Akoya necklace

This is an Akoya pearl necklace.
The pearls are natural color pearls with a light blue hue.
I really like natural blue pearls.
The typical image of pearls is white and round.
White and round pearls are very attractive, but they can be a bit too formal for everyday use.
Pearl necklaces are expensive, but in Japan, they are usually only worn for special occasions like weddings and funerals.
While working as a salesperson at a pearl exhibition, I often heard young people in their twenties turning down offers of pearls from their mothers or grandmothers.
They would say, “Pearl necklaces are very expensive, but I hardly ever use them. I’d rather have a bag!”

For those over forty, many believe that it’s good to have at least one pearl necklace.
However, some younger generations don’t share this sentiment.
Of course, their views might change as they get older.

As an Akoya pearl trader, it was a somewhat sad opinion to hear.
In such an environment, the pearl company I work for has been promoting blue baroque pearls more than the traditional white round pearls.
At the world’s largest international jewelry exhibition in Hong Kong, our company only exhibited blue pearls.
While 99% of the pearl companies showcased white round pearl necklaces, our company did not display a single one.

Furthermore, among the blue pearls, there were hardly any round ones, mostly baroque pearls.
Other pearl companies were surprised.
They said that blue baroque pearls wouldn’t sell well, but we nearly sold out.
This happened about seven or eight years ago, before natural blue pearls became as popular as they are now.
I’d like to say that the growing attention to blue pearls is due to their reappreciated charm, but I have a different perspective.

The extremely strong purchasing power of Chinese buyers has more than doubled the price of Akoya pearls over the past two years.
About four years ago, you could buy a high-quality natural blue necklace called “Madama” for around $1500.
Now, it costs over $6500.

The rising prices trouble not only consumers but also wholesalers.
If the prices get too high, fewer people will buy them.

Initially, necklaces with certificates like “Tennyo” or “Aurora” were extremely popular.
In Kobe, over 150 pearl companies are concentrated. Delivery companies there often said,
“Pearl companies ship hundreds of books every day.”
By “books,” they meant certificates.
Pearl companies that didn’t have a good impression of certificates would say,
“They’re not pearl sellers, they’re just book sellers.”
“They sell books, not pearls.”

At that time, the volume of transactions for certified necklaces was enormous.
Especially among Chinese buyers, there was a strong preference for pearls with certificates from Japanese private certification bodies.

Many pearl traders don’t have a good impression of these certificates.
While necklaces with certificates like Tennyo or Aurora are certainly high quality, the evaluation criteria are biased.
The focus is on “no wounds, strong luster, and round shape.”

From a pearl’s essence, it’s a bit different.
One of the main attractions of pearls is the thickness of the nacre.
However, the thicker the nacre, the more likely the pearl will be baroque in shape.

This is contradictory. Even if the nacre is thick and the luster is strong, if the shape is not round, it won’t get a certificate.
Of course, if the nacre is thick but there are many wounds and the luster is weak, it can’t be considered high quality.
Even though thick nacre is an attractive feature, if it leads to a baroque shape, the pearl won’t receive a high-quality certificate.

On the other hand, pearls with not-so-thick nacre, fewer wounds, and a round shape can get the highest quality certificate, which many pearl traders find frustrating.
Despite this frustration, many traders reluctantly conform to these criteria for the sake of business.
At a pearl traders’ meeting, a middle-aged pearl company president once angrily declared, “I’ll never use certificates!”
However, even he succumbed to the economic downturn during the COVID-19 pandemic and started dealing with certified pearls.
It’s like selling your soul to the devil.

Of course, generally speaking, certified pearl necklaces are high quality.
However, some pearls do not receive a fair evaluation (thick nacre, strong luster, but slightly not round, hence not recognized as high quality).

Moreover, the criteria for issuing certificates from famous private pearl certification companies are ambiguous.
Large pearl companies get lenient evaluations, while small companies face stricter ones.
A small company person said they couldn’t pass the evaluation from their company, so they submit it through a large company.
This kind of story is as common as “carrying an umbrella when it rains” among pearl companies.

Blindly believing that a pearl is good just because a pearl company says so or because it has a certificate may not be wise.
If you are truly looking for a fascinating pearl, you should first reassess your own values regarding pearls.
Whether it’s the luster, size, or thickness of the nacre, it varies from person to person.

In the past, I’ve served customers with clear preferences.
“Even if it has many wounds and weak luster, I want the largest pearl within my budget.”
“I don’t mind thin nacre. I want a round shape. I love round pearls.”
“I don’t mind wounds, but I want thick nacre and strong luster.”
Having a clear value can be good.
It’s a waste to go with “because everyone says it’s good.”

