Ever since Mikimoto began marketing pearls, he did not actually invent pearl culturing; the Japanese have been the controllers of world pearl culture. For the longest time the trade secrets were kept to the Japanese under “lock and key” so to speak.
The akoya pearl may have the finest luster of all the pearl types, and so is in great demand. The Japanese pursued perliculture to its peak as they do with everything and made much wealth from this gem. The Chinese seeing their neighbor pulling in the yen decided to copy their success and began to grow akoya saltwater pearls. Their success was at first nonexistent. Slowly they turned their attention from the vast quantity of pearls to a higher quality of pearl.
The Japanese took an immediate interest in the Chinese culturing of Akoya pearls. When the Chinese began to grow better quality pearls, Japan began buying them. One of the reasons for Japanese interest has to be the low cost of things Chinese vs. the high cost of things Japanese. Japanese pearl farms have been hit hard by weather, red tides and the economic stability of the akoya pearl.
So buying akoya pearls from China is cheaper than producing them.
Japan has been using Chinese akoya pearls, at first in the smaller sizes, and probably in the larger sizes as China developed the ability to grow the larger up to 9mm akoya pearl. Probably all the smaller sizes are Chinese akoya pearls and some of the larger sizes of akoya pearl necklaces are.
So it’s kind of a moot point anymore, and Japan still controls the akoya pearl market, even though not from the pearl farm up, but by being the largest purchaser of Chinese Akoya pearls, Japan is still the king of akoya pearls. And if you bought an akoya pearl necklace within the last 10 years, the chances are very good that it has some akoya pearls in it. The good thing is that they are true akoyas and their quality is indistinguishable from Japanese Akoya Pearls.
By Patrick Cavanaugh