When you shut your eyelids and imagine a pearl necklace, what comes to mind? Chances are, it is a perfectly matched necklace of round, lustrous pearls- and if so, you are thinking of the famous Akoya saltwater pearl! Ever since Mikimoto revolutionized the glamorous world of jewelry by commercializing the first cultured Akoya pearls, this gorgeous gem has captured the imaginations and won the hearts of men and women around the world.
Cultured pearls started in Japan during the 1900’s as the result of many years of researching through various methods by three Japanese men: Nishikawa Mikimoto, Tatsuhei Mise and Tokishi Nishikawa. Experimenting independently on various nucleation methods with the Pinctada martensii oyster (the indigenous saltwater oyster that produces Akoya pearls) the researchers each found the surgical nucleation techniques that will force the oyster to create a pearl- this is the same technique used still today by nucleation technicians worldwide, known as the Nise-Mishekawa method. However, it was Mikimoto who used his business savvy to market the new pearls worldwide, and sparked a love affair that is still going strong with jewelry lovers everywhere.
For almost a century the Japanese maintained a monopoly on the Akoya pearl trade, guarding their cultivation and processing techniques jealously. Looking at their mastery of the pearl trade, it is no wonder the pearls that come out of Japan are still considered some of the highest quality pearls around. Harvest periods (the amount of time that the oyster was allowed to secrete nacre over the nucleus) were approximately 3-5 years per pearl, ensuring thick, lustrous nacre layers that gave the pearls their renowned glow and shine. This has also made the nacre on the pearls harder to damage from products like cosmetics and soaps.
However, as with any monopoly, it would not last forever. In order to satisfy a continually mounting demand for their beautiful pearls- which had quickly staked their place as a staple of every woman’s wardrobe throughout the 1940’s and 50’s- the Japanese began cutting their growth times in order to accommodate the burgeoning market’s requirements, and quality began to suffer. Also, pollution and disease wreaked havoc and played a large part in the decline of Japanese pearl quality. Now the Japanese farmers are experts at culturing larger pearls, focusing their efforts on maintaining their position as a leader, and the best source for gem-quality cultured pearls today.
China began culturing Akoya pearls as well starting in the 1960’s, although quality was acknowledged to be quite inferior to that of their Japanese neighbors. However, the Chinese pearl farmers learned what it took to become successful in an industry that was considered to be unshakeable. Chinese farmers worked to hone their cultivating skills on smaller pearls <8.0mm as they have not yet mastered culturing the larger sizes that Japan is renowned for. Utilizing their vastly cheaper production costs than that of Japan, and adopting a wiser, more long-term approach in terms of pearl quality and reputation, China has proved that it is a force to be reckoned with in the pearling world.
