The
daring Americans go to Panama to fish pearli-ferous bivalves in the
depths of the ocean, rivalling each other in vigour and dexterity.
The
quiet Swede, while seated in his boat, seeks the meleagrine in the
depths of his seas, and loosens them from the rocks with solid and long
pincers of iron.
The pearls which are brought by the fishers are called virgin pearls. The
merchant classifies and divides them according to form, colour, and
quality ; puts the round ones together, pairs those in form of a pear,
takes away the irregular ones, which are called barocche, or out of the round, and puts the smallest ones aside.
The
round pearls are pierced and strung with a silken thread, and often
with much art, to give a better effect, whilst the equality of colour
and of size greatly influence their price.
A
perfect pearl ought to be without inequalities of surface. Whatever its
form, pure, of a silvery white colour, slightly blue or yellow, without
roughness, and rather bright. In such condition pearls weighing
