About Pearls, Words, and What Truly Matters

Hello,

This is Flower Jem.

Today is December 20, 2025.
The year is almost over, and Christmas is just around the corner.

As for me, I am completely consumed by my weekday work, and I hardly feel the changing seasons at all.
From waking up at 6 a.m. to going to bed at 1 a.m., my days pass in constant motion.

Simply put, my weekday job is extremely busy.

Since around autumn, the number of visitors to the Flower Jem website increased rapidly.
However, recently, because I have not been able to update articles as often, the number of visitors has begun to decline.
Even so, it seems that a considerable number of people still visit the site every day.

So, should I finally place advertisements on the website?
No, I will not do that.

A friend’s wife purchased a Flower Jem necklace.

When I first created the Flower Jem website, about six people visited per day.
Even monthly, it was only around 100 or 200 visitors.
Still, that alone made me happy.

Recently, the site has grown to over 10,000 visitors per month.

There are many articles about Akoya pearls, and I would be very happy if you took the time to read them thoroughly.
At first, I wrote many explanatory articles about Akoya oysters and pearls themselves.
Recently, however, the content has gradually changed.

The proportion of personal stories about myself has increased.
Because of that, I am now thinking about returning to my original intention and writing more articles specifically about Akoya oysters and Akoya pearls.

In the first place, the reason I began writing so many articles was quite simple.
I did not know what to write in my Etsy product descriptions.

At the pearl company where I worked, we mainly focused on pearl farming and wholesale distribution.
I rarely had to think about retail product descriptions for finished pearl jewelry.

In wholesale transactions, what matters are pearl size and quality—information necessary for professional trade.
These requirements are somewhat different from what retail customers are looking for.

So, on Etsy, I began writing product descriptions that felt more like diary entries or casual essays.
Then, I started hearing more and more people say,
“I bought the pearls because your writing was interesting.”

The moment she wore the necklace, she suddenly appeared to me like a great actress.

At that point, I thought,
“Alright. I’ll write a lot, and if people buy pearls along the way, that’s perfect.”

Personally, rather than buying things online, I prefer memorable experiences at physical shops.
Whether it is soap or bread, I want an interaction with a shopkeeper that leaves an impression.

Although I usually shop online, I still tend to seek enjoyable transactions at real stores whenever possible.

Perhaps that tendency is reflected in Flower Jem as well.

“I bought pearls from a strange shop.”
“The pearls were nice, but the person selling them was interesting, so I bought them.”

Those are my ideal customers.

Blue baroque pearls are wonderful, and each one may indeed be unique.
But not only pearls—agricultural and marine products are all unique.
Even tomatoes: no two have the exact same shape or taste.

In that sense, the pearls sold at Flower Jem could also be purchased elsewhere.

If something can be bought anywhere, then I would rather buy it from a good shop,
a shop that suits me,
a shop that somehow captures my interest.

Recently, I have also begun to feel less value in the word “unique.”

For example, the first pearl items I ever made myself—tie pins and cufflinks—are certainly one of a kind.
But I do not love them because they are unique.
I love them because they were the first things I made,
because I selected the pearls myself,
because they were pearls I genuinely found beautiful.

Even if someone else owned the exact same thing, my feelings would not change.

To say, “I like this because it is unique,”
can also be read as,
“If others have it, its value decreases.”

A clasp doesn’t always have to stay at the back.

Personally, I do not like my preferences being relative.

Whether someone else owns something or not is completely irrelevant.
I believe my tastes and values should exist independently.

I do not like things relatively.
I like them absolutely.

It is the same nuance as saying,
“No matter what anyone says, even if the whole world criticizes me, I love my wife.”

These thoughts may contain my own biases and personal opinions.
But in short, I select Flower Jem’s pearls based on an absolute value system.
I do not choose pearls because they are trendy or because someone else says they are good.

Even when judging whether a pearl is good or not, it is always based on my own criteria.

At this point, some may think,
“Then who are you, exactly?”

That question requires an explanation of who “I” am.

That is why I instinctively feel the need to write not only about pearl knowledge and information,
but also about myself through diaries and personal essays.

At the root of these thoughts is the simple fact that pearls, after all, can be purchased from other shops.

“One of a kind.”
“Ultimate luster.”
“A gift from nature.”
“Unique pearls.”

These phrases are everywhere, but they do not move me at all.

A slightly shorter length brings a more refined look. After putting on the necklace, her smile grew a little brighter.

If I were a pearl, I would think,
“Isn’t there a better reason?”
“That’s all you have to say about me?”
“Is there really nothing between you and me?”

It would make me feel lonely. Almost to the point of tears.

When people say they love pearls, yet only use words that can be found anywhere, it feels empty.

Imagine introducing your best friend to someone at a casual drinking gathering.
You would talk about their good points, but you would probably joke about their flaws as well.

The listener might think,
“These people are really close. What a wonderful relationship.”

My relationship with the pearls I own is not always long.
Even with pearls I have known only briefly, I want to share how we met,
including both their charms and their imperfections.

As I write articles like this, I often think,
“I’m writing something unnecessarily complicated again.”

A few months ago, I casually thought,
“People often say ‘unique,’ but does that really have value?”

Then, last month, the wife of an acquaintance wore a Flower Jem blue baroque pearl necklace right in front of me.
I had selected the pearls and made the necklace myself.
Seeing it shine like an LED light, I was deeply moved.
No matter what anyone says, I thought,
“This is an exceptional pearl necklace.”

These two experiences—questioning the meaning of uniqueness and objectively seeing my own work—
may or may not be connected.
But they stayed with me constantly, even during busy days.

It looks a little like a dog’s tail—quietly charming.

From another perspective, even after a pearl transaction is finished,
I often continue exchanging messages with Flower Jem customers.
We grow closer through pearls.

I believe this is what I want most in my life.

Through pearls, I want people to know Flower Jem—and me.

I want them to feel not only the physical object,
but also something invisible.

That is why I continue writing articles like this, even if they seem unclear.

My expressions are gradually becoming excessive, so I will stop here.

It is now 1:30 a.m. on Saturday.
I will sleep, then spend the morning making pearl jewelry,
and in the afternoon, visit pearl dealers to select pearls.

After that, I will go to my parents’ home to receive kimono pouches my mother made.
For the past three weeks, Saturdays were taken by weekday work or custom orders,
so I have not been able to visit my parents’ home.

I used to call my mother frequently and visit often—
to the point where being called a “momma’s boy” was almost a goal.
Recently, that frequency has decreased.

Well… the shine of the beer mug wins this time.

I am also looking forward to seeing Lulu, the dog at my parents’ home, after a long time.

I would also like to call the Akoya pearl farm where I once worked
and ask about the current status of pearl harvesting.

This has once again become a very disorganized piece of writing.

Starting next year, I plan to take many of the custom pearl orders I received in the latter half of this year
and reinterpret them in the Flower Jem style.

To put it simply, I will be borrowing ideas from past custom orders
and rebuilding them using Akoya natural blue baroque pearls.