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PEARLS FROM SWEET WATERS
T
HERE is a definite
technique even in the handling, displaying, and storing of pearls.
They are dainty things and must be dealt with with a certain
daintiness. I had almost said they were delicate, but this might give a
wrong impression, since natural pearls are not fragile or easily
bruised or damaged.
While
the corn-tongs are indispensable in the grading of seed- and other
small pearls, pearls of appreciable size are picked up between first
finger and thumb for close inspection, first by the naked eye and then
under a powerful lens. Their grading also is done by hand.
The
paper or wrapper which holds the pearls is another matter for special
consideration. It is of a special kind made in France, and is furnished
with a single or double loose lining of light azure tissue paper, or
perhaps one of silk. This arrangement, of course, serves as a fitting
background for showing off the delicate pearl tints, for it must be
remembered that the wrappers are not only used for storing, but also
for display.
Again,
the paper is folded in a special manner, which ensures that no pearl
can roll out, either as the package is carried about or when it is
opened. The proper manipulation of the paper itself is a matter of some
practice, and any gem dealer can tell at once whether a person is in
the trade by handing him a diamond or pearl paper to fold and unfold.
The
corn-tongs too would betray an outside. Ask anyone not in the trade to
pick up a stone or a pearl with them, and at once he stands revealed as
a novice.
I remember a flying visit I paid many years ago to a small town in Ireland. I had heard that they were getting a great
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