Akoya Pearl, the most popular pearl

Akoya pearl,the most popular pearl in the world, commonly seen in pearl strands an in earring.
The Akoya pearl are specialty Japanese pearl farms.The first pearl to be cultured early in 1920s.
Their white color and white ros.The akoya pearl are hight quality pearl and you will find them set with 18k gold posts and clasps.

Salt Water pearl

Pearls form within oysters, which live in the sea, and also within freshwater mollusks. Traditionally, most pearls were gathered from saltwater-dwelling oysters in the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the coastal waters of India and Japan, although China has harvested freshwater pearls for many centuries.

Saltwater pearls tend to be more lustrous than their freshwater counterparts, thereby increasing their desirability and value.

All saltwater pearls produced today are bead-nucleated pearls. Natural pearls are still collected in the Persian Gulf, but the yield is too small to account for any market value, and the pearls collected rarely leave the area.

Saltwater pearls are cultured by taking an oyster and prying it open a mere 2-3 centimeters. A technician then uses a special instrument to make a minute incision on the gonad (reproductive organ) of the oyster. A small nucleus is inserted into this hole, and a tiny piece of mantle tissue is placed behind it. The epithileal cells in this mantle tissue grow around the nucleus producing a pearl sac. This is where the pearl grows. This process is the same for all saltwater pearls cultured today.

The three most common types of saltwater pearls are Akoya pearls, Tahitian pearls, and South Sea pearls

Fresh Water Pearl

The Japanese, at Lake Biwa, are credited with being the first to succeed in cultivating freshwater pearls on a commercial basis, although freshwater pearls in the shape of Buddha had been cultured in China as far back as the thirteenth century. The technical roots of cultivating freshwater pearls are attributed to Masayo Fujita, the "father of freshwater pearl cultivation".

The first harvest of Biwa pearls was in August 1925 and they had a shell bead nucleus like Akoya pearls. By the 1930's they were being sold overseas. Some merchants from India would buy these Lake Biwa pearls from Fujita and then resell them to the Middle East as highly valuable Persian pearls for huge sums of money. One day, it was accidentally discovered that a shell bead is not necessary for the cultivation of a freshwater pearl. All that is needed is the insertion of a piece of mantle (a membranous tissue which secretes nacre and lines the inner shell surface of mollusks). This is a lot less trouble than inserting both a bead and mantle tissue. Also, it was noticed that after the first harvest, mussels can spontaneously grow pearls a second and third time. What this means is that cultured freshwater pearls usually have more pearl nacre than cultured Akoya pearls because most do not have a shell bead nucleus.

Pearls that are cultivated using just mantle tissue are called tissue-nucleated pearls in America and non-nucleated pearls in Britain and Commonwealth countries. When a shell bead is implanted along with a graft of mantle tissue, the resulting pearl is called a nucleated pearl or a head­nucleated pearl (The bead can be any shape; it isn't necessarily round). The general term for any pearl cultivated in a lake, pond or river area is freshwater cultured pearl. For the sake of brevity, this book usually omits the word "cultured" since practically all pearls today are cultured.

Biwa pearls (pearls from Lake Biwa) have enjoyed a great deal of prestige. This is because they tend to have a smooth surface and a high, even luster. Unfortunately, production almost came to a halt in the early 1990's due to the death of most of the Biwa mussels. It is now being resumed. Some dealers still have old stocks of pearls from Lake Biwa to sell, but many pearls which are identified as Biwa pearls are actually from China.

Most freshwater pearls today are produced in China. Their quality has been steadily improving since 1991 and their sizes have been increasing. At the end of 1992, semi-round Chinese freshwater pearls made their appearance on the market and now offer an attractive, lower priced alternative to the round Akoya pearls. Some of the larger pearls are even becoming alternatives to South Sea pearls.

China and Japan are not the only places where freshwater pearls are found. There are many historical accounts about the natural freshwater pearls of Europe and North America. These pearls are still being sold, but in decreasing quantities. Overfishing, flooding and pollution has either dwindled or, in some areas, eliminated the supply of these natural pearls.

2nd Largest Natural pearl

The world's second-largest natural pearl (following the famed Pearl of Asia). Among the other rare pearls up for auction are the 30-millimeter "Rosebud" pearl; 13-millimeter "Golden Dome Oriental" pearl; the two-strand "Oriental" necklace; and 18th-century button-pearl and gold jewelry.

Largest Cultured Pearl and Largest Natural Blister Pearl

Myanmar's largest natural blister pearl was found on 19th April 2001, during oyster fishing at Macleod fishing ground near southern tip of Myanmar-Thailand border. Though the surface of the pearl looked liked a brain, the colour was silvery and lustrous. It weighs 45.06 momme and measures 62 x 50 x 31 mm. It is the largest-ever natural pearl which is nacreous and extracted from a mother of pearl oyster.






On 21st December 1966 we harvested Japanese seeded pearls and obtained an extraordinarily large cultured pearl. The lustre was good, colour was silver and shape was baroque. It weighed 9.80 momme, the width was 32 mm and the height was 41 mm. It is the largest cultured pearl in the World until now.

Pearl, dream for woman

1.Q. How many kinds of pearls in the world, which is the best and why?

1.A. There are natural pearl and cultured pearl. In cultured pearl you will find freshwater pearl and seawater pearl. In seawater cultured pearl, there are half pearl or mabe pearl and spherical pearls. In spherical pearls there are Japanese pearl or akoya pearl, Tahitian pearl or black South Sea pearl and white and gold South Sea pearl. Every pearl has its qualities. But in terms of market value white and gold South Sea pearl is the best. It is because they are less in supply and more in demand. Moreover they have two unique qualities, size and nacre thickness which no other pearl can't beat.

2.Q. What are the value factors of a pearl?

2.A. The value factors of a pearl are Lustre, Nacre thickness, Surface quality, Size, Shape, Color and Matching. Luster is more than just a surface sheen. It is an inner glow from the heart of the gem.
Thick nacre makes good lustre and durability.In an ideal world, all pearls would be spotless. In reality, a completely clean pearl is a rare treasure.Spherical pearls can range from 2mm to more than 20mm in diameter. A larger pearl is more valuable. Pearls are not manufactured by machine. So there are countless numbers of shapes. Out of three major categories, spherical, symmetrical and baroque, spherical are the most expensive.A bold, bright hue like the red of a fine ruby is foreign to the softer world of pearls, but a pearl can be white, pink, gold, yellow, cream, purple, brown, blue, black, green, orange, or many other colours. Certain pearl types typically display certain color ranges. In terms of market value, white-pink pearls are most valuable. Realistically no two pearls are exactly alike. But matching is very important for a string of pearls or jewellery mounted with more than one pearl.

3.Q. What kinds of pearl are produced in Myanmar?

3.A. Currently we produce white and gold South Sea pearls from Pinctada maxima oyster in Myeik archipelago. Once we tried to produce black pearl at Thandwe near Ngapali beach, but it was not successful. Moreover we had tested to produce freshwater pearl and half pearl but not successful to produce economically.

4.Q. Black pearls are very popular in the market, why couldn't we produce that pearl?

4.A. Black pearls are produced from black-lipped oyster Pinctada margaritifera. It means that Pinctada is genus and margaritifera is species. The largest and darkest of these "black-lipped" shells are found around Tahiti. Our black-lipped oysters around Ngapali beach are different sub-species and the size of oyster is very small and the pearls produced are small with no lustre. The pearl oysters can grow and produce pearl only at their natural habitats.

5.Q. When was the earliest record of pearl oyster fishery in Myanmar?

5.A. Pearl oyster of Mergui Islands, being well-known since ancient times, fished for in shallow waters by the Salons, the inhabitants of the same islands, who used free-diving method in collecting shells, were put on the market through the medium of Chinese merchants. In 1890 the Government divided Mergui Islands into five maritime zones, putting the shell collection right up at auction. It was then that men started getting engaged in shell collection, using diving apparatus. The first three fishing vessels were from Queensland, Australia.

6.Q.How do you rear the oyster on the seabed?

6.A. The oysters are reared on the seabed in cages, made up of wire or plastic, which are tied to a
well secured wire cable. The seabed must be flat rock or hard sand. A wire cable can hold 150 cages. Divers in half suit helmet dive down to the seabed at every neap tide and check the oyster cages. They put the cages in proper position. After three or four months the cages are brought back to the surface and divers clean the oysters and if necessary change new cages.

7.Q. How do you rear the oyster on the long lines?

7.A. The 20 to 24 mm diametre long-lines are buoyed by numerous plastic floats and held in place with large iron or cement anchors. Then the oysters, held in 6 or 8 pocket netting panels, are suspended with dropper-lines attached to massive long-lines so that oysters hang a few metres beneath the surface where maximum food is available.

8.Q. What is a pearl made of ?

8.A. Pearls are organic gems that form inside the body of a mollusk. Pearls are made up of layers of nacre, a natural substance produced by mollusks that also coats the inside of the animal's shell. Nacre is made up mostly of calcium carbonate. A cross-section of the pearl reveals numerous concentric circles of fine, translucent nacreous material, each approximately 0.5 microns (0.0005mm) wide. A mollusk secrets 2 to7 layers of pearly film each day.

