The Akoya pearl comes from a small oyster called 'Pinctada Fucata'. In the late 1800's these Japanese native Akoya oysters had been depleted by over harvesting of natural pearls. A Japanese man, by the name of Kokichi Mikimoto, considered the 'father' of the cultured pearl, became interested in preserving the oyster stock and started playing with the idea of cultivating them. It took a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication and multiple setbacks, but on July 11, 1893, Mikimoto successfully cultured the first semi-spherical pearl in the world.The cultured Akoya pearl was introduced to the world in the early 1900's and a gem once accessible only to the elite and nobility, pearls were now available to the masses.
Cultivating pearls is hard work and requires a great deal of patience. The majority of Akoya pearls is produced in Japan, but are also produced in other asian-pacific areas.
The average time it takes an Akoya pearl to form is 10-14 months. The pearl is created by implanting a round shell bead along with a small piece of mantle tissue into the body of the oyster. The round shell bead is the reason why Akoya pearls are more often perfectly round.
It is considered to be the classic pearl used for pearl strand necklaces, because it is cultivated for roundness.
The grading scale for Akoya pearls goes like this:
1. Hanadama Quality (1% of harvest)
2. AAA Quality (5% of harvest)
3. AA+ Quality (5-10% of harvest)
4. AA Quality (60% of harvest)
5. A Quality (50% of harvest)
When choosing Akoya pearls there are several different quality factors to look at.
Factor 1 is luster. This is considered the most important quality. Luster is measured on a of scale of high and low. High luster pearls usually have a thick nacre and are quite reflective, which gives them their glow and shine. The higher the luster, the higher the price.
Factor 2 is surface. The quality of the surface refers to kind and number of blemishes (I like to call them 'birth marks') on the surface of the pearl. It is usually evaluated on a scale from 'clean' to 'heavily blemished'. The fewer blemishes, the higher the value.
Factor 3 is shape. The perfectly round shape is the rarest, but although the other shapes are less costly, they can still have a high luster.
Other shapes include: near round, baroque, semi-baroque, drop, button, oval, circled or ringed. It is often a matter of personal taste, which shape you choose, as the non-round shaped can be just as beautiful and appealing as the round ones.
Factor 4 is color. The Akoya pearls are generally white and when talking about color in connection with Akoya pearls, it is more a matter of hues and overtones like grey, blue, gold, rose, cream and silver - all pastel tones. If you find strong colored Akoya pearls, there is a good chance that they have been dyed.
The hue and overtones of the Akoya pearls do not influence the price much; it is rather a matter of preference.
Factor 5 is size. The Akoya oyster is relatively small and as a result the pearls they produce are on the small side, compared to other types of pearls, with a 7mm pearl being an average size. They typically vary from 2mm to 10mm in size.
