[Pearls_by_Angela_Carol]

It still amazes me at the number of people that ask me if our Akoya pearls are Japanese Akoya pearls and there are some that even ask if they are JPEA Certified Japanese (and a couple that have asked if they have been certified to be 100% Japanese by the JPEA).

I try to educate them and give them the truth, referencing posts and articles here and other places. However, in the end some still say "Thank you for all the information. It was very informative but I would like to have 100% Japanese Akoya pearls."

It is just so frustrating that a hand full of businesses will blaitently lie (yes, I do think that they know the truth and are intentionally misleading the customer in an effort to make their pearls seem better than everyone elses) to the customer and for some reason they will believe the lie. There is no "proof" that is offered with the lie, only the word of the retailer. However, when proof is presented to the contrary, some people still will not believe it.

It makes me want to start a website that does noting but list all the absurd claims that some pearl retailer make - but that would bring them more attention than they deserve.

[mikehrz]

Is there any difference in the percentage of quality pearls at the harvest level between the 2 countries?

[jshepherd]

Sure there is. Japan has always maintained a higher percentage. But the equivalent qualities across the board exist, and that is the argument. If the quality is the same and the product is identical in every way so that even producers in China and Japan cannot tell the difference, how can there be a difference in value? There can't be, and there isn't. If you think about it, the statement that Japanese is better and more valuable than Chinese ,simply based on where the strand was purchased, really makes no intelligent sense whatsoever.

[mikehrz]

I wasn't disagreeing with your stance on the Chinese-vs.-Japanese debate. I was just curious if there was any such difference.

---I HAVE JUST FOUND SOMETHING I THINK IS WORTH SHOUTING ABOUT (AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY )!!---

(you're gonna love this, Jeremy)

This page: americanpearl.com/mik65x7mm16c1.html
is for 6.5 x 7 mm AA quality Japanese akