A Brief History
On July 11, 1893, after 5 years of work and nearly broke, Mikimoto Kokichi finally produced cultured pearls, starting a new industry and providing high quality pearls to the masses.
Digging Deeper
Prior to the cultured pearl industry, divers would recover pearls from just a few species of oyster, hard work and a hit or miss proposition since not all of these oysters had jewelry quality pearls, and of course, there was much variation in size, shape, and color.
Mikimoto’s first pearls were what are known as “mabes,” a dome shaped pearl of high quality, but not the familiar round ones we mostly see today. Still, by 1897 he had created an export company and found a ready market. By 1905 using the techniques pioneered by other researchers, Mikimoto perfected the production of round pearls, but the modern cultured pearl industry did not begin until 1916 and really take off until the 1920‘s.
Pearls are created inside an oyster when a foreign object gets inside and is coated with a material called nacre. Layer upon layer of this material forms the pearl, which can vary in shape and color depending on the material at the core and local chemical composition of the water and material in the water. On pearl farms, these variables are controlled by the pearl farmer who injects the core material into the oyster and controls what chemicals are added (or not) to create a color tint to the pearl that forms.
Cultured pearls are real pearls created by the oyster, but are given a jump start by injecting the core material, which can vary from metal to tiny pieces of an oyster. The big advantage of cultured pearls is the ability to mass produce them with a reliable harvest and to induce shape and color changes to meet market needs.
Mikimoto and his company became the premier producer of cultured pearls, engaging in publicity stunts such as mass burning lower quality pearls to show that he would only sell the highest quality pearls. Soon other Japanese and Chinese companies produced these valuable orbs, and continue to produce them today. Millions of cultured pearls are produced annually, and Mikimoto’s company brings in over 300 million Euros annually.
Mikimoto died in 1954 at the age of 96, leaving a legacy of happy women and girls wearing his high quality pearls in every imaginable form of jewelry such as necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets, pins, pendants, and anything else that can be conceived. (Of course, men and boys also wear pearl jewelry, especially cuff links, studs and such.)
Question for students (and subscribers): Do you wear pearls? Let us know what your favorite pearl jewelry is in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Muller, Andy. CULTURED PEARLS – The First Hundred Years. Golay Buchel USA Ltd.,1997.