"David and Don were preparing to go pearl fishing in the waters of the South Esk, one of the few rivers in Scotland where the fresh-water mussel that may contain a pearl is found.

"These young fishers owned no costly gear for pearl fishing - just two simple home-made devices were used. Number one device is made out of a small wooden box, a foot in length and half in breadth by four inches deep; the bottom part of the box is taken out and in place of it a piece of window-glass is fitted and secured by putty.

"Number two device is a long stick cut from a tree, about four and a half feet in length; a slot is cut out at one end (similar to the slot in a clothes peg). These along with an old angling creel complete the outfit of our pearl fishers.

"On certain deep stretches of the River Esk the mussel beds are found, and the most selective are well shaded by over-hanging branches of trees growing along the river banks.

Concealed

"The river bed is generally covered over with small stones, light and dark in colour respectively, and it is among these that the mussel is found nestling. So truly does the mussel adapt itself to its surrounding that to the unobservant eye it lies so well concealed among the stones that it is passed over as a black stone.

"The small, dark-coloured stones are almost the size and shape of the mussel and similar in colour, and it is here that the glass-bottomed box is put to use in detecting the mussels lying among the stones in deep water.

"When a mussel is spotted the long, slot-ended stick is brought into operation. The stick is really an extended arm for picking up the mussel in very deep water. The shell is manoeuvred till it is wedged into the slot and safely brought to the surface and deposited in the creel.

"Our pair of fishers, wading waist deep in the river, pick up mussel after mussel until their creels are full, and then they make for the river bank.

Open shells

"Out of the water, the fishers, knife in hand, start opening the shells and carefully search for the prospective little bead. Shell after shell is opened - maybe two or three dozen, and no bead found, while by their side an empty medicine bottle, with some cotton wool inside, patiently awaits to be un-corked to receive the first pearl found and deposited therein for safety.

"Suddenly the shell opening stops as Davie shouts:- "A've got ate; but it's gey wee. Never mind, we'll put it in the bottle, an it will be ane onyway."

"This is a small white pearl Davie has found, hardly any use to a jeweller for setting. The lads' luck was dead out, as this was the only pearl out of the combined net of shells.

"Such is fresh-water pearl-fishing. Like angling, one requires patience and perseverance. Well, they were not going to give up yet, for they have had disappointments like this before. So another try might bring luck. A pearl is phenomenal, anyway, and the next creel may also be phenomenal.

"Into the water they went again and fished till each had another creel full of mussels. Up to the waist in water - and these boys had no rubber waders to keep feet and legs dry - no, just a pair of ordinary trousers, and boots or clogs. Already sodden up to the waste, one wetting was as like another; it made no difference.

"Wetting or no wetting, however, they fished out dozens of shells, and commenced to open each one, and carefully search for the phenomena. Davie again was the lucky finder, for in one shell he found a lovely black pearl - and a black pearl was unique and was said to fetch a good price.

Pearls

"After the day's fishing, between them seven pearls were to be seen nestling in the cotton wool of the medicine bottle, and the black pearl appeared as if it were a black sheep in a group of white sheep penned up.

"Beginning to realise that they were now wet, they thought it was time to make for home. The day's fishing on the whole satisfied them; seven pearls in that bottle!

"Now, if one is an amateur at the game of selling pearls a real difficulty arises when it comes to estimate the value of the beads. These boys were neither dealers nor connoisseurs, just plain amateurs at the game.

"They went pearl fishing more as an adventure than for a profit-making concern. Monetary returns were very small, because they were innocent of the real value of the pearls. Imitation pearls on a necklace looked just as artistic and real to those boys as did real ones - and yet they went pearl fishing.

"Knowing a real pearl when found in the mussel - and the local method of testing the difference between a real pearl and an imitation one was to put the two upon a hard pavement and press down with the heel plate of one's boot; the real pearl withstood the pressure and the imitation one broke into pieces!

"Many fine pearls have been found in the South Esk and now lie snugly in rings and brooches, and many a one is seen in a tie-pin; others have been threaded into necklaces, all to furnish the artistic adornment of human capriciousness."