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THE BOOK OF THE PEARL
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is,
whether the prevailing style of jewelry was such that the smaller pearl
or diamond was in demand. In other words, if they were used as a
decoration forming a border, a flower, a scroll ornament, or a pave
requiring many small gems, the demand naturally increased and the
prices were higher or lower as the occasion required.
It
is not the project of this book to fix the prices of pearls at the
present time, for any such attempt would prove misleading, owing to the
fact that pearls vary in the estimation of the different dealers, and a
figure given here for the highest standard, if applied to an inferior
grade, would necessarily mislead the buyer to his positive injury. This
much, however, can be said: during the year 1907 pearls from five
grains upward have been sold according to their quality, at a base of
five, eight, ten, fifteen, or even twenty dollars in very exceptional
cases ; that is to say, twenty, thirty-two, forty, sixty, or eighty
shillings, or twenty-five, forty, fifty, seventy-five or one hundred
francs. Nevertheless, it would be impossible, without considerable
experience, for a layman to apply these valuations to objects that
require much practice in determining their quality and perfection.
With
diamonds, rubies, and emeralds there may be a stated price per carat
for stones of a certain size, but a gem of unusual perfection or
brilliancy, or of exceptionally fine color, will often command a price
far beyond that generally quoted. It is the same with the pearl. Sums
which may seem exorbitant in comparison with those that are paid for
ordinary pearls, are often given for specimens remarkable for their
beauty, size, or luster.
Pearls
of one hundred grains are even more rare at the present time than are
diamonds of one hundred carats. Until the middle of the nineteenth
century, the diamonds of the world weighing one hundred carats or over
could be counted on the fingers, but since the opening of the African
mines in 1870, the number of large diamonds has increased at a much
greater ratio than have the pearls of one quarter of their weight. It
would thus seem that pearls of great size are worth four times as much
as diamonds of equal weight. For instance, a 100-carat diamond of the
finest quality would be worth at least from $1000 to $1500 a carat,
making a total value of $100,000 to $150,000; and a pearl of 100 grains
at a base of $10 would be worth $100,000. But no such high price has
ever been paid.
The
usual method of estimating the value of pearls is by establishing a
base value for those weighing one grain and then multiplying this
amount by the square of the number of grains that the pearl weighs. For
instance, if the base value of a one-grain pearl should be fixed at $1,
a pearl weighing two grains would be worth $4 (2x2 = 4), or $2 per
grain; one weighing five grains would be worth $25, or $5 per grain,
etc. Naturally, these values increase in proportion to the
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