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CHAPTER V
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THE PEARL
IN
its purity, liquid beauty, and charm of romantic and poetical
association the pearl —aristocrat of gems—leads even its peers of the
highest rank, the diamond, emerald, ruby, and sapphire. The sea-gem has
throughout all recorded time formed the fitting necklace of feminine
royalty and famous beauty; the state decorations of dusky Oriental
potentates and their principal treasures have been pearls. From the
ocean's bed and the turgid streams of midland North America, from
almost anywhere that is the habitat of the oyster or the humble mussel
come these pale, lustrous treasures that may prove to be almost
priceless. The existence and recognition of the beauty of the pearl as
a personal ornament and treasure is undoubtedly prehistoric on every
continent. The discoverers and conquistadores from old Spain found quantities of them in the western Indies, on the Spanish Main, in Florida, Mexico, and
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