When you buy pearls, you must often see the name " Akoya ", but please don't misunderstand that it is a brand or the name of the place of origin. " Akoya " is actually the name of a marine shellfish, Marshmallow, which originated from the South China Sea. Its Chinese name is It's called Akoya, and Akoya is the Japanese transliteration. In ancient times, Akoya pearls were called "Southern Pearls" and "Water Pearls" in Japan.
Akoya pearls can be said to be synonymous with high-quality pearls. The surface of the pearl is covered with a layer of high-quality calcium crystals, giving it the strongest luster and brilliance. The pearlescent light can even clearly reflect the reflection of a person. Its color range is white, Silver blue and yellow also include secondary colors and iridescent colors. Silver blue and golden Akoya pearls are produced in smaller quantities and are more expensive than white pearls of the same grade.
Natural Akoya pearls have become rare due to overfishing and ocean pollution. In 1893 , Mr. Kokichi Mikimoto, the founder of Mikimoto , successfully cultured pearls for the first time and applied for a technology patent for this. Japanese Akoya pearls are mainly produced in the Seto Inland Sea in Japan's Mie, Kumamoto, and Ehime prefectures, and can produce pearls with a maximum diameter of 10mm ; while Chinese Akoya pearls are mainly produced in Guangxi and Guangdong. The pearls produced are generally between 5mm and 7mm . Since Akoya pearls between 7mm and 8mm are relatively rare, Japanese Akoya pearls larger than 8mm are more popular in the market.
In terms of breeding quality, the artificial breeding conditions of seawater pearls are relatively complex, and attention must be paid to changes in pollution, temperature, and ocean currents in the breeding sea area. Therefore, their general value is higher than that of freshwater pearls. In addition, Akoya pearls are cultivated using core insertion culture technology. An Akoya usually only harvests one pearl. Compared with seedless culture and one pearl oyster can produce more than 20-30 freshwater pearls at a time, Akoya pearls will not be affected by multiple pearls. They squeeze each other and deform, and the shape is more regular, closer to a perfect circle. Akoya pearls have high quality but low output. Japan has strict control over the quality and output of Akoya pearls, and has maintained a steady upward price trend in the market.
