A Brief History Of Akoya Pearls

Pearls have been around for centuries. These beautiful white gems have been a popular jewelry choice for many generations. They are found naturally occurring in the wild within the shell of some oysters. Their occurrence in the wild however is very difficult to predict. The process by which pearls are formed was uncovered in the early 1900’s. Upon some experimentation, pearls were actually able to be grown and harvested. Akoya oysters were selected as the ideal type of oyster to facilitate this process, and the akoya pearl was born. Cultured akoya pearls have since become know for their superior beauty and luster.

Wild naturally occurring pearls, and cultured pearls are actually formed in the very same way. A pearl will be produced within an oyster, if a small object such as a grain of sand becomes entrapped within its shell. The oyster responds by forming a small cyst around this foreign object. The cyst in then slowly filled with a milky white substance know as nacre. Over time, the nacre forms smooth layers which become the actual pearl itself.

Before pearl culturing began, pearls were found simply by chance. In the early 1900’s a man by the name of Kokichi Mikimoto changed all that. Through much experimentation, he discovered a process by which he could predictably cause the formation of a pearl.

After many years of experimentation, Mr. Mikimoto discovered and patented his technique for creating a perfectly round pearl. His process involved the opening of a live oyster and strategically placing a small round piece of mussel shell with the oyster’s body. This process is called nucleation. Once the insertion of the piece of shell is complete, the live oyster is then placed back in the ocean to continue to grow.

Over time the process was perfected. A species of oyster called the akoya oyster was discovered to be ideally suited for pearl cultivation because of the subsequent quality of the pearls they produce. These oysters are found primarily around the southern half of Japan. In order to ensure the purity of the pearls themselves, these oysters are now bred on hatcheries where the conditions can be more carefully monitored and controlled.

The entire process of pearl cultivation takes approximately 10 to 18 months. The successful production of a pearl can be somewhat hard to predict however, as the oysters themselves can be very fragile. Many of them do not even survive the process of nucleation.

Of all of the cultured pearls, akoya pearls are believed to have the highest luster. Many think this may be due to the climate where the akoya oyster is found. The oceans surrounding the coast of Japan are typically 10 to 15 degrees cooler than other areas where oysters are farmed. These lower temperatures could possibly slow down the nacre production which causes the pearl itself to be more compact in form. The surface of the gem thus appears more lustrous.

Today, 99 percent of all of the pearls sold are cultured pearls. Given the predictability of the culturing process and the high quality and beauty of the gems produced, it is easy to see why cultured pearls have become so desirable.

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