9.Q. How does one measure loose pearls and necklaces?

9.A. For loose pearls weight is measured by traditional Japanese unit momme and kan. One momme is equal to 3.75 grams and also equal to 20.63 rati. The size of loose pearl is expressed by millimetre. But the length of necklace is measured in inches. This mix-up, interestingly, is accepted worldwide, so that one can say pearls are truly international product.

10.Q. What type of pearl is the best to buy?

10.A. Within your budget, buy quality. Rather than a large, dull pearl, choose a smaller one with attractive luster. The lustre is more important than size, color, shape or surface spots. Fine pearls don't have to be round. An elegant drop, and attractive button or a unique baroque-shaped pearl can be lovely too. A fine quality pearl need not be silver-pink or peacock-black. Buy the color that you find appealing. More over a pearl with a surface that is only slightly spotted should not distract you, especially when you are charmed by the luster, color, shape, size and price.

How to Choose Fine, Quality Pearl Jewelry

Today fine pearls compete with the finest diamonds and jewelry and it is important to know how to determine the difference between fine quality pearls and average pearls. Choosing pearls that are of the best quality are determined by luster, nacre thickness and quality (the outer layer), color, surface perfection, shape, and size. Become an expert at distinguishing quality with these tips.

Pearls: The Treasures of the Sea

Pearl, the birthstone for June, is among the most timeless, classic and treasured of all gems. Throughout history, these noble gems have been associated with wisdom, wealth, purity, romance and mystery. The ancient Egyptians were buried with them. In Rome, pearls were considered the ultimate symbol of wealth and status. The Greeks prized them for their beauty and association with love and marriage. Medieval knights wore them in battle as a talisman against injury. And during the Renaissance, some European countries banned all but nobility from the right to wear them.

It's hard to believe that such a luscious, beautiful gem comes from such humble origins. A natural pearl starts out as a grain of sand or microscopic worm that works its way into an oyster and cannot be expelled. To protect its soft body from this irritant, the oyster secretes a smooth, hard crystalline substance called nacre. Layer upon layer of nacre coats the foreign object and hardens, ultimately forming a pearl. In general, the thicker the nacre, the richer the "glow" of the pearl - which can greatly enhance its value.

Although early pearl gathering depended on divers braving the oceans' depths to retrieve these treasures, the vast majority of pearls today are grown, or cultured, on pearl farms by surgically inserting a small shell bead, or nucleus, into the mantle of an oyster.

Even though pearls are harvested en masse on pearl farms, producing a quality pearl is an extremely rare event. It is estimated that half of all nucleated oysters do not survive - and of those that do, only 20% bear marketable pearls.

Pearls - the recommended gift for couples celebrating their third and 30th wedding anniversaries - are cultured in a variety of sizes, shapes, colors and kinds:

• Akoya pearls are the classic round pearls found in most quality pearl jewelry. They are mainly grown in the waters off Japan. They come in a range of hues, including white, cream, pink and peach.
• White South Sea pearls are grown in Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and other areas of the South Pacific and are prized for their large size.
• Tahitian pearls, grown in French Polynesia, can be very large and come in a range of natural colors from gray to black to green to purple. Because of their large size and unique dark colors, they command very high prices.
• Mabe pearls, grown in Japan, Indonesia, French Polynesia and Australia, are usually flat-backed because they form against the inside shell of the oyster rather than within the oyster's body. They are often used in earrings and rings.
• Freshwater pearls are grown in bays, lakes and rivers primarily in Japan, China and the United States. They are often irregularly shaped, of various colors, and are less lustrous than saltwater cultured pearls hence, they are substantially cheaper.

When shopping for pearls, the five factors that determine value are luster (surface brilliance); surface cleanliness (absence of spots, bumps or cracks); shape (generally, the rounder the pearl, the higher its value); color (pearls come in virtually every hue of the rainbow, and a few others, too); and size (the average pearl sold is 7-7.5 millimeters, but these gems can be as small as 1 millimeter or as large as 20 millimeters). High-quality pearl strands will feature pearls well-matched in these characteristics.

Because pearls are soft, ranking only 2.5-4.5 on the Mohs scale for hardness, they require special care. Natural oils from the skin, as well as hair spray, lotions and cosmetics, can dull their luster. Like other jewelry, they should be cleaned with a soft damp cloth and stored in cloth or cotton away from other jewelry to prevent scratching. Also, avoid allowing your pearl to come in contact with harsh chemicals, which can erode its surface. And if worn frequently, pearl necklaces should be brought to a jeweler once a year for re-stringing to prevent strand breakage.