Akoya ring

This is an Akoya Keshi ring.
I crafted this ring setting from scratch, starting with a silver rod.

The ring is US size 4.5, but this ring can be resized slightly, so please let me know if you have any sizing preferences.

Currently, I possess a certain amount of Akoya Keshi pearls, but they are not suitable for earrings or necklaces. To give these Keshi pearls a stage where they can shine, I created this ring setting.

I have been studying and practicing metalworking for about a year now. The process involves joining silver pieces together by heating them with a gas torch and polishing the silver thoroughly. It seems to suit me, and I find it incredibly enjoyable.

These creation processes are documented in videos on YouTube. Although the videos lack subtitles or explanations, you can get a glimpse of how this ring comes to life.

As you may know, Keshi pearls are accidentally harvested during the pearl cultivation process. The main difference between pearls and Keshi is whether or not they contain a nucleus.

Pearls are formed when a round nucleus is intentionally inserted into an Akoya oyster, which then secretes nacre around the nucleus. In contrast, Keshi pearls form when the Akoya oyster accidentally ingests sand or foreign particles from the sea, coating them with nacre.

During pearl cultivation, pearls are extracted from Akoya oysters during the harvest. At this time, remnants of other sea creatures attached to the oyster are collected as a mass, as there might be Keshi pearls within this mass.

This mass, which looks like mere debris, amounts to about 20 boxes, each measuring 30 centimeters on each side. It takes about a month to sort through this to extract Keshi pearls. The sorting process begins with a sifter used in baking. Initially, I use a sieve with 3-millimeter holes. Most of what remains in the sieve are shell fragments and remnants of sea creatures. From there, I carefully extract the Akoya Keshi pearls using tweezers.

I don’t think even 500 grams of Keshi pearls can be extracted from this vast amount of debris. While collecting Keshi is extremely challenging, there are many beautiful Keshi pearls among them.

I intend to continue studying metalworking to create settings that allow these Keshi pearls to shine.

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