The Pearl. 195
several
crowns of this material, a portrait of that king, consisting of pearls
in mosaic. Seneca exclaims against the shameful extravagance of Roman
ladies in this particular. They termed a drop pearl " unio," and wore
a pair in the ear just as ladies do at the present day. The story of
Cleopatra's pearls is too well known to require repetition here. The
two halves of the second gem, by order of the Emperor Severus, went to
adorn the statue of Venus in the Pantheon. Pliny places the pearl next
to the diamond in value, and supposes the former to proceed from drops
of dew swallowed by the oyster.
In
China, pearls are used as medicine; a belief existing among orientals
that they possess great virtues in syncopes, fluxes of blood, etc. The
pearl in Hindo stanee is called "moti." In Bengal, at one time, virgins
wore them on their arms as a preservative of virtue.
One of the finest pearls at present in existence is called La Peregrina. It
was sold to Philip IV. of Spain, in 1625, and is said now to be in the
possession of a Russian princess. The Shah of Persia has a pearl
valued at £ 60,000, and the Imaun of Muscat one for which he
refused £ 30,000. The pearl necklace of the Empress of the French is
one of the finest known,—a remark equally applicable to that presented
to Her Majesty by the East India Company. A very large necklace was
presented to the Princess of Prussia on her marriage, but the pearls
are misshapen, and of inferior quality. The Marquis of Abercorn, it may
be stated, possesses a matchless drop-pearl of great size.
