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What is Akoya Pearls?
The Akoya is
the original cultured Pearl. An Akoya cultured Pearl is produced by
inserting a nucleus (or nuclei) together with a tiny speck (or specks)
of mantle tissue into the oyster (Pinctada fucata martensii). The main
culturing areas in Japan are Mie, Ehime, Kumamoto and Nagasaki
prefectures. Akoya Pearls are found only in Japan, China, and Vietnam.
Japanese Akoya Pearl farms are shifting towards the warmer Chinese
waters, where these Pearls take only half as long to grow. Overtone
colors of Akoya Pearls include white, cream, rose, silver, and green.
Akoya Pearl sizes range from less than 5mm to 9mm. Larger Akoya Pearl
sizes are possible, but less frequent. Akoya Pearls are known for their
lovely orient and warm color. They rarely grow more than 9 mm in size.
A Very Refined Culturing Process
Mikimoto from Japan was instrumental in developing the culturing process
for this magnificent and beautiful Pearl. The first cultured Pearls that
were commercially successful. The name Akoya comes from the name of the
oyster which is found predominately in Japan and China. Its scientific
name is Pinctata fucata. The Akoya oyster is rather small when compared
to the oysters used in cultivating SouthSea and Tahitian Pearls. It
produces Pearls that range in size from 2MM to 9MM. Chinese Akoya Pearls
that are grown completely in warmer waters might have a thicker nacre
coating but do not have the luster of Japanese cultured Pearls.
Mabe Pearls
Mabe Pearls are large, hemispherical cultured
Pearls that grow attached to the inside shells of oysters. Mabe Pearls
are of hemispherical shape, grown against the inside of the oyster's
shell, rather than within its tissue. Mabes occasionally appear in
nature...
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Blister Pearls
A blister Pearl (also called a button Pearl)
is a Pearl that developed attached to the inside of a mollusk's shell.
This type of Pearl must be cut off the shell, and is therefore
hemispherical. Because of their shape, blister Pearls are mostly used
for earrings...
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Rainbow Mabe Pearls
In general, you would think that all Pearls are round
shaped or spherical. However, Mabe Pearls are not
completely round. They come in various shapes. The
subtle hues give it a unique presence, a quality that
can't be found in other Pearls. Mabe Pearls are suitable
for...
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Mother of Pearl
Mother of Pearl, also called nacre, is an
iridescent layer of material which forms the shell lining of many
mollusks. The Pearly internal layer of certain mollusk shells, used to
make decorative objects. Also called nacre. Pearl oysters and abalone
are both sources of mother of...
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Keshi Pearls
Tiny Pearls, some a little bigger than a grain
of sand, which form naturally in many cultured Pearl oysters. Keshi is a
Japanese word for "poppy seed". Thus, keshi is also called the seed
Pearl deriving the name from its size. Keshi Pearls are irregularly
shaped...
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The Birth of a Pearl
The birth of a Pearl is truly a miraculous event. Unlike
gemstones or precious metals; which must be mined from the earth, Pearls
are grown by live oysters far below the surface of the sea. Gemstones
must be cut and polished to bring out their beauty...
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The History of Pearls
No one will ever know who were the earliest people to collect and wear Pearls. George Frederick Kunz a gemologist in his 1908 masterpiece - The Book of the Pearl, states his belief that an ancient fish-eating tribe, perhaps along the coast...
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Natural Pearls
A natural Pearl is a Pearl that forms in nature with no
human intervention. Natural Pearls, What is a Natural
Pearl Natural Pearls are grown in wild oysters. The
process begins when an irritant, such as a grain of sand
or a piece of shell, gets inside an oyster's shell...
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Freshwater Pearls
Freshwater Pearls are a kind of Pearl that comes from
freshwater mussels. They are produced in Japan and the
United States on a limited scale, but are now almost
exclusive to China The U.S. Federal Trade Commission
requires that freshwater Pearls are referred to as..
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Saltwater Pearls
Although freshwater Pearls can be grown in mussels and
other mollusks, saltwater Pearls are always grown in
oysters. Most saltwater Pearls are harvested in the Red
Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the coastal waters of India
and Japan. Generally, saltwater Pearls...
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Cultured Pearls
Cultured Pearls are those in which humans take a helping
hand. By actually inserting a foreign object into the
tissue of an oyster or mollusk, Pearl farmers can induce
the creation of a Pearl. The same natural process of
Pearl creation takes place...
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South Sea Pearls
South Sea Pearls is a generic name for the
Pearls, usually 9mm-16mm in size, produced by the two groups of large
Pearl producing oysters. These oysters can grow to 25-30 cm in size, and
are much rarer than their Akoya counterparts....
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Tahiti Cultured Pearls
Tahiti cultured Pearls are Pearl concretions
that are secreted inside the black-lipped Pinctada Margaritifera species
of Pearl oysters cultivated mainly in the lagoons of French Polynesia.
They consist of thick Pearly layers containing organic substances..
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The Pearl Myths
There are many myths
about Pearls that have continued through the centuries.
"Pearls of Wisdom", is a common saying and even
shares the title of some books in areas such as
medicine, country living, inspiration and wisdom
collections and Oriental teachings...
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Back to 'All About Pearls' Summary
Ever since the ancient Egyptians first started creating
jewelry, Pearls have become one of the highest regarded gemstones. Even
today Pearls still hold their value due to the rarity of "mother nature"
creating this form of jewelry. Pearls are created from a core. The core
of a natural Pearl is simply a fragment of shell or fishbone, or a grain
of sand that strays into the unsuspecting Pearl oyster's shell. To
protect itself from this irritant the oyster secretes multiple layers of
nacre, forming a Pearl...
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What is Akoya Pearls?
