Hello, It seems you’re interested in this bracelet since you’ve taken a moment to read the product description. If so, I’m delighted!

The Akoya pearls used in this bracelet are over 9mm in size. Depending on the pearl farmers, the most common size for cultured Akoya pearls is around 7mm, followed by 6mm and 8mm. Generally speaking, 7mm to 8mm is considered the average size for Akoya pearls.

In Japan, where regions like Ise are famous for Akoya pearl farming and also known for Mikimoto’s legacy, small Akoya pearls of 2mm or 3mm are also being cultured. However, most of the pearl farmers doing this are elderly individuals, and there are only a few of them left. These farmers have no successors, and since it’s not a fully commercial business, these small pearls aren’t produced in large quantities. The pearl business is generally weight-based. Typically, a single nucleus is inserted into an Akoya oyster, resulting in one pearl. So, it’s more profitable to produce pearls with more weight.

For this reason, the number of farmers cultivating small pearls like 2mm or 3mm is decreasing year by year. On the other hand, what about larger pearls? Pearls over 8mm in size are more valuable because of their weight, and successful cultivation can lead to significant profits. However, due to the mass mortality of Akoya oysters in recent years, large Akoya oysters have drastically decreased. The common explanation for this mass mortality is global warming. However, I personally find it hard to accept this as the primary cause, considering that the rise in seawater temperature has been ongoing for some time.

What seems more plausible to me is that the inbreeding that has been carried out over the years for the sake of improving the Akoya oyster breed may have gone too far. Typically, inbreeding is limited to three to four generations, but there are cases where it has been carried out for over ten generations. This occurred because the performance of that particular breed of Akoya oysters was outstanding, and they couldn’t find a suitable replacement. The truth is unknown, but for reasons like the above, the current situation is that Akoya oysters are scarce, and they lack the ideal environment to grow healthily and large.

As a result, it has become extremely difficult to prepare enough Akoya oysters to cultivate pearls over 8mm.

Of course, even in such an environment, there are still pearl farmers who specialize in cultivating pearls of 8mm or 9mm. The leaders of these pearl farms are quite skilled. However, the general trend is that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to cultivate large Akoya oysters due to natural and human factors.

Now, returning to the product description. This 9mm pearl was harvested quite some time ago. I had originally prepared these pearls for earrings. I find baroque pearls more charming than perfectly round ones, so I created and sold several pieces featuring these striking baroque pearls.

Those who purchase earrings with such intense baroque pearls are, in my opinion, true Akoya enthusiasts. Even pearl farmers are impressed. I believe that pearls with thick nacre layers have an undeniable allure.

While I have used 9mm baroque pearls for earrings, there were some pearls left that I couldn’t match into pairs for earrings.

Generally, pearls used for earrings or rings are more expensive than those used for necklaces. However, to make good use of these remaining attractive pearls, I decided to drill through them and turn them into a bracelet.

These videos show the bracelet making process

 

 

 

These pearls, while rugged in shape, have very thick nacre layers. They also exhibit a deep blue color with a faint hint of red. The presence of red can significantly alter the impression of a pearl. This characteristic is often influenced by the nature of the Akoya oyster.

Incidentally, at the national Akoya pearl exhibition held annually in Japan, the pearl that wins the top prize usually has a hint of red. The first-place winner is awarded the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award. Unfortunately, even if a pearl wins first place, it rarely becomes a topic of discussion among the public.

This bracelet is also made using the All-knot technique. The reason I joined Etsy was that I wanted to share these vibrant, casual pearl products made with colorful threads in the All-knot style with as many people as possible. I first created an All-knot bracelet around the fall of 2019, and so far, there have been no reports of the thread breaking.

As I was writing this, I recalled the distribution path of these pearls. These pearls originally came from a certain pearl farmer. This farmer regularly sold lower-grade pearls to his business partner without processing them. Most of these pearls were of low quality, often cracked, mottled in color, or full of wounds. However, the buyer would always search for and collect the beautiful natural blue pearls from these batches. “Everyone makes mistakes in sorting, and you can usually find a few beautiful natural blues if you search,” the buyer told me. He would buy the low-cost pearls in bulk annually and gather the natural blues like a treasure hunt. He then sold them to me at a high price. Knowing this distribution path left me with mixed feelings, but I couldn’t resist purchasing these blue baroques because I love them so much.

Some people worry that blue baroques might lose their color over time, but these pearls have aged sufficiently, so it seems unlikely that they will fade any further. Pearls retain some moisture inside after harvest, but drilling can occasionally cause the moisture to escape and the color to fade. However, these pearls did not change color after drilling.

There have been pearl dealers who have fought over whether to sell blue baroques. One such dealer is a father-and-son duo. The son wanted to promote the charm of blue baroques more, but the father feared that “natural blues will eventually fade, and we’ll lose customers’ trust.”

Recently, it seems the son has started a new brand, so they must have reached some sort of agreement.

Many old-time pearl dealers didn’t recognize any value in natural blues. In the world of pearls, round is justice. There are stories of Akoya pearl farmers who used to discard natural blue pearls into the sea decades ago. During that time, about 40 years ago, natural blues went through a tough period. And, as is often the case, most of the people who tell these old stories say, “I alone recognized the charm of natural blues back then.” To that, I say, “Impressive!”

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Flower Jem ｜ Pearl Bless You
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