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THE BOOK OF THE PEARL
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nine
pearls; the third, fourteen and a half inches, forty-three pearls; the
fourth, seventeen inches, forty-seven pearls; the fifth, seventeen and
a half inches, forty-nine pearls; the sixth, nineteen and a half
inches, fifty-five pearls; the seventh, twenty-one inches, sixty-six
pearls; the eighth, twenty-three and a half inches, seventy pearls; the
ninth, twenty-six inches, eighty-two pearls ; the tenth, twenty-nine
and a half inches, ninety-one pearls. The total number of pearls is
583, and the necklace is valued at $150,000.
A
widely advertised necklace of large size was shown in the English
section of the Paris Exposition of 1900. This necklace consisted of
forty-six pearls weighing 1596 grains, and was valued at $450,000. It
was loaned by an English gentleman now dead, and was returned to him at
the close of the exposition and later dispersed.
In
regard to the possession of pearls by families in the United States, we
may safely say that there is not a letter in the alphabet under which
we cannot find the names of from one to a dozen families, owning single
strings or collections from the value of $10,000 to $200,000, or even
more. If one is a wearer of jewels, pearls are an absolute necessity;
indeed, they are as essential and indispensable for the wealthy as are
houses, horses, and automobiles. At no period in the world's history
have pearls been more widely distributed ; and some of those of to-day
are finer in quality and orient, and also more carefully matched, than
those in the great collections of the past. Of course there are
exceptions, where royal personages have been careful observers and
have used good taste, but it is a question whether there have ever been
more critical or better buyers, as far as selection is concerned, than
are many American men and women who have purchased this gem.
One
of the largest pearl necklaces in the United States is in the
possession of an American lady. There are perhaps thirty pearls in the
necklace, weighing in all about 1400 grains ; the largest pearl weighs
nearly 120 grains. There is also one of 75 grains and one of 70 grains,
the others graduating down to 20 grains.
With
increasing wealth, and a demand for rich rather than gaudy or showy
jewelry, there is nothing that commends itself so highly as the pearl,
which acts as a foil to the diamond, emerald, ruby, and sapphire, and
at the same time harmonizes with them and in fact with all the colored
stones. The true pearl, as it increases in size and beauty, becomes
proportionately more rare and costly ; and yet it differs from other
jewels in the fact that they are mined in the depths of the earth, and
their existing quantity is speculative, while the home of the pearl is
much more accessible, and it is possible to make an estimate of the
number of pearls in course of growth. Pearls, however, are forming
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