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Ch. 12: Pearls

Ch. 12: Pearls Page of 364 Ch. 12: Pearls Text size:minus plus Restore normal size   Mail page  Print this page
228
GEMS AND PRECIOUS STONES IN THE
In a shell of the Unio in the Lea Collection of the Unioni-dae, which has recently been presented to the United States National Museum, an oval piece of white wax, flat on the lower side and rounded on the upper, which had been inserted in the valve near the hinge, is entirely coated with a beautiful pink nacre. It has been broken out of the shell, the pearly nacre of the lower or flat side remaining in the shell, whereas the dome-shaped piece is covered with this material.
FIG. 9. IMBEDDED INSECT IN UNIO FROM LONG ISLAND.
At the International Fisheries Exhibition held in Berlin during 1880, there were shown the results of experiments under­taken in Germany toward the production of artificial pearls from Unios, in a manner similar to that practiced by the Chinese. Flat tin figures, usually of fish, were introduced be­tween the mantle and the shell. Similar experiments were con­ducted in the Royal Saxon pearl fisheries. Either small foreign bodies were introduced into the mantle, in order to furnish the nucleus for the free pearl formation, or the Chinese method of inserting such bodies between the mantle and the shell was followed. From the second method successful results were shown. The foreign bodies that had been introduced, poor pearls from other mussels, pieces of grain, or china buttons, were entirely covered with nacreous substance. The shape of these objects makes it impossible for the mantle to fit closely around them, and hence the nacre covers them so irregularly that it is quite out of the question to make any use of them. From specimens exhibited, it was shown that German oysters could be made to cover a plain relief with nacre as well as those of China.
Ch. 12: Pearls Page of 364 Ch. 12: Pearls
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