Brief history
Akoya pearls are saltwater cultured pearls and come from the Akoya oyster, Pinctada fucata.
In the early 1900s in Japan, entrepreneur Kokichi Mikimoto experimented with nucleating Akoya oysters to create cultured pearls. After almost a decade of experiments, he finally succeeded and is recognised as the inventor of the first cultured pearl.
Mikimoto went on to refine the techniques of pearl cultivation in his pursuit to grow perfectly round pearls. Today, the Akoya pearl is known for its perfectly round shape, high lustre and mirror-like reflection.
What makes them special
Akoya pearls are a category of their own.
Their beautiful roundness makes them perfect for creating matching pieces of jewellery from earring studs to pearl strands. In particular, the Japanese Akoya pearls’ mirror-like shine is what makes them stand out among pearls.
It takes between 10 to 18 months for an Akoya pearl to grow large enough for harvest. Akoya oysters are only used once to make a single pearl, which makes them all the more cherished.
Pearl grading
Akoya pearl grading generally runs from A to AAA quality, and is dependent on factors including: lustre, shape, colour, size, surface blemishing, natural or cultured, and match (how closely the pearls in a set match).
Then there is the Hanadama quality.
In the world of Japanese Akoya pearls, the Hanadama pearls are the royalty. Once harvested, these AAA quality pearls are sent to the Pearl Science Laboratory in Japan to be X-rayed, photographed and certified. All Hanadama Akoya pearls come with an individually numbered gemological certificate that guarantees their quality.
Styling tips
An Akoya pearl strand may be the classic symbol of elegance and sophistication, but it’s not only meant to be worn with an evening gown.
In this day and age, these pearls can be worn just with a pair of jeans and t-shirt to elevate your look from casual to chic.
If you’re looking to own your first piece of pearl jewellery, one of the best investments would be the Akoya pearl earring studs. These go here with anything and are the perfect start when dipping your toes into the world of pearl jewellery.
How to clean
To clean your pearl jewellery, dip a cloth in warm water that has been diluted with mild soap or alcohol and run it gently over the pearls. Give the cloth a rinse and wipe the pearls clean, then dry them with a soft cloth.
Pearl jewellery are best stored wrapped in dry soft cloth to keep them looking their best.
Hope you’ve enjoyed this guide to Akoya pearls. Do click here to shop our range of Akoya pearl jewellery.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave us a message, we would love to hear from you. We’ll be sharing more styling tips in the next post, so stay tuned!
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