The Secrets of Pearl Processing: Crafting My Akoya Pearl Earrings

The following text is from a product description for earrings I am selling on Etsy.

https://flowerjem.etsy.com/listing/1773094174

I have mentioned the pearl processing I have done several times on this site. I am reprinting it here as an article for this website.

These are Akoya pearl earrings. Although the pearls appear round, they are not perfectly spherical. They have a slightly soft, airy, and somewhat imperfect roundness, similar to a paper balloon. The surface of the pearls is not entirely smooth but has a slight cloudiness, although the luster is sufficient as shown in the image.

As you can see from the image, the two pearls in this earring pair are slightly different in color. You may wonder, “Why are they paired as earrings despite their color difference?”

These pearls were harvested this year (January 2024). Among them, there were about 500 blue-toned pearls. These were sent for a process called “pre-treatment.” There are several types of processing for pearls:

1. Pre-treatment
2. Stain removal
3. Bleaching
4. Toning
5. Dyeing

First, let’s talk about pre-treatment. Almost all harvested Akoya pearls undergo this process. Most processing companies keep the specifics of the process a trade secret, so the exact methods are not disclosed. This process is often done as a preparatory step before stain removal. After this treatment, the color of the pearls becomes more defined, and their luster slightly increases. Since about 99% of the nacre is calcium, with the remaining 1% composed of proteins and other impurities, it is believed that this pre-treatment process removes some of those impurities. This step typically takes about a week.

Generally, for natural-colored pearls like Natural Blue Pearls, only pre-treatment is performed.

Next is the stain removal process. When pearls are first harvested, most are yellowish in color. Other common colors include blue tones (gray, silver, etc.). There are also rarer colors like gold, cream, red, and brown.

Colored pearls, aside from yellowish ones, are often only subjected to pre-treatment and are used in products that highlight their natural color. However, these pearls are relatively rare. At the pearl company where I used to work, which had one of the largest pearl harvests in Japan, colored pearls made up less than 10% of the total harvest.

Stains on Akoya

Pearls that undergo stain removal become almost pure white. Pearls that naturally have a reddish hue retain some of that color even after this treatment. Pearls that have undergone this process are referred to as “No-toned” pearls, although the formal English term is unclear. In the past three years or so, No-toned pearls have gained popularity in China. Previously, they were relatively unknown. Tracing back, the trend started with “Hana-dama,” then moved to “Ten-nyo,” followed by “Aurora” and “Aurora Ten-nyo,” reflecting the changing trends. These are identification names given by a particular pearl certification company, and most pearls are categorized as “Toned.”

The reason for these changes in naming trends is due to the ambiguity of the standards. In the past, only truly high-quality pearls were classified as Hana-dama, but the criteria gradually became unclear. As the value of Hana-dama pearls declined, the certification companies created new brands.

The pearl industry harbors significant frustration toward these vague and ambiguous pearl certificates. Pearl sellers feel that the value of the pearls they handle is being controlled by private certification companies that don’t fully understand pearls.

However, many pearl transactions still require certificates. Even if the pearl industry dislikes certificates, they are often necessary.

The certificates themselves come in the form of booklets that open like a pamphlet. In the pearl industry, companies that profit primarily from selling pearls with certificates are sometimes mockingly referred to as “bookstores.”

There is a general frustration within the pearl industry that they are unable to promote and sell the value of the pearls they handle themselves. No matter how meticulously the beauty and appeal of pearls are explained, customers still often demand certificates.

While some groups within the industry are advocating for a departure from certificate dependency, changing the current reliance on certificates seems highly difficult. From the buyer’s perspective, it is only natural to want a certificate from a reputable company, especially one that is well-known in the market.

Additionally, even within the groups pushing for the end of certificate dependency, many companies still rely on certificates for business, so the efforts are not entirely unified. I recall a time, quite a while ago, when after a pearl company meeting, at an after-party, the president of a major pearl company passionately discussed certificates. He boldly declared, “I will never use certificates again.” He genuinely cared about pearls and despised the idea of having their value judged by biased criteria in pearl certificates. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and drastically changed the way pearls were sold, with transactions happening primarily through smartphone and computer screens, certificates became even more valuable. That same president, who had vowed never to use certificates, had no choice but to rely on them.

It’s like a teacher in an elementary school determining a student’s grades based on a subjective assessment. If you’re good at language arts, math, and social studies, you’re fine. Even if you’re excellent in physical education or art, if you’re not good at language arts, you won’t be highly rated. Both the student and their parents would be frustrated with this system.

