The Book of the Pearl: The history, art, science, and industry of the queen of gemsKunz, George Frederick
History
The Book of the Pearl: The history, art, science, and industry of the queen of gems
Kunz, George Frederick
Pearls
Many pearly masses are obtained from the abalones, and a few of these
are of considerable beauty. Some are very large, measuring two inches in
length and half an inch or more in width; but they are rarely of good
form, and their value is commonly far less than that of choice Oriental
pearls. Owing to their irregularity in form, they are scarcely suitable
for necklaces. One of the best necklaces of these pearls ever brought
together sold a few years ago for $2000; but individual specimens have
exceeded $1000 in market value. While abalone pearls are not on the
market in any great quantities, one resident of Santa Barbara has a
collection of more than a thousand specimens, ranging in value from
several hundred dollars to less than one dollar each. Most of the
objects sold in curio and jewelry stores on the Pacific coast as abalone
pearls are simply irregular knots or protuberances cut from the surface
of the shell. The California fishermen are credited with having received
$3000 for the abalone pearls in 1904; but it is safe to say that this
represents only a small fraction of their final sale value.
In the river mussels of Canada, and especially in those from the
Province of Quebec, and the Ungava Region, pearls are occasionally
found. These are usually white and of good luster. They are not the
object of systematic search, but in the aggregate many are secured by
Indians and Eskimos, and some by the trappers and fishermen who operate
from Quebec and Montreal. A number, weighing from one to sixty-five
grains each, were shown at the Colonial Exhibition in London in 1886,
and received favorable notice. Recently, two beautifully matched pink
pearls, weighing about fourteen grains each, were obtained from one
mussel. A single pearl found in Canada has sold for $1000, but as a
general rule they are of relatively little value. The Hudson Bay traders
are represented as having secured a fair share of these pearls.
During the last few years, many pearls have been found in the streams of
Prince Edward Island and of New Brunswick Province, and also in those of
Nova Scotia. Most of them are well formed, but their color is generally
inferior and their luster deficient. Many of them are buff or brown in
color, some are bright and fairly good, a few are rose-tinted, and
others are slate-colored and even almost black. Toronto jewelers report
that many Canadian pearls are in the possession of farmers and others in
the lower provinces, held by them for higher prices than the jewelers
are willing to pay. The Nova Scotia pearls are from a bivalve which has
been identified as _Alasmodon margaritifera_. They are especially
abundant in Annapolis and King counties.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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