Pearls are the treasure of the ocean, nurtured in the shell of its mother oyster and perfected by human ingenuity. We invite you to follow the process of the growth of our pearls and unravel the secrets that lie behind its beauty.

In order to foster a healthy mother oyster, it is important to meticulously manage them as a young mollusk. In recent years, the power of biotechnology has been an additional factor to the production to the quality of our pearls. However, it is key that these creatures also grow under essential conditions including clean and calm waters that flow in moderate temperatures. With careful management of such environments, it is then possible for the formation of the Japanese traditional Akoya pearls.

The Japanese Akoya pearls are very susceptible to the changes in water temperature and salinity (salt level), both of which affect its growth. Therefore, these mother oysters are maintained by being transferred deeper into the ocean on two occasions: first, when the temperatures of the waters rise in the summer and second, during seasons of continuous rainfall, when the salt level is more denser in the deeper parts of the ocean, rather than its surface.

These tailored mother oysters that are prepared for the pearl culturing process are then transferred to a smaller cage that yields a much more strained environment. This, in turn, improves the oyster’s vigor and resilience. The significance of this transport affects the physiological strain that is enforced onto the oysters, lowering their energy level and allowing the nucleating process to be conducted smoothly. At a calm physiological state, the farmers are then able to complete the nucleation without tiring out, or hurting these mollusks, as it can be a vigorous and painful procedure for these creatures. This is a key procedure in fostering beautiful pearls.

Natural pearls are formed when the external fragile rim of the shell is damaged. In response, the mollusk secretes similar component of its inner shell lining into the pearl sac, forming a cyst during its healing process and eventually transforming into a beautiful pearl. As for cultured pearls, this process is performed by human intervention also known as ‘kaku-ire,’ or by nucleating them. The ideal season in which this process is carried out to the mother oysters is between the months of July and April, every year.
When put into the hands of a professional pearl farmer, the quintessential time period as well as the health of the oyster is assessed, in order to consummate the nucleating operation.

The mother oysters that have been nucleated have to be looked after with utmost care and are required to remain in calm, inland waters for 10 to 30 days. This process prevents the oysters from not discharging what has been implemented. After their health has been recovered, they will be ready to be hung in the open seas. It is not to say that all oysters that are found should be cultured. This process depends greatly on the size of the ocean that pearls are able to survive in under healthy conditions.

From the time that they are nucleated, it takes about 2 years for these cultured pearls to be ready to be harvested. Therefore, every year up until the end of July these pearls will be nucleated and in the following December, the pearls will be fully grown and removed from its valves. Having had overcome the cold winters of Japan, these pearls are treasured as being “the crossovers.” However, there are difficulties when culturing these pearls because the mollusks heavily rely on their environment.

Compliance to their environments and management of the mollusks in these habitats are critical, particularly in the recent years, due to increasing temperatures of water as well as the pollution of the oceans that have damaged the ocean life. Additionally, it has been very difficult to clean the oysters that live under polluted environments. When these mollusks are hung in cages in the ocean, it is astounding to see how soiled they become. If left untouched, high volumes of seaweed and barnacle builds up on the oysters to a point where it is impossible to see them. Because oysters are living creatures, when they are unattended with all this build up, they will begin eating the foods necessary for planktons. They will also not be able to breathe and most importantly, they will be incapable of producing the beautiful pearls that we seek.

Cleaning each shell is an incredibly hard task as it invovles pulling up, in succession, 40 to 50 cages which contain these shells. By the time the work day is over, the pearl farmers are often worn out from the rigorous effort that goes into cultivating each and every shell. Often, pearls are referred to as being a mermaid’s tear drop, or the ocean’s dew, however it is also palpable to say that a pearl is the crystallization of human diligence and sweat.

Between the months of December and February when the water temperature is at 12 to 16 degrees Celsius, the oysters are collected and brought up to shore. When the water temperatures fall below 16 degrees Celsius the physiological activity of the pearl oysters decline, but in turn, this increases the luster. For humans, harvesting the oysters during the harsh winters of Tsushima is a critically grueling process, using one’s bare hands to pull up substantial amounts of oysters in their heavy cages. The ships then carry the cages full of oysters to shore and are pulled up to the top of the sand mound with a construction crane to where the workers crack the oyster one by one, in search for the hidden pearl. Therefore the workers must carefully perform this process, so as to not scratch any single pearl.

Although these pearls are scrupulously taken care for, only 1% to 2% of pearls that are farmed officially earn its name, “hanatama”, or flower pearl. No matter how carefully the nucleating process is achieved, or how diligently these oysters are looked after in the sea, a truly beautiful pearl ultimately remains a rarity. The total production of pearls plummeted due to environmental issues in the recent years, significantly affecting the number of quality pearls. In order to protect the beauty of the Japanese Akoya pearls, further efforts have been implemented in the aquaculture industry.