Dandelion Creek

This is an Akoya pearl necklace.
Of course, the pearls are natural blue Akoya pearls, and as you can see, their shape is baroque.

If I were to rate the luster on a five-level scale, I would say it is around 3 plus.
It is certainly not a 5. I would like to say 4, but the surface of several pearls has a slightly cloudy appearance.

These pearls appear to have developed strong luster during the later stage of the cultivation period. However, just before harvest, the health of the Akoya oysters may have slightly declined, which seems to have introduced a small weakness on the otherwise highly lustrous surface.

The total length of the necklace is 45 cm, and the pearls measure 8.0–8.5 mm.

The necklace is all-knotted with yellow thread.

Almost all necklaces and bracelets sold at Flower Jem are all-knotted.
The reason is simple: I like all-knotting.

Conventional pearl necklaces that are not all-knotted tend to give a strong formal impression.
This formal character works well at events such as weddings or school ceremonies. However, in daily life, necklaces with a strong formal appearance can be difficult to wear.

As a result, many pearl necklaces spend most of their lives inside a drawer.

 

 

When I worked at a pearl company, I often told customers who visited our office,

“Since you have such a beautiful pearl necklace, please try wearing it with everyday clothes as well.”

However, almost every customer responded in the same way.

“A pearl necklace cannot be worn with casual clothes.”
“I cannot go to the supermarket wearing a pearl necklace.”
“If I wear a pearl necklace with casual clothes, only the pearls will stand out.”

 

 

Round white-pink pearl necklaces are very beautiful, but they seem quite difficult to use in everyday life.

Blue baroque pearls lower that barrier slightly, but since they are still pearl necklaces, many people still feel they are too formal for daily use.

I worked in the pearl industry for about ten years, and the reality is that pearl necklaces are often not considered suitable for everyday use.

 

 

Personally, I became attracted to blue baroque pearls around my third year working at the pearl company.

The first things I made for myself were a tie pin and cufflinks using blue baroque pearls.

Several years later, I made a bracelet with blue baroque pearls and wore it every day.

Ordinary Japanese office workers usually do not wear pearl bracelets to work. However, when I was serving customers at exhibitions, something interesting began to happen.

Instead of the products I was recommending, some customers began asking about the bracelet on my wrist.

People who had never heard of blue pearls would start enjoying blue pearl bracelets as an introduction.

 

 

Among those customers, some would eventually say,

“Next time I would like a blue baroque pearl necklace.”

However, even with blue baroque pearls, it was still a pearl necklace. The formal impression remained strong, and people continued to say it was difficult to wear casually.

Very wealthy people often live slightly outside ordinary social norms, so they tend to wear pearl necklaces more casually. In many cases, their everyday clothing itself is already luxurious enough that a pearl necklace fits naturally.

However, most customers are not like that.

Most customers purchase pearl necklaces as a gift when their daughter turns twenty.

They do not buy pearl necklaces with the idea of wearing them regularly in everyday life.

 

 

Even the daughters who receive the gift often say,

“This necklace is so beautiful that I can only wear it to a wedding.”

During the ten years I worked in the pearl company, this issue — that pearl necklaces feel too formal and therefore difficult to buy casually — was a major obstacle for companies that wanted to sell more pearl necklaces.

The company I worked for primarily operated a pearl farm.
Cultivating pearls was our main business.

Retail sales were almost like a side activity, so we did not have many customers. With such a small customer base and few new visitors, it was difficult to sell large numbers of pearl necklaces.

Brooches and earrings, being smaller items, sold much better.

 

 

Every day I worked surrounded by beautiful pearl necklaces.

Every day I would quietly say to myself,
“These pearls are beautiful.”

Yet they did not sell.

That frustration stayed with me for a long time.

Then one day, while casually looking at Instagram during work, I discovered something.

A blue baroque pearl necklace that was all-knotted with blue and red thread.

“This is it!”

I felt so excited I almost lost my mind.

 

Even though pearl necklaces are beautiful and formal, when they are all-knotted with colored thread and the knots are emphasized, the necklace suddenly becomes much more playful and casual.

After seeing that necklace on Instagram, I immediately ran to my supervisors.

“Boss! This is really cute!”

But their reaction was very calm.

“All-knotting is unnecessary now.”

Eventually someone said,

“All-knotting is difficult to make. If we sell necklaces like that, it will be too troublesome. Our company won’t produce them.”

 

From that day on, I began practicing how to make all-knotted necklaces by watching YouTube.

Later, through a series of events, a customer told me about Etsy, and I began selling my own all-knotted necklaces.

My motivation was simple.
I wanted people to see these colorful all-knotted necklaces and feel the same excitement I felt.

This necklace was made on October 5, 2024.

 

Today is March 10, 2026.

The vivid blue pearls and the yellow thread somehow remind me of spring — water beginning to flow again, and small yellow dandelions appearing along a creek.

So after thinking for a few minutes, I decided to name this necklace:

Dandelion Creek.

Pearl bless you.