Akoya pearls (Akoya oysters)

Pearls, the most commonly known type of jewelry in the world, are cultivated using Akoya oysters as their mother oysters.

Akoya oysters have been called "Akoya" since the Heian period and are famous as a pearl oyster that produces white pearls, a specialty of Japan.In Japan, they are widely distributed in calm inland bays, from Chiba Prefecture on the Pacific coast to the Noto Peninsula and Okinawa on the Sea of ​​Japan coast, but in recent years, high-quality pearl oysters have become scarce due to over-breeding, where more oysters than can be cultivated in a certain area, marine pollution, and the spread of parasites.

The pearls are characterized by their beautiful, finely grained surface, and are typically white or pink in color. Akoya shells are used as a material for mosaic crafts, and the adductor muscle is a delicacy.

South sea pearl (white pearl)

These are mother oysters for cultivating large pearls over 10 mm in size, commonly known as South Sea pearls. They are the largest of all pearl oysters, and can grow to over 30 cm in shell length.

Before the war, due to the size of their shells, they were used as materials for shell crafts, accessories, buttons, etc. They live in the warm seas of Australia, Thailand, the Philippines, etc. and are said to have a lifespan of about 15 years. In addition to cultivating perfectly round pearls, they are also used to cultivate large semi-circular pearls.

Most of the beads are silver or gold, with pink being a rare occurrence.

Black lipped pearl (black lipped oyster)

Black lipped oysters are the mother oysters used to cultivate so-called black lipped pearls.

Long ago, black lipped pearls were favored as precious stones by royalty and aristocrats in Europe and the Middle East. Black lipped pearls live in tropical seas around the equator, and in Japan they are cultivated in Okinawa and other places.

The beads are a beautiful black color, just as the name suggests.

Mabe pearls (Mabe shells)

All semi-circular pearls are called "Mabe," a nickname that likely came about because the Mabe shell was famous for being used to cultivate semi-circular pearls.

Pearls produced by Mabe shells are characterized by a beautiful iridescent luster with a slight purplish tint, but because the shells themselves are very delicate, they are difficult to cultivate, and in recent years the number of people producing them has gradually decreased.

In Japan, it lives south of the Amami Peninsula and in the Ryukyu Islands.

Freshwater pearl (pond butterfly oyster)

The most representative freshwater pearl oyster is the pond butterfly oyster. In Japan, it was a oyster native to Lake Biwa, but after being transplanted during the Taisho era, it has also begun to inhabit Lake Kasumigaura in Ibaraki Prefecture. Currently, freshwater pearl farming is thriving in Japan, mainly in Lake Biwa, but cultivation is also progressing in China, and pearls are exported worldwide.

Conch pearl (pink shell)

This is a type of snail shell that lives in tropical and subtropical regions, and the natural pearls harvested from this shell are called conch pearls and have long been prized and loved in Europe. Due to the characteristics of the snail shell, it is difficult to insert a nucleus into the shell, so most conch pearls are natural, but in recent years, there have been reports of successful experimental cultivation of conch pearls.