Moreover, the certification process differs between large corporations and small businesses. The president of a small business once said, “If I get rejected for a certificate, I have a large company submit it for me.” Additionally, for necklace pearls that fail certification, the pearl certification company may suggest, “If you replace this pearl, it will pass.” Some pearl companies don’t replace the pearls and resubmit them as-is, and mysteriously, the second submission often passes.

Of course, there are doubts about the certification standards, but I think the overall judgments are generally fair. However, it’s as if a test that requires 70 points to pass sometimes allows a 60 to pass or fails an 80-point score under certain circumstances.

This suspicious inconsistency raises a lot of concerns. I once told gemstone dealers about these issues with pearls, and they responded, “So, pearls are like that too.” They went on to say that certification for gemstones and diamonds can also be quite dubious.

So, you might ask, “How should I buy pearls?” The key is not to rely solely on the information provided by the company or store, but to follow the same steps as with any purchase: check reviews, compare similar products from other companies or stores, and consider the pricing of similar pearls.

Since pearls are the only organic gemstone, the challenge of quantifying their value may also contribute to this issue.

In that sense, purchasing pearls from reputable companies like Mikimoto or Tasaki is a safe choice. Although they are expensive, they are trustworthy brands. Personally, I also recommend Pearl Paradise. They seem to treat pearls with great sincerity.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that they sometimes come to Kobe, the city where I live, I was unaware of their visits. I once saw a Pearl Paradise representative having a discussion with a pearl company representative I’ve met several times on YouTube. I couldn’t help but feel envious.

Oops, I’ve strayed far from the original topic.

I am talking about “stain removal processing.” Most pearls that go through stain removal have impurities inside removed, and the yellowing is almost entirely gone. The result is pearls that are nearly white. Many harvested pearls contain dark blueish stains, which are thought to result from the Akoya oyster secreting not only nacre but also impurities when its health is compromised during the cultivation process.

You rarely see stained pearls on the market, but in reality, about half of harvested pearls may have stains. However, reputable pearl farmers seldom produce pearls with stains.

These pearls have been “pre-treated”. They still retain the yellowish color that is characteristic of freshly harvested Akoya pearls.

At this stage, pearls that have undergone “pre-treatment” and stain removal processing are sold as “No-Toned” pearls. They are quite rare, making up at most around 20% of pearl necklaces, I would estimate.

The next step is “bleaching.” While pearls are already fairly white after stain removal, bleached pearls become truly white. Pearls after stain removal still have a slight warm hue—maybe a faint yellow tint—but after bleaching, they take on an artificial white appearance.

Even with stain removal and bleaching, some pearls retain deep-rooted stains.

After bleaching, the pearls are subjected to a process called “Toning.” This involves applying a very slight reddish dye to the pearls. According to pearl processors, “pure white pearls lack charm—red and pink hues are more desirable.” It’s similar to applying blush in cosmetics.

These are pearls before they are stained or bleached. There are slight variations in color, such as yellow, pink, skin color, and blue.

Even after stain removal or bleaching, pearls are produced by living creatures—Akoya oysters—so each one differs slightly in color, nacre thickness, and overall appearance. The Toning process helps standardize these slight differences, ensuring a beautiful necklace. Even small differences in color can make it difficult to create an appealing necklace with about 50 pearls.

Incidentally, during my time in the pearl industry, I was taught for many years that Toning was not “dyeing.” I was told, “Toning involves adding a small amount of dye between the nucleus and the nacre, but it is not dyeing.” However, I always questioned, “How can you add dye between the nucleus and the nacre?” After about five years of doing business and forming a closer relationship with a pearl processor, I finally asked them. The processor said, “We can’t insert dye between the nucleus and the nacre. We apply the dye to the pearl’s surface and let it gradually seep in over about three months.”

I asked, “So… isn’t that dyeing?” The processor replied, “Technically, yes.”

I thought, “Was I deceived this whole time?”

The processor continued, “It’s not so much deception as the pearl industry not wanting to use the term ‘dyeing.’ They prefer to describe the pearls as having ‘natural colors produced by Akoya oysters.’ Personally, I think it’s quite clever that the industry uses the term ‘Chou-Shoku’ for Toning. Whoever came up with it is a genius.”

