| They are just referring to Akoya.
When China started breaking out the the Japanese grip in the early nineties, they called Akoya pearls "sea water" pearls. This was not meant to distinguish them from pearls cultured in Japan, it was simply because the only other pearls known to China at the time were freshwater pearls. Some of the booths at different markets still refer to their Akoya simply as seawater pearls.
By adding "Japanese" to their Akoya, they are doing the same thing all other sellers of "Japanese" Akoya try to do. Confuse the consumer with an outdated, nonsensical description to simply charge more. |