Akoya bracelet

This bracelet features Akoya pearls in a smooth gradient, transitioning from deep blue to light blue. As shown in the photos, the bracelet appears a deep blue when laid on a table, but when worn on the wrist, the color becomes much lighter, almost closer to a cream shade than blue. There are two types of blue pearls: those that are blue from the core and those that only appear blue on the surface. These pearls seem to be the latter. Pearls that appear blue from the core often have foreign particles trapped between the nucleus and nacre. Without any foreign particles, the pearls typically appear as the common white-pink variety. When exposed to light, pearls that shift from deep blue to light blue tend to have slight foreign particles embedded within the nacre rather than between the nucleus and nacre.

To illustrate, think of a bathtub. The difference is like whether the bottom of the tub is blue, or the water itself has a slight blue tint. If the tub’s bottom is blue, the water will look blue regardless of the light’s intensity. However, if the bottom is white and the water slightly blue, the bottom’s white color will become more prominent under strong light, while the blue of the water will be more noticeable under weaker light. While this analogy might be a bit rough, I hope it conveys the idea.

By the way, these pearls were initially stored for use in earrings. Unfortunately, they didn’t find a matching pair, so they’ve now been repurposed for this bracelet. Pearls selected for earrings are typically of a higher grade. Pearls with imperfections (known as “wounds”) are not suitable for earrings or rings and are instead used for necklaces. While these pearls may have been disappointed to move from the prestigious earring category to the necklace category, from a quality standpoint, this is a high-grade pearl bracelet. However, when I began making the bracelet, I found that I didn’t have enough pearls. The additional pearls used have some naturally occurring “wounds.”

I arranged the bracelet to create a gradient from deep blue to light blue when laid on a table. However, when worn, the pearls appear more transparent. While the result differs from my initial vision, I believe it turned out to be a beautiful bracelet.

You can watch the creation process of this bracelet on YouTube here.

 

This video may help you get a better sense of the pearls’ appearance.

Today is August 26, 2024. It seems that a typhoon is approaching Japan. A few days ago, the weather forecast predicted it would pass through Osaka on Tuesday. However, this morning’s forecast shows the typhoon heading further west toward Okinawa. The storm may take a more westward path, bringing it closer to Osaka between Thursday and Friday this week. Despite the rapid advances in technology, including computers and AI, predicting a typhoon’s path remains a challenge. Incidentally, the method for cultivating Akoya pearls has remained largely unchanged for the past half-century. It’s a process that still heavily relies on human labor, with little room for automation. Over 20 years ago, a world-renowned pearl company attempted to invent a machine for automatically sorting pearls. Despite many trials, it was concluded that human labor was still faster. While technology makes life more convenient, there are still things that, though labor-intensive and inconvenient, bring richness to our lives.

I’m starting to go off-topic again.

This bracelet can be customized for length or string color. If you’re interested, please feel free to send me a message.

Enjoy your shopping!

Reprinted from Etsy.com

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