Happy belated Easter to all- we’ve been pretty busy over here, getting the new site ready for launch, uploading all our featured products, creating new descriptions and gorgeous new photographs for all of our pearl jewelry… In the process we decided to add a smaller, more affordable Hanadama size- 7.0-7.5mm, which will be featured on the new site along with our traditional sizes in the Hanadama Pearl Collection. With prices starting at under $2,000.00 for a princess length necklace, we are firm in our commitment to continue offering the best deals for the most beautiful pearls around!

 

As I’m sure you all know, Hanadama pearls are among the very finest Akoya pearls- renowned the world over for their superior luster, brilliance, nacre thickness and gorgeous overtones. Each 18-inch necklace comes with it’s own Gemological Report from the famed Pearl Science Laboratory in Tokyo, Japan, along with our GIA-Graduate Prepared Appraisal. We are looking excitedly towards the near future when we’ll be able to expand on this collection further- hopefully to include non-treated, natural-color Hanas soon! I’ll be keeping you posted for further developments, and have a fantastic Spring!!!      

                                                     

 

I have some very exciting news about our 6.5-7.0mm Akoya pearls; as of today, PurePearls.com will be focusing exclusively on our new line of very fine, very lustrous, simply stunning Japanese Akoya pearls! Our new Japanese Akoya line is virtually spotless, featuring crisp, razor-sharp luster and gorgeous coloration that is oh-so drool worthy (see the pictures below taken with my Dinky Digitalâ„¢ today for color examples).

 

Our continual desire to provide a wide range of pearl jewelry choices for all of our customers has led us in this new direction; the lack of availability of high quality Chinese Akoya in this size range, as well as multiple environmental disasters for Chinese pearl farms for the past few years, combined to help make this decision an easy one. You may notice a slight price increase due to the upgrade which we do regret, however I think at the end of the day, you’ll be totally, completely satisfied with the quality and beauty of every strand of Japanese Akoya pearls purchased through PurePearls.com. Enjoy! 

                                                    

Pamela H.-Missoula, MT  Hi Pamela!   In order to answer your question correctly, I need to give you a little history first… The Japanese were the very first to pioneer cultured pearl technology, and have had many more years than the Chinese to perfect their culturing and processing techniques. To this day, they are considered by many to be the undisputed masters of their art. From the early 1900’s through the 1990’s, Japanese Akoya pearls were the only option when purchasing Akoya pearls as well! Additionally, they are still the only source for Gem-Quality Hanadama, or ‘Flower-Pearls’ as they are also called.  The Chinese decided to try their hands at culturing Akoya pearls and grabbing a share of the saltwater pearl market starting around 1980. At first, the pearl farmers focused solely on flooding the market with cheap pearls as quickly as they could harvest them, similar to the Freshwater ‘Rice Crispy’ pearls that flooded international markets during the 1980’s. Many consumers and jewelry insiders quickly shunned the Chinese Akoya and Freshwater pearl products as cheap and poor quality, incomparable with that of their Japanese counterparts. Blinking, poor coloration, heavy chemical bleaching and over-treatment, as well as a heavy ratio of pearls displaying an unacceptable rate of blemishing all too easily became the widely-acknowledged reputation for Chinese Akoya.  However, Chinas’ rapid technological advancements in perfecting their culturing process as well as their new outlook regarding the quality of the pearls that are allowed on the market have become important factors for Chinese pearl farmers and exporters over the last decade. Quality has vastly improved, to the point that it is nearly impossible to tell the difference between Japanese and Chinese Akoya; indeed, it is impossible to distinguish origin for gemological laboratories around the world! Although they have not yet mastered the nucleation techniques of larger Akoya, 8.0mm and up, the Chinese have done an admirable job of attaining quality craftsmanship levels in Akoya pearl sizes ranging from 4.0-8.0mm.  The Japanese, meanwhile have decided not to compete with China any longer for market share in the smaller sizes, choosing instead to specialize on larger Akoya 7.5/8.0mm through 9.5mm (10.0mm has been seen on the market, but this size is rare for Akoya and command a premium.) where their cultivation and processing techniques are still recognized as being of superior quality. So, the standard rule of thumb is: if the pearls are under 8.0mm in size, the statistics say it is probably Chinese in origin.