Of all the saltwater pearls, the Akoya pearl is by far the most famous and most sought after pearl in the world. This is due to the Akoya pearls incredible lustor and shape. They are also known as seawater pearls, cultured pearls or saltwater pearls.
Akoya literally means “saltwater” in Japanese and the Akoya pearl is considered Japan’s classic pearl.
Before the early nineteen hundreds, Akoya pearls were incredibly rare and the majority of the ones harvested were small and not very impressive. But it was during this century that Kokichi Mikimoto of Japan designed a way for us to replicate an oyster’s natural process of growing a pearl.
This process is called ‘Bead Nucleating’ and is basically a way for people to help the salt water oyster form a pearl inside its shell by providing it with the initial irritant or bead that starts the process in motion.
After the oyster has the bead inside it, the oyster then proceeds to slowly secret nacre that covers the bead over time with layer after layer of nacre. This is a very slow process and the thicker the nacre on the pearl the better the quality and luster.
Akoya pearls come from a very special type of mollusk (oyster) called ‘Pinctada Fucata’. The special oysters are fairly small which is why most of the Akoya pearls you see on the market are between 3mm and 9mm in size.
For the longest time the vast majority of quality Akoya pearls were cultivated in salt water pearl farms in Japan. However in the last several years China has moved into the premium pearl market and has been producing a large quantity of beautiful Akoya pearls of surprisingly high quality in their own offshore pearl farms.
With the modern advancements in the technology used to culture pearls, It is now possible to harvest larger and higher quality Akoya pearls more frequently and effectively than ever before. To grow a good quality pearl with a nice luster and decent size takes between three and five years. During this time period the pearl farmers are constantly monitoring the oysters to ensure a quality product.
Akoya pearl oysters typically only produce one pearl, occasionally they will produce two, but it is very rare that they produce any more than that. This is a very small number when you consider the fact that a freshwater oyster can produce as many as fifty pearls each.
Compared to other types of pearls, Akoya pearls take very long time to grow, and the quantity and quality of the pearls are very dependant on the climate, salinity of the water and the oysters health.
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Akoya Pearl Tip #1
When buying Akoya Pearls the most important factor to be considered is Luster. The thicker the nacre the more lustrous the pearl will be. The more lustrous the Akoya pearl is the higher the quality and the more you will pay for it. Avoid pearls that have a dim or faint luster and these are very low quality pearls.
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Akoya Pearl Tip #2
Watch out for fake pearls! When shopping for Akoya pearl jewelry it is important to ensure that the pearls you are buying are natural saltwater pearls. You can ensure this buy only buying your pearls from a reputable jeweler, preferably one who specializes in pearls.
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Akoya Pearl Tip #3
One trick to see if the Akoya pearls are real and to test the quality is to gently rub two of the pearls together. If the pearls are real then rubbing the two together will create a fine nacre powder that will fall off the pearls. Don't worry you are not hurting or damaging the pearls by doing this, and 90% of the jewelers will let you do this or even do it for you.
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