| For more than 4000 years pearls have been collected, | | | | succeeded in securing a patent for whole pearl |
| sought, bought and prized as the world's only | | | | cultivation in 1916. The cultured pearl industry it was |
| organically produced gemstone. Long before man | | | | called the Mikimoto Pearl Company. |
| learned how to facet diamonds or cut emeralds, pearls | | | | For more than 50 years the Japanese closely guarded |
| were regarded as the epitome of luxury jewelry, and | | | | their national secret and maintained a virtual monopoly |
| were only afforded to the most wealthy and influential. | | | | of pearl cultivation and marketing. Even ventures |
| For thousands of years people of all cultures sought | | | | outside of Japan in Australia, French Polynesia, |
| the elusive secret of pearls why did they grow, and | | | | Thailand, and Burma were under the direction of |
| how did they grow. Theories ranged from dewdrops | | | | Japanese grafting technicians and operational |
| and tears of the God's, to the most commonly | | | | specialists. Technicians swore an oath to never reveal |
| accepted urban legend of a trapped grain of sand. But | | | | the secret of pearl culture. |
| until the end of the 19th century scientists and shell | | | | This well-kept secret remained with the Japanese until |
| farmers were only able to produce blister pearls, or | | | | the late 1950s and early 1960s when other countries |
| pearls attached to the inside of mollusk shells. | | | | finally developed the same methods for pearl culturing. |
| This all changed when British-expatriate marine | | | | China began culturing akoya pearls in the 1960s as did |
| biologist William Sawville-Kent developed a way to | | | | Tahiti with black South Sea pearls. Australia soon |
| stimulate a mollusk to produce whole pearls in | | | | followed suit producing the largest and most valuable |
| Australia. His technique involved planting a rounded | | | | of all cultured pearls South Sea pearls from the |
| bead inside a mollusk. This had been attempted before, | | | | Pinctada maxima pearl oyster. |
| but he discovered the real secret. Along with the bead | | | | Today pearl farms are found all over the world and |
| he implanted a small piece of donor mollusk mantle | | | | the Japanese dominance over the industry is all but |
| tissue. The perfect combination was born. This small | | | | gone. There are now thousands of pearl farms in |
| piece of tissue acted like a catalyst of pearl production. | | | | China, hundreds in French Polynesia, many in Australia |
| It grew into a pearl sac which enveloped the bead, | | | | Vietnam and Korea, and even some small operations |
| coated it with nacre and produced a pearl. | | | | in India, Venezuela and Mexico. Until recently there was |
| William Sawville-Kent died shortly after discovering this | | | | even a freshwater pearling operation in Tennessee. |
| secret technique, but not before sharing his secret with | | | | This wide-spread pearl culturing technique has finally |
| two Japanese nationals; a Mr. Tatsuhei Mise and Mr. | | | | put owning fine pearl jewelry within the reach of nearly |
| Tokishi Nishikawa. Mise and Nishikawa returned to | | | | everyone. Freshwater pearls can be purchased for as |
| Japan with this technique and immediately filed for | | | | little as a few dollars a strand for low-grade but |
| patents. At this same time pearl farmer Kokichi | | | | genuine pearls. High quality freshwater and akoya |
| Mikimoto was culturing blister pearls but desperately | | | | pearls can now be secured for just a few hundred |
| seeking the secret to whole pearl culturing. The secret | | | | dollars. Even Tahitian pearls no longer cost tens of |
| had finally come to Japan! | | | | thousands of dollars per strand. Pearls are now a |
| After multiple court battles Kokichi Mikimoto finally | | | | beauty afforded to everyone. |