sequence
of this notion, numberless attempts have been made to obtain artificial
pearls by means of little spheres more or less regularly cut out of
mother-of-pearl.
The
experiment has never been successful. A little serious examination of
the subject proves that there is nothing to hope from this method. Even
admitting that mother-of-pearl and pearl are the same in composition,
which has not been scientifically proved, it is certain that they are
not of the same constitution. Mother-of-pearl is much harder, and
offers infinitely more resistance to the tools of the lapidary than the
pearl. But that which is most important to be remarked is, that in the
pearl the constituent layers are concentric, while in the pearls cut out of mother-of-pearl, the layers are more or less parallel.
