Akoya pearls are the classic cultured saltwater pearls which are cultivated from the oyster species Pinctada fucata martensii. Most Akoya pearl farms are located in Japan and China. The Akoya oyster is the smallest pearl-producing oyster, so Akoya pearls also tend to be small. Their sizes vary between 2 to 11 millimetres. The small Akoya oyster though, shows qualities of a perfectionist by producing pearls which are most consistently round and near-round and admired for their lustre. Akoya Pearls are generally white or cream coloured, exhibiting a striking lustre and overtones of rose, yellow or green. All these qualities make the Akoya pearl the most suitable for matching. A strand of matching Akoya Pearls makes the classic pearl necklace, a beautiful and much admired piece of fine jewellery. Japan was the first country producing a large amount of cultured Akoya pearls, after the techniques of Kokichi Mikimoto were established in the early part of the 20th Century. Japanese Akoya Pearls are still popular today and Japan is the only source for Akoya pearls larger than 8.5 millimetres. About 40 years ago, Chinese pearl farmers began culturing Akoya pearls as well, adopting Mikimoto’s techniques. At first, the success was rather limited and the pearl quality was inferior to the Japanese. Since the early 90’s, the Chinese quality has improved to an extent which makes it impossible to distinguish a Japanese from a Chinese Akoya pearl today. Most Akoya pearls in a size ranging from 4 to 8 mm sold today are of Chinese origin. The production of sizes larger than 8.5 millimetres is still left to the Japanese. Due to the increasing Chinese competition, many Japanese pearl farmers specialise in the production of large Akoya pearls. Many Japanese Akoya of smaller size originate from China and were exported to Japan. There they are processed with pearl treatments or strung and sold on as Japanese Akoya pearls, approximately 80 percent of Akoya pearls smaller than 7 Millimetres sold through Japanese suppliers, were cultured in China. For more information on Akoya pearls please visit:- http://www.pearl-guide.com/akoya-pearls.shtml | 
