Perlas and Valeria
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I think there is nothing wrong with buying akoyas as long as the buyers know what they are getting. When we say "pearls", people don't expect a bead inside and are surprised to find out once the akoyas show signs of wear
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This was the dirty little secret of pearl cultivation for almost 100 years. It is also the reason that natural pearl buffs do NOT consider beaded pearls as pearls at all. Bahrain made such pearls illegal. Although other Gulf countries allow the beaded pearls, if you get into the history of the authentinc pearlmen of the Persian Gulf, including Bahrain, you soon find out that they are holding out for a return to "real" pearls!
As Zeide has said, a synthetic emerald with a coating of real emerald on the outside would not be considered an authentic gem by ANYONE!
Mikimoto was able to pull off this outrageous subterfuge beacuse the natural pearl industry virtually collapsed in the early 20th century due to overfishing and the industrial revolution and its new jobs.
He even had to devise a new pearl standard that did not refer to the old standards by which natural pearls were judged. This new standard put roundness and mirror at the top of requirements. I think the value of the beaded pearl industry is in masses of women being able to afford pearl-like objects that did visit in the oyster long enough to take on some nacre.
At least, at the beginning, Miki and Company put thickish layers on the beads. This is why my mo-in-law's pearls and her mother's pearls from the 20's and 30's lasted until my generation and were worn through by my kid's generation. Most of the mass market akoyas do not meet these standards of thickness today and will wear out sooner.
Of course we have also been trained in planned obsolescence and I have seen people posting here that say it is ok with them if pearls wear out regularly!