Still Moonlight – Akoya Pearl Pendant (7mm)(Reserved)

This is an Akoya pearl pendant.
The pearl features a natural white-pink color and measures 7.17 mm.

This pendant was created at the request of a customer.

When I was asked for “a beautiful single pearl,” I carefully selected what I considered to be the finest one. That said, selecting a beautiful pearl is relatively simple. The criteria are straightforward—choose pearls with stronger luster and exclude those with visible flaws.

Interestingly, the real difficulty in sorting begins from what we call “Grade 3.”

Grade 1, Near Grade 1, and Grade 2 pearls are defined as round pearls with strong luster and almost no surface blemishes (wounds). In other words, pearls with noticeable flaws are simply excluded. Differences in luster are also easy to identify when pearls are placed side by side.

However, from Grade 3 onward, pearls are allowed to have spots and moderate surface blemishes. The challenge lies in deciding how much of these characteristics to include or exclude, and this can vary slightly depending on the person.

Experienced pearl dealers often say that sorting Grade 3 pearls is the most enjoyable, because it reveals individual judgment and personality. I feel the same way now.

But when I first started working in the pearl industry, this type of sorting was extremely difficult for me.

A single lot of pearls can fill a large bucket, weighing around 15 kilograms. While sorting such a lot, one must also read the overall tendency of the pearls and decide how many blemished pearls should be included within the Grade 3 standard.

In general, if the overall quality of a lot is high, the standard of its Grade 3 pearls also rises. This means fewer blemished pearls are included. Of course, all sorting is done within the regulations set by the pearl association.

Looking back, it feels like a very detailed and subtle discussion. But at the time, even small adjustments in these criteria felt very significant to me.

Returning to the topic, I wanted to say that selecting a clean, blemish-free pearl like the one used in this pendant is actually quite simple.

Still, by repeating the same straightforward criteria over and over, I selected what I believe to be the most beautiful pearl.

As I write this on April 14, 2026, the cherry blossoms are already halfway gone, gradually turning into fresh green leaves. The remaining soft pink petals blend with vivid new greenery.

The weather has become much warmer, although rainy days have increased.

I usually travel between Kobe and Osaka by motorcycle every Friday and Sunday. From last autumn until around March, I was rarely caught in the rain. It was that dry.

However, with the arrival of spring, rainy days have noticeably increased. About half of the weeks in a month now include rain. That is simply part of the season.

More importantly, my working environment has changed significantly.

Flower Jem is primarily based in Kobe, where I create pearl jewelry, take photos, and write articles. However, I only work there on weekends. During weekdays, I stay in Osaka for a separate job unrelated to pearls.

Until recently, I did not have a proper setup for pearl work in Osaka, so I rarely worked there.

But since the latter half of last year, weekend work in Kobe has no longer been enough to keep up with orders.

It might sound like I received a large number of orders, but that is not the case. Each piece simply requires a great deal of time and care.

Although I receive orders from only a few customers, fulfilling them properly takes time.

Weekends are not always fully dedicated to pearl work either. Sometimes I need to change motorcycle oil or visit my family.

So I decided to create a proper workspace for pearl work in Osaka as well.

I bought two large wooden boards, each about 2 meters long and 60 centimeters deep, and built two desks in my Osaka home.

One is for myself, and the other is for someone I met at work who enjoys making accessories as a hobby.

By working together, I hoped to maintain a sense of focus each evening.

Of course, I still work alone most of the time, but there are days when I return home from work and fall asleep without doing anything. I thought having someone working beside me, even a couple of days a week, would improve my consistency.

Since last week, he has been coming over two or three times a week, and we work on our own projects side by side. As expected, my efficiency has improved significantly.

In the future, I am also considering asking one of them to assist with certain Flower Jem pieces—especially those that take a considerable amount of time to create.

Now, I realize I have wandered far from the topic of this pendant.

At Flower Jem, it has become increasingly common to create pieces based on customer requests. While making something alone is enjoyable, creating something together with someone else brings a different kind of satisfaction.

Please take your time and enjoy.

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