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Japanese Akoya Pearls

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Working with Nature, Kokichi Mikimoto created the first cultured akoya pearls in Japan in 1893 after inventing the culturing technique of inserting round shell beads into Pinctata Fukata host akoya oysters and leaving them underwater in rafts and baskets for a year or two to grow, then harvesting these beautiful gems all together to enable his staff to create all types of cultured pearl jewellery.

Stud Earrings, pendants,brooches, pearl necklaces , ornaments like pagodas, endless varieties that hi company K Mikimoto and Co are proud to bring to the world to this day and which we at Aquarian Pearls are seeing increasing appetite for at consumer level , especially akoya pearl strands and pairs of stud earrings, a much more affordable alternative that goes hand in hand with our south sea pearl ranges.

Mr Mikimoto delighted jewellery lovers everywhere with his magnificent creations and travelled the world tirelessly marketing and showcasing his magnificent akoya pearls in capital cities and at World expositions, meeting inventors like Thomas Edison and Presidents such as President Franklin Roosevelt and his forst lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

The likes of Coco Chanel , Marilyn Monroe , Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Grace Kelly later Princess Grace all wore and loved akoya cultured pearls and they are just as popular to this day.

For the first time in history pearls became more affordable as hitherto only the wealthiest of individuals could afford natural pearls, those pearls perfectly formed by Nature and esteemed since recorded history all over the ancient world.

Japan has always dominated the cultivation and sales and marketing of saltwater akoya pearls which are also nowadays cultivated in Vietnam and China and Australia.

Akoya cultured pearls are predominantly white and are sometimes cream and sometimes blue in colour and display a rainbow irridescence of colours with a clour so we may say they are white but they can also have strong pinky overtones that compliment are human skin so well.

Along with basic cultured pearl akoya studs, Cultured pearl necklaces are the most popular and these can be in graduates]d sizes or uniform sizes and in different lengths. Matching pearls in size shape colour lustre and cleanliness of skin are the five quality guidelines a trained necklace grader and stringer will employ when putting together lustrous strands of pearls.

Akoya pearls range from 3 to 11 millimetres in diameter and the average size of the harvest is 5-6.5 millimetres and so any pearls of 7 millimetres and above sizes are considered rarer and since pearls are sold by weight at farm auctions to larger wholesalers, size matters and effects pricing accordingly.

Most graduated necklaces start at 3 millimetres and go up to 7 millimetres sometimes 9.

Most commonly worn on akoya pearl necklace or 6-7 or 7-7.5 millimetre strands.

Necklace lengths are as follows;

  • Choker 16 inches
  • Princess 17 – 19 inches
  • Matinee 22 – 24 inches
  • Opera 32 inches
  • Rope 36 inches and above

Studs are usually simple and elegant with pearls of around 5 or 6 or 7 millimetres sitting on posts of silver or gold with butterfly backs to hold the earring close to the ear lobe.

Again it is always good to choose good quality over size and have your Aquarian Pearls staff explain these virtues of pearls to you , being Size, Shape , Colour , Lustre , and Cleanliness of surface skin.

We also sell akoya cultured pearl bracelets.

We at Aquarian Pearls look forward to serving you and helping you select something unique to you in akoya cultured pearls to complement your wardrobe and jewellery collections.

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