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VARIETIES
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ornamental
purposes, especially for the cutting of cameos, and also in porcelain
works. It is a large shell, sometimes weighing four or five pounds.
Formerly great quantities were exported to England from the Bahamas;
in one year as many as three hundred thousand. Conch pearls are devoid
of nacreous luster, the surface having an appearance like china. They
are slightly transparent and show under the surface a series of
delicate wavy markings.
The
silky sheen of these lines causes them to appear lighter than the body
color of the pearl, and they seem to branch toward the surface,
changing kaleidoscopically as the pearl is turned. Almost without
exception the shape is ovoid, or a flattened ovoid, though some are
distorted. In color they range from very pale to deep pink and coral
red, the ends being usually much lighter than the body and often white.
In the deeper tints they are more uniform in color, and as they are apt
to be less lustrous and transparent as the shade deepens to red they
show less plainly the distinguishing wavy lines, and may be easily
mistaken for pieces of coral cut to the shape and polished. They are
very
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