At the same time, the general public might not have much information about pearls.
At pearl farms, various shapes and colors of pearls are harvested each year.
However, after various processes, most of the pearls displayed in retail stores are white and round.
You see more baroque and blue pearls lately, but they are still in the minority.

The other day, I stopped by a jewelry store and was looking at the pearl products.
A salesperson approached me and asked, “What is that?” referring to my bracelet.
When I told them it was a pearl, they were surprised, saying, “I didn’t know there were blue pearls.”

I also visited a store of a pearl company that is arguably the second most famous in the world.
They only had white round pearls, so I asked the salesperson, “Do you have blue Akoya?”
The salesperson explained with a smile, “Akoya pearls are white with a pink tint. There are no blue ones.”

Although my power is very limited, I strongly feel the desire to inform as many pearl fans as possible about the charm of Akoya pearls.

My personal view on why natural blue has become more popular is this:
The prices of high-quality white round necklaces have become too high.
They are too expensive for traders to buy and difficult to sell.
As a result, since last year, attention has turned to necklaces that narrowly fail to pass certification.
These necklaces are significantly cheaper than those that pass certification.
Additionally, since they almost pass the certification, they are not of low quality.
Last year, there was a high demand for necklaces in this price range.
Previously, about 20% of necklaces at large exhibitions were baroque.
However, since last year, nearly 60% of the necklaces traded were baroque.
While the quantity of harvested pearls has decreased by about 20%, the high prices have led to increased demand for lower-priced necklaces.
In this context, I believe that the demand for natural blue pearls has increased because they are cheaper than white round ones.

Experts in marketing say that there are generally set prices for various items.
For example, there are expected prices for cars, watches, soap, etc.
A jewelry TV salesperson once said,
“There is a set market price for pearl brooches and necklaces.”
Even if pearl prices rise, general consumers won’t immediately accept or buy them.
In this sense, to fit into a price range, the type and quality of pearls are adjusted.
If white round pearls become too expensive, the size may be reduced, or baroque pearls or natural blue pearls may be promoted as lower-priced options.

In fact, a world-renowned pearl company has recently been focusing on sourcing freshwater pearls instead of Akoya pearls.
Since Akoya pearls have become too expensive, they are now collecting more affordable freshwater pearls.
Earlier this year, there was a lot of excitement among Chinese freshwater pearl traders because “that Japanese pearl company inquired about buying freshwater pearls.”

My opinion, full of bias and prejudice, is not too far off the mark.
I’m happy to see the rising popularity of natural blue pearls, but I believe it’s influenced by the soaring pearl market.

Now, onto the Akoya natural blue baroque pearl necklace listed here.
The color is very light to be called blue.
Japan is entering the rainy season, and this necklace has a refreshing, clear color that suits this season.
While deep blue is attractive, pearl fans who once favored deep blue tend to prefer lighter blue over time.
I was the same. Veterans in the pearl industry, over 70 years old, said similar things.
When seeking deep blue, there is passion, but it also requires energy.
In such times, seeing light blue can bring a sense of relief, feeling “this is good too.”
It might be a seasoned, enlightened opinion.

These pearls in the necklace are light in color and baroque in shape but have strong luster.
At Flower Jem, we use the all-knot style, making it more casual and suitable for everyday enjoyment.
There is also a video of the production process of this necklace, which can help you judge the quality of the pearls.

Today is June 5, 2024, and Flower Jem has 117 subscribers.
Pearl Paradise, the famous company, has about 4,000 subscribers, so surpassing 100 makes me happy.

The main reason I started my YouTube channel was to allow customers to thoroughly examine the quality of our pearls. I felt that simply exchanging images was not sufficient. On Etsy.com, it’s not possible to send videos through messages. Even if I asked for the customer’s email address, sending large files like videos via email can be time-consuming due to the download times. However, with YouTube, I can simply share the URL with the customer through a message. Plus, no matter how large the video files are, YouTube’s storage is free, which is very convenient.

Making video

Ideally, I would like to spend more time creating detailed covers and thumbnails for each video on YouTube, but I still haven’t found the time to do so. Nonetheless, I am thrilled to occasionally receive comments from viewers recently.

As usual, I’ve gone on for quite a while. It seems like I’ve lost track of the main topic.
Thank you for your continued support.

Flower Jem ｜ Pearl Bless You
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