Boss' String of Pearls

Kokichi Mikimoto is definitely seen as the father of modern day pearls as the creator of the beautiful Akoya pearl. His Akoya pearls, farmed exclusively off the coasts of Japan, are among the most beautiful and high quality pearls in the world. They have a gorgeous luster and are the perfect pearls for stringing long strands together. Akoya pearls are known all over the world, as is Mikimoto.

Mikimoto spent years perfecting the growth and harvesting of the Akoya pearls. He loved his pearls and had a passion for creating beautiful jewelry. Over a period of ten years, Mikimoto hand picked some of the best pearls that came through his farms. With these pearls, he designed a graduated pearl necklace that is of the utmost beauty. The necklace consists of 49 pearls, graduated in size with the center pearl 14mm in diameter. All of the pearls on this necklace are shiny, pearly white and almost perfectly round. His creation was given the nickname of the 'Boss's String of Pearls'. This necklace is on display to this day at the Mikimoto Memorial Hall in Toba, Japan.

Designing beautiful jewelry was almost as big of a passion for Mikimoto as the pearls themselves. As his Akoya pearls began to make a name for themselves around the world, Mikimoto began to share his treasure with aristocrats everywhere. It wasn't until after a member of the Imperial household however took pearls as gifts to the Count of St. James that Mikimoto really began to focus on his jewelry designs. In 1906, he opened the first jewelry store that specialized in pearls. His store and designs quickly gained worldwide attention.

Mikimoto is credited with the not only the creation of a fine, high quality cultured pearl but also for making them accessible to people all over the world. Before Mikimoto came along with his Akoya pearls, this gemstone was somewhat of a luxury only worn by the members of highest society. For centuries, pearls represented a person's status in the world and some countries even banned lower class people from wearing the gemstone at all. By creating a high quality, beautiful cultured pearl, Mikimoto was able to mass produce pearls, therefore making them more affordable for people from every walk of life.

You can find Mikimoto's Akoya pearls from many reputable dealers from around the country and even online. Beware however of dealers claiming to have a piece of jewelry that are true Akoya pearls. Japanese Akoya pearls are only sold to factories, not directly to retailers. When the pearls are sold to factories, they are polished, bleached and drilled ' ready for stringing. Since Akoya pearl farms don't sell pre-strung strands of pearls to retailers, many factories who purchase these pearls mix the true Japanese Akoya pearls with Chinese Akoya pearls. The Chinese Akoya pearls are still of high quality and most consumers would never know the difference. So be wary of any dealer who tells you that a strand of pearls is 100% Japanese Akoya because these are very hard to come by.

Piper Smith is the VP of Marketing for Museum Way Pearls, a leading provider of pearl jewelry such as Akoya pearls, pearl necklaces, and pearl earrings. Museum Way Pearls can be found online at: MuseumWayPearls.com .