CONTENTS
Reading edition
CHAPTER PAGE
Introduction xv
I Pearls among the Ancients 3
II Medieval and Modern History of Pearls 15
III Origin of Pearls 35
IV Structure and Forms of Pearls 51
V Sources of Pearls 65
VI The Pearl Fisheries of the Persian Gulf 85
VII East African Pearl Fisheries 153
VIII Pearl Fisheries of the British Isles 159
IX Pearl Fisheries of the South Sea Islands 189
X Pearl Fisheries of Venezuela 225
XI Pearl-Culture and Pearl-Farming 285
XII Mystical and Medicinal Properties of Pearls 301
XIII Values and Commerce of Pearls 319
XIV Treatment and Care of Pearls 375
XV Pearls as Used in Ornaments and Decoration 403
XVI Famous Pearls and Collections 449
XVII The Aboriginal Use of Pearls, and Their Discovery in Mounds and Graves 485
Bibliography 517
Index 541
ix