Japan's akoya oysters have been preëminent among cultured pearls ever since Kokichi Mikimoto first established the industry in the early part of this century. But since 1994, something has been ...

For example, akoya pearls can only grow about 9 or 10 ... This strand of South Sea cultured pearls is selling for $32,000. The shape and surface of the pearl also impacts its value.

Today, Mikimoto is widely considered the grandfather of cultured pearls. He used Akoya pearls, which are the traditional white round pearls you're probably familiar with. By the 1920s, cultured ...

a senior official at the Tategami Akoya Pearl Aquaculture Corp. in Shima, Mie Prefecture. Ehime and Mie prefectures account for about 60 percent of the nation’s cultured pearl harvest.