Saltwater Pearls: Past & Present

When you close your eyes and imagine a pearl necklace, what comes to mind? Chances are, it is a perfectly matched strand of round, white and lustrous pearls- and if so, you are thinking of the famous Akoya pearl! Ever since Mikimoto revolutionized the glamorous world of jewelry by commercializing the new cultured Akoya pearls, this lovely and lustrous gem has captured the imaginations and won the hearts of men and women around the globe.

The cultured Akoya pearl craze began in Japan during the 1900’s as the result of many years of conducting tests by three Japanese men: Nishikawa Mikimoto, Tatsuhei Mise and Tokishi Nishikawa. Experimenting individually on various nucleation methods with the Pinctada martensii oyster (the indigenous saltwater oyster that produces Akoya pearls) the researchers each discovered the surgical nucleation techniques that will cause the oyster to create a pearl; this is the identical technique used to this very day by nucleation technicians worldwide, known as the Nise-Mishekawa method. However, it was Mikimoto who maneuvered his business savvy to market the first cultured pearls worldwide, and sparked a love affair that is still going strong with jewelry adorers everywhere.

For years, the Japanese kept a monopoly on the Akoya pearl trade, guarding their cultivation and processing techniques jealously. They were- and are- known as the masters of their trade; to this day the Japanese Akoya pearl is considered the best pearl in the world. Growth times for the pearls (the amount of time that the oyster was allowed to secrete nacre over the nucleus) were around 3-5 years per pearl, ensuring thick, lustrous nacre layers that gave the pearls their renowned shine. It also made them much stronger and able to resist wear on the nacre brought about by exposure to cosmetics, sweat, and perfumes.

However, as with any monopoly, the hey-day would not last long. In order to satisfy a continually mounting demand for their wonderful 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 accomodate the burgeoning market’s demands, and quality began to decline. Other factors such as water pollution and farmed oyster stocks that have become vulnerable to disease through decreased genetic diversity also play a large part in the weakening of the Japanese grip on the international Akoya pearl trade. With an eye toward the future, the Japanese have begun to culture larger pearls measuring over 8.0mm almost exclusively, pinpointing their efforts on maintaining their position as a leader, and the best source for gem-quality Akoya pearls at present.

China began culturing Akoya pearls as well starting in the 1960’s, although quality was known to be quite lacking to that of their Japanese neighbors. However, over the years the Chinese have rapidly gained ground in terms of quality and market span in an industry that was considered to be unshakeable. Concentrating their efforts on perfecting the little pearl sizes of 4.0mm to 8.0mm- as they have not yet mastered culturing the bigger sizes that Japan is renowned for, and utilizing their vastly cheaper production costs than that of Japan, and adopting a smarter, more long-term approach in terms of pearl quality and reputation, China has proved that it is a strength to be reckoned with in the pearling world.