Mother-of-pearl carving in Bethlehem Mother-of-pearl carving in Bethlehem Mother-of-Pearl carving, a traditional handicraft in Bethlehem, is said to have been brought to the city by Franciscan friars from Italy in the 15th century. Bethlehem's position as an important Christian city has for centuries attracted a constant stream of pilgrims. This generated much local work and income, also for women, including making mother-of-pearl souvenirs. According to Weir, Bethlehem women's employment in the mother-of-pearl industry goes back at least to the seventeenth century. It was noted by Richard Pococke, who travelled there in 1727. Previously, most of the oysters for the mother-of-pearl supply came from the
The Pearl of Love sarcophagus" that causes it to, "lay incongruously in the great vista of the Pearl of Love." He returns with "an architect and two master craftsmen and a small retinue" and then, after long, silent deliberation—"no one knew the thoughts that passed through his mind"—he points at his wife’s sarcophagus and says, "Take that thing away." "The Pearl of Love" was first published in "The Strand Magazine" in December 1925. In 1927 Wells told the "Sunday Express" that "The Pearl of Love" and "The Country of the Blind" were his favorites among the stories he had written. The Pearl of Love