a sensation in the pearl market as the discovery of an unknown Rembrandt picture."
The
skin of an oriental pearl is formed like that of an onion, and very
highly skilled workmen can sometimes remove the outer layer of a pearl
with a bad skin and thus produce a smaller pearl of good skin. This is
very seldom done in America, however, and at best it is always a
gamble whether the risk should be incurred. Fresh water pearls, on the
other hand, are not formed in layers, but in sections, and cannot be
peeled.
Pearls
vary greatly in color and shade. Those of pure white or white with a
rose pink tint, with good luster, are the most valuable of the regular
colors. Creamy white is also desirable. Of the fancy colors black
pearls of fine skin and shape are very valuable, as are also fine pink
pearls. Button pearls are those with one side flat, while baroque pearls are always of odd and irregular shapes.
Pearls
may be injured by acids or by being scratched, but are not harmed by
pure water. A string of fine pearls should always be carefully wiped
and put away in soft cotton after being worn. They should be restrung
quite often.
As is well known, gems and particularly pearls, have from remote antiquity been re-
