetically sealed and sent by parcel post to Berlin, Stettin and Paris.

Artificial pearls are also made from beads of opalescent glass filled with gum, the polish of the glass being Teduced by the vapor of hydrofluoric acid. Very good imitations of the genuine pearl are made from mother of pearl also. This material is cut to the required shape and polished, when at has an appearance very similar to the Renuine article, though an expert can readily distinguish the imitation from the genuine gem.