["The Southern Cross Pearl", The Western Argus (Kalgoorlie, WA), Tuesday 24 January 1922, page 27]
THE SOUTHERN CROSS PEARL
From Henry Taunton's "Ausralind"
(Mr. Taunton arrived first in Western Australia on April 24, 1876, by the Laughing Wave, from Singapore, and was in the north-west till 1887.)
Who would suppose that the "Southern Cross Pearl"--that celebrated gem of which so much has been written, that wonderful freak of nature--is mainly the work of the "pearl faker"? Few indeed, are the periodicals which have not published erroneous accounts of this jem[sic] and its discovery. These imaginary accounts have been so numerous and so circumstantially inaccurate that it may be interesting to set forth the generally accepted narrative in a cutting from some paper--which was doubtless copied from some other periodical (for the item has travelled round the world's press over and over again)--together with a letter from the original owner, to which he added a few notes, about the celebrated pearl from the present writer's own knowledge of the matter.
"A pearl of pearls. The extraordinary pearl, or rather, cluster of pearls, known as the "Southern Cross," is probably the most remarkable of its kind Nature has ever produced. So far as is known, it occupies an absolutely unique position in the history of pearls. It consists of nine pearls naturally grown together in so regular a maner as to form an absolutely perfect Latin cross. The pearl was discovered by a man named Clark while pearl fishing at Roebourne, in Western Australia, in the schooner Ethel, the owner being a Catholic called 'Shiney Kelly'. When the shell was opened both Clarke and Kelly were filled with awe and amazement. Kelly, regarding it as some heaven-wrought miracle, buried the pearl, for how long is not known. It was discovered in 1874 and five years later was on exhibition in Roebourne. At first sight it might be supposed that the component pearls of the cross had been artificially grouped together. A minute examination under strong light and high magnifying power has dispelled the idea of its artificial character, and stamps it as a natural freak, of a unique character. As this cruciform of pearls was found in the Southern Hemisphere, it has appropriately received the name of the Southern Cross. The pearl has changed hands many times, and each time the person parting with it has doubled his money. It is now owned by a syndicate of Australian gentlemen, who value it at £10,000.
The discovery of the Southern Cross Pearl.
"To the Editor of the -----.
Sir--having had my attention drawn to two paragraphs published in the "-----", of the 14th October, 1886 in which it was stated that "Shiney Kelly" was the finder of the now well-known pearl cross, and that he, through superstitious awe, buried it for a length of time; and also that Mr. Alexander Forrest had, seen it in Robourne in the year 1879, I feel it to be my duty--being the person referred to--both to myself and the public such statements being wholly inaccurate--to give a true account of the facts of the case. The ---- copied the paragraphs referred to from The ----. The---- is alleged to have published the same on the authority of Mr Maitland Brown. To Mr. Maitland Brown I wrote on the subject (copy or my letter attached), but received no reply. I left Cossack on a pearling cruise on the 12th November, 1882, and on the 25th March I and three natives were out "beach-combing". I found one shell only, and the natives two, and I returned at night tired, and so disgusted with my bad luck that I determined to go back to my home at the Lacepede Islands. Next day, however, I was most successful, getting altogether about 200 pairs of shells. During my absence a boy named Clarke, in my employment, in opening one of the shells, found the pearl above mentioned. He said it was a perfect cross when he got it, but when he handed it to me it was in three pieces. In this condition--ie., in three distinict pieces--I sold it to a fellow-pearler, Mr. Frank Roy, for £10. Subsequently he sold it to Mr. Frank Craig for £40. Mr. Frank Craig sold it to a syndicate of leading gentlemen in this colony. The pearl was found off Baldwin's Creek, in lat. 17 deg. S., long. 122.30 E. What I wish particularly to impress on the public is (1) that the pearl sold by me was not a perfect cross, but was in three distinct pieces; (2) that it was not buried by me, as stated; and (3) that, as it was not found until March, 1883, Mr. Alexander Forrest could hardly have seen it in the year 1879. I would only add that I have no interest in the pearl referred to, and that my chief object in writing is to protect such of the public as may be interested.
--Yours, etc., (signed) James William Sherbrook Kelly." Cossack, February, 28, 1887.
Narrative (B) certainly contains the true history of the pearl as far as it goes, but there is another fact which, strangely enough, Mr. Kelly seems to bave forgotten to mention--namely, that the pearl, when he sold it to Frank Roy in three pieces, consisted only of eight pearls, and that to make it resemble a well-proportioned cross--the right arm being absent--another pearl, a match in shape and fit, was subsequently procured, and fastened to the others. Thus there are no less than three artificial joints in the Southern Cross pearl. I also happened to be on a pearling cruise between November and April, 1882-83, and had occasion to touch at the Lacepede Islands shortly after the' "Southern Cross" was discovered. When Frank Roy showed it to me it was in three pieces. These were afterwards joined together by diamond cement, and the pearl, still wanting one pearl to transform it into a shapely cross, was sold in Cossack at the end of the season . Nature had fashioned a hollow in the side of the centre pearl, just where the added pearl would have to be fitted; and--the whole pearling fleet, with their shells and pearls coming into Cossack about this time--it was no difficult matter to select a pearl of the right size, and with the convexity required. The holder paid £10 or £12 for the option of selecting a pearl within given, limits and then, once more with the aid of diamond cement and that of a skilful "faker" this celebrated gem was at length transformed into a perfect cross.
However, putting on one side all consideration of "faking," this pearl was a very curious freak of nature. It seemed as if the mollusc had attempted to fashion a string of pearls into some regular design; and his suggestion of a cross was so striking that it would have been a pity not to have "faked it into a more perfect resemblance." The statement that "the pearl was discovered by a man named Clark while pearling at Roebourne" is distinctly interesting because Roeburne is (or at least was when I lived there) quite eight miles inland. Of the pearl's history after it left Cossack, nothing is known to myself; but, as far as I know, this is the first time the complete history of the discovery has been written.
