Benton, Seed, Baroque And The "Dying" Myth Do you know their names; what is baroque pearl, a seed pearl, a benton pearl, a drop pearl; what is the "orient" of a pearl? Do you know how to keep them pure and lustrous in colour?
The substance of a pearl is esventially the same as that which lines the interior of many shells, and is Known as motor-of-pearl, The oyster or mussel forms the pearl around some microscopic parasite that has invaded his shell.
If your peut! is smooth and round it shows that it has remained loose the soft tissues of the oyster, Frequently the pearl becomes attach to the inside of the shell, from which it has to be cut aways if itis round pearl, with a flat back shov ing where it was attached to the shell, it will be called a "benton" pearl. A hollow pearl of irregular shape is called a "blister pearl."
Solid pearls of irregular shape, due to being deposited on a rough object, are called "baroque pearls." These were much sought after in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and when mounted in gold and. enamel formed beautiful ornaments. which ould not be imitated. ven to day, when the art of imitating pearls has een perfected, it is not possible to make' a successful imitation of a 'A drop pearl isthe shape of a drop water, or pear-shaped. Seed pearly are tiny pearls no large than many a flower seed, The most valuable pearls have a fine skin and a beautiful' "orien that "means they" have a delicate, lawless texture, and. an almost translucent, clear white orient, of Subidued iridescent lust 'A yellowish pearl is not as valu. able as the white, unless it isa strong real yellow; a pink or a black Pearl may be extremely valuable when the orient is fine.
'A great deal of nonsense is curr about pearls "dying" and suffering from a mysterious malady, but these calcareous excretions of the oyster are no more liable to change than the mollusc's shell, Although they are formed of mineral and. organi matter, they are dead matter, and once formed they vary 40 little and so slowly that the change is seldom observable, Strong acid, however, can dissolve the outer surface of pearl and thus dim its lustre, Cleaning with a tittle ammonia and French chalk will restore the sheen, The slight friction of the human skin preserves and polishes pearls, therefore it is advisable to wea pearls rather than to put them away ewel box.~-I. Van in "Daily Express."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.