These earrings feature 9 mm Akoya pearls, which are considered exceptionally large for Akoya pearls.

They are also what is now increasingly recognized as a category of their own: non-toned pearls.

Compared with lightly pink-toned pearls, non-toned pearls tend to appear whiter. What I especially like about this pair is the very subtle pink interference color that can still be seen within that white body color. The beauty is quiet and restrained rather than flashy, and to me it has something in common with the Japanese sense of wabi-sabi.

I named this pair Yukigesho — 雪化粧.
In Japanese, yukigesho literally means “dressed in snow” or “covered in snow.” It describes the way a landscape changes when a thin layer of snow settles over it. The soft white body color of these pearls, with just a faint hint of pink beneath the surface, reminded me of that quiet winter scenery.

I made these earrings on December 21, 2022.

At that time, I was working for a pearl company, and every December and January I spent almost every day, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., sorting freshly harvested pearls.

We would sort around 10 to 20 kilograms of pearls in a single day.

At the time, I was simply doing my best to sort them according to the required standards. Looking back now, however, I think those countless hours gradually trained my eye for pearls without me even realizing it.

This pair is one of the pearls that I later selected and purchased because I genuinely liked what I saw with that experienced eye.

These non-toned pearls have an elegant white body color. Because they have a thick nacre layer, their inner glow can appear almost silvery, while a very subtle pink interference color seems to float over the surface.

At first glance, both pearls appear almost completely free of surface blemishes. If you look very closely, however, each pearl has a tiny raised area or slight wrinkle. These are so minor that they are almost impossible to notice from a short distance.

Although 9 mm is a very large size for Akoya pearls, the luster of this pair is not intensely sharp. It is softer and gentler.

In fact, because the pearls are so large, I feel that this softer luster suits them very well.

Flower Jem rarely offers Akoya pearls that are both this round and this large, especially in the 9 mm range.

If this pair speaks to you, I recommend considering it while it is still available.

If this quiet white color interests you, you may also enjoy the articles below about natural white Akoya pearls and their subtle differences.

Comparing Natural White Akoya Pearls from Tsushima and Ehime

A Short Video Comparison of Three Natural White Akoya Strands

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