Pearling Industry Is

Reviving

REPORTS indicate that the pearling in dustry in the north-west of West Australia, which was closed by the war, has been resumed, and that baroque and blisters worth a large sum have al ready been taken.

The pearling industry in pre-war days was divided into three sections: pearl shell, trocas shell and beche-de-mer.

The nearl shell was of high value and was found in large quantities in tropical waters north of Australia. A one-time resident of Thursday Island has declared that as much as £4OO per ton had been paid for the shell, and as high a price as £6OO for one pearl. That, of course, was a rare gem.

During the depression years, the pearl ing industry slumped in value and de mand. Even so, the industry was worth approximately £250,000 to Australia, and pearl-shell fetched as much as £3OO per ton. Trocas shell was worth only about £l2O per ton, and beche-de-mer fell like wise in proportion. In boom years, trocas sold at £lBO per ton and rare kinds of beche-de-mer at £450 per ton.

There are three distinct'kinds of pearl shell: gold lip, silver lip, and black lip.

They derived their names from the pre vailing colour. Gold lip was regarded in pre-war pearling days as the best. Gold and silver lip had a high commercial value in pre-war days; but black lip had practically none.

The most valuable pearl discovered in Australian waters was “Star of the West.”

It was found by the late James Clark’s pearling fleet when its base was at Broome (WA). It weighed 100 grains, measured one-half inch in length, and was a perfect oval in shape.

It was exhibited in Melbourne in Janu ary, 1917, and eventually was sold at Christies, in London, for nearly £6,000.

J.M.H.