[jshepherd]

Attention sellers who are selling Handama certified Akoya pearls on your Websites!

I think you should be aware of something that has recently been posted on a popular Website. You can find the quote below:

Unfortunately, there are numerous sellers selling Chinese Akoya Cultured Pearls as Hanadama. Doubly unfortunate is the fact that the Pearl Science Laboratory does not distinguish between Japanese Akoya and Chinese Akoya on their certificate. As such, it is possible to encounter a Hanadama certificate for Chinese Akoya that is worth considerable less than Japanese Akoya.

This is obviously an attempt at explaining why they have they most expensive Hanadama prices on the Internet. But I have done a bit of a research online today and found that no other sellers are selling Hanadama smaller than 7.5-8mm, which means that no other online sellers are selling Chinese cultured Hanadama pearls. There is only one seller that I have found that is selling smaller Hanadama certified. The only Hanadama certified pearls online that could possibly be Chinese would be theirs, as those of us who actually do know what is going on at the pearl farms in Asia KNOW that the Chinese are not producing quality pearls larger than 7.5mm! A few strands of 7.5-8mm do come out every harvest, but to date I have never purchased them because they are not as good as the Japanese.

I suggest other online sellers denote that your Hanadama strands are indeed cultured in Japan, although many of us do not like to use the term Japanese Akoya since it is essentially dishonest and has been repeatedly deemed inaccurate by numerous industry authorities such as the JCK, JNA, and Pearl World the journal. I suggest simply explaining the truth – larger than 7.5mm is Japanese – smaller than 7.5mm, no one can say honestly they are guaranteed to be Japanese, and they almost certainly contain some pearls cultured in China.

If Chinese Akoya pearls do receive the grade of Hanadama from the same Pearl Science Laboratory of Japan – the highest allowable grade given to Akoya pearls – wouldn’t the argument that Japanese pearls are so much better than Chinese be false? You are stating it on your own Website! That would mean that Chinese Akoya are being produced that are as fine as the top 1% of Japanese harvested today. Well that is the truth. We have all known this for a number of years.

One quick other question; If a seller grades pearls exactly the same way as Mikimoto, and claims that their AAA pearls are of equivalent quality, yet Mikimoto grades their AAA as Hanadama, how can that same seller offer Hanadama at a higher price claiming it is better than their own AAA? Just curious… we could always check out the Mikimoto Website or call one of the stores to verify that Mikimoto's AAA are indeed Hanadama, right?

[TievoliJewelry]

Do any of you remember the death of the typewriter? They were replaced by word processors and computers. But while they were “dying” the manufacturers fought like dogs trying to hold on to their century-long monopoly.

After reading that page on American Pearl I can almost feel the grasping at the air. Why not “buy a computer”, admit that it is the way of the future, and not fade away with tradition? I understand it must be tough to be the only game in town and then find yourself passed up by someone like J Shepard or Amanda Raab like you are standing still. But seriously, flailing is just sad.

There is no question the Chinese are winning the game. Just a decade ago “Biwa” were the only “quality” freshwater pearls. How long did it take the world to realize that the Chinese could indeed produce fine freshwater pearls?

I would also like to point something out. There is no Japanese grading of flawless. The highest grade allowable is very slightly blemished. Show me a lab certificate that says otherwise from Japan. So what is all this preaching of true grading?

Wow, I had to edit this post three times. I am sure glad I do not have to use white-out!

[The Pearl Outlet]

Two points I'd like to make, though they somewhat reiterate what others have posted above.

1.) The country of origin has absolutely nothing to do with the value of an Akoya pearl. Akoya pearls are graded and valued without regard to the country of origin.

2.) Thus far, there's only one site I can find that may include Chinese Akoya pearls in Hanadama certified strands, since they are the only company (so far as I can tell), that are selling Hanadama strands in sizes less than 7.5-8mm.

The bottom line is that you can get Hanadama certified strands for less. They are the same in every aspect including certification, quality, nacre thickness, value, and country of origin (though country of origin doesn't matter), but cost less. We sell them, and so do a variety of other wholesalers.