The term “Chou-Shoku” refers to Toning. In Japanese, it means “to adjust the color” rather than “to dye.” This careful choice of language in the pearl industry, to describe the process as adjusting color rather than dyeing it, is quite smart, the processor explained.

The necklace on the left is natural blue, and the scattered pearls are the ones that have only been “pre-treated” and are closest to the color they had right after harvest. The necklace on the right is the most common pearl necklace that has been “pre-treated,” “stain-removed,” “bleached,” and “toned.”

One of the reasons for this is that many consumers are drawn to the idea of “natural” or “unprocessed” products. Many pearl retailers use the phrase “pearls with their original natural color.” However, in reality, there are no pearls sold that are completely unprocessed and retain their natural color.

Even the “Natural Blue” pearls I handle retain over 99% of their harvested color, but technically, they have undergone “pre-treatment.”

Nonetheless, it’s important to note that Toning is necessary for creating beautiful necklaces. It helps to standardize the color and adds a slight red or pink hue, making the pearls more attractive.

Next comes the “dyeing process.”

Some pearls still retain deep-rooted stains, even after stain removal and bleaching. These stains are often dark, close to a navy blue color. If these stains can’t be removed, the entire pearl is dyed to match that color.

Most dyed pearls are blue or navy, though some are peacock-colored.

There are cases where even a pearl with an indelible stain is perfectly round, has excellent luster, and has a flawless surface. Dyeing these pearls can turn them into truly exceptional, top-quality pearls.

Here, consumers’ values may differ. Some prefer “low-quality but natural pearls,” while others prioritize “pearls that are visually beautiful.”

It’s not for anyone to dictate. However, sellers have an obligation to clearly disclose the processing history of the pearls they sell. There are rare cases of sellers lightly dyeing pearls and passing them off as “natural color,” which is quite problematic.

A pearl necklace that has only been “pre-treated”. Since the color has not been adjusted, it is characterized by being whiter than regular pearls.

Especially for wholesalers purchasing hundreds of necklaces at a time, it’s not cost-effective to have each necklace examined by an analysis company. While unethical sellers are eventually weeded out of the industry, no one wants to encounter such a seller, even temporarily.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention “Cobalt” processing. This method is similar to dyeing. To hide the stains, radiation is applied to the pearl’s nucleus, turning it black. The color of the nucleus shows through the nacre, making the pearl appear a beautiful blue.

Each pearl treatment aims to enhance the appearance, making them more attractive for sale. It’s similar to applying makeup or painting a house to cover dirt on the exterior.

Now, after this long preamble, I can finally explain the pearl earrings. I provided this background on processing to explain why the pearls in the earrings are slightly different in color.

In January 2024, I had about 500 pearls harvested, and they went through “pre-treatment.” About two weeks ago, these 500 pearls returned to me (today is September 8, 2024). These pearls range in quality from high to low. The color, shape, nacre thickness, surface smoothness (wounds), and size of each pearl vary greatly.

First, I sorted these pearls into higher and lower ranks. The criteria were roundness, fewer wounds, and stronger luster. I repeated the selection process twice. First, I separated the top and bottom ranks, then I further divided the top-ranked pearls into upper and lower categories.

From the highest-ranked pearls, I carefully selected pairs for earrings. So far, I’ve managed to create about 30 pairs. Out of about 500 pearls, I could only make around 30 pairs. Sellers often claim, “No two pearls are the same,” and it’s true.

With the limited number of pearls, I paired those that were as similar as possible. While the colors of the pearls in these earrings may be slightly different, I felt the overall “atmosphere” of the pearls, including their luster and nacre thickness, made them a fitting pair.

Just as family members or siblings may have different facial features but a similar “vibe,” I prioritize the “atmosphere” when creating pearl pairs. It’s not just about the color or shape but also the “personality” or character that each pearl exudes. I select pairs that give me the sense, “These pearls might be siblings.” I can’t quite put it into words, but when I find such a pair, it’s like a light tap on my chest, telling me, “This is the one.”

While others might say, “That’s just your personal opinion,” I ask for your understanding.

Please know that I put all my heart into creating these pairs by truly engaging with the pearls.

By the way, the process of making these earrings is documented in several YouTube videos. If you’re interested or want to check the quality of the pearls, you’re welcome to view them.

The letter “R” in the product name corresponds to the classification I use in my YouTube videos. Though the videos don’t have subtitles, it’s quite difficult to judge the quality of pearls through a smartphone or computer screen, so I hope these videos can help reduce any risk.

That concludes my long explanation. Thank you!