Under a high power magnifier scarcely a trace of the peeling could be seen. The value of the $4 pearl had been raised to at least $100 and not many minutes had been required for the change. A slower and more laborious, but safer, process of "peeling" a pearl, consists in gently rubbing the surface with a very fine, rather soft, abrasive powder until all of the outer skin has been thus worn away. Of course, in many such cases no better skin than the outer one could be found and disappointment would result from the peeling of such a pearl. It should be added that it will not do to try to peel a _part_ of a pearl in order to remove an excrescence, for then one would inevitably cut across the layers, exposing their edges, and such a surface looks, when polished, much like a pearl button, but not like a pearl. In this connection may be mentioned the widespread belief on the part of the public that the concretions found in the common edible oyster can be polished by a lapidary, as a rough precious stone can be improved by the latter, and that a fine pearl will result. It is frequently necessary for jewelers to whom such "pearls" are brought, to undeceive the person bringing them and to tell him that only those molluscs that have a beautiful pearly lining to their shells are capable of producing true pearls and that the latter require no assistance from the lapidary. SHAPE. To return to the topic of factors governing the value of pearls, the _shape_ of the pearl makes a vast difference in the value. Perfectly spherical pearls are most highly valued and closely following come those of drop or pear shape, as this shape lends itself nicely to the making of pendants. Oval or egg-shaped pearls are also good. After these come the button shapes, in which one side is flattened. Pearls of irregular shape are much less highly valued. The irregular-shaped pearls are called _baroque_ pearls in the trade. The rivermen engaged in the fresh water pearl fishery call them _slugs_. Some of the more regular of these are called "nuggets." Others are termed "spikes" because of their pointed shape, and still others are called "wing" pearls on account of their resemblance to a bird's wing. Most of the baroques are too irregular in shape to have any special name applying to their form. WEIGHT. After orient, color, skin, and shape have been considered, _size_ or _weight_ finally determines the value. Pearls are sold by an arbitrary unit of weight known as the _pearl grain_. It is not equal to the grain avoirdupois, but is one fourth of a diamond carat. As the new metric carat is one fifth of a gram and as there are 15.43 avoirdupois grains in a gram, it is seen at once that there are but 3.08 real grains in a carat rather than four. Thus the _pearl grain_ is slightly lighter than the avoirdupois grain.