470 THE BOOK OF THE PEARL
at but 29,400 francs (about $6000). The average per pearl was 95 francs ($19), less than one dollar a grain.
These
pearls, according to their beauty, would now be worth from four to six
times the valuation here given, so that the two large pear-shaped
pearls of the French crown may be worth to-day $200,000 and the great
round pearl from $100,000 to $250,000.
Many
of these pearls were a century old. They were collected at a time when
not as much attention was paid to their absolute perfection and beauty
as at the present time, for there probably never has been a period when
rare and perfect pearls, diamonds, or rubies have been appreciated so
much more highly than those of mediocre quality.
