Pearl is one of the most valuable gemstones available on earth. It is produced inside a living shelled mollusk’s soft tissue. Pearl Jewelry is considered to be unique and gives a refined look to anyone. For centuries, Pearl and pearl jewelry has captivated people with its rare radiance. For those born on June, Pearl and Alexandrite are the birthstones.

The great ancient civilizations all shared a love for the alluring glow of pearls. Each attached different meaning and significance to the wish pearl, but one thing remained the same; the pearl was a symbol of the bounty and wealth of their culture and land. From Ancient Egypt to Ancient Rome, pearls were desired as a symbol of status and wealth. The ancient civilizations of China and Greece also prized the pearl from their earliest history. Even the Indian and Aztec civilizations of the Americas valued the pearl as a special part of their being. From the 4 corners of the Earth, our ancestors agreed that pearls were truly something special. Its beauty is truly universal.

The Akoya is the original cultured pearl. It is the one that Mikimoto had a hand in developing and the first cultured pearls that were commercially successful. The name Akoya comes from the name of the oyster which is found predominately in Japan and China. Its scientific name is Pinctata fucata. The Akoya oyster is rather small when compared to the oysters used in cultivating SouthSea and Tahitian pearls. It produces pearls that range in size from 2MM to 9MM.

Akoya pearls are available in various shapes and eight basic shapes in which pearls are found are round, semi-round, button, and drop, pear, oval, baroque and circled. Semi-round pearls and button pearls are used for necklaces. Drop and pear shaped pearls are used in making earrings, pendants and centre piece of a pearl necklace. Baroque pearls come in interesting and irregular shapes. They are used in necklaces.

Akoya pearl oysters are now grown in hatcheries to insure a constant supply. The oysters are fed a grown microscopic organism called plankton. A few months into their growth period the oysters are moved from the hatcheries to the cultivating areas where they are monitored and fed until they are strong enough to withstand the nucleating operation. In the operation, a technician inserts a shell bead nucleus together with a piece of mantle from a donor oyster into the mollusk’s gonad area. This piece of mantle forms a sac over the nucleus and the sac secretes nacre over the bead nucleus. This secretion will eventually lead to a cultured pearl.