These pearls are like model students: perfectly round, with smooth surfaces. In fact, they are such model students that I’m not even sure whether they have any individuality at all.

Do you know Doraemon, the Japanese anime? I started reading the Doraemon comics when I was in elementary school. Although they are meant for children, looking back, I learned quite a lot from them—philosophical ideas, things about the adult world and society, and even old Japanese proverbs.

When I was thinking about a name for these earrings, I had a hard time deciding. They do not have the obvious individuality of baroque pearls. They are simply beautiful pearls.

Then, all of a sudden, Dekisugi-kun, one of the characters from Doraemon, came to mind.

He is the perfect student: intelligent, athletic, and popular with girls. In fact, he is almost too capable, which is probably why he hardly ever appears in the Doraemon movies. If he joined Doraemon and Nobita on their adventures, the adventure would probably stop being an adventure and turn into nothing more than a picnic.

I thought, “These pearls are a little like Dekisugi-kun.”

But then I thought, “That feels a bit too masculine… Ah, I know. I’ll call them Shizuka. She is a wonderful girl too.”

And that is how these earrings came to be named Shizuka.

There is one problem, though. Shizuka is spectacularly bad at playing the violin. The noise she makes is practically a public nuisance. So in that respect, she is quite different from the pearls in these earrings.

Still, I feel that the sound and meaning of the name “Shizuka,” which also means “quiet” in Japanese, suit these pearls very well.

For Flower Jem, these are already perfect pearls. I do not need a gemological report to tell me that. They are so beautiful that I almost regret turning them into earrings.

Personally, I feel that pearls like these might be best kept in a pocket, taken out from time to time, and simply admired.

Specifications

• Japanese Akoya pearl
• Natural White
• Approx. 7 mm
• Round
• Smooth surface
• Fine / strong luster
• Pt900 Platinum
• Stud Earrings
• Made in Japan

Related Articles

For a closer look at how I judge Akoya pearls and what I value in their natural beauty, you may also enjoy these articles.

Comparing Natural White Akoya Pearls from Tsushima and Ehime

How We Choose Pearls, How We Choose Ourselves

This is a video showing the making of these earrings. FJHD-7mm-No1 is the Shizuka earrings featured this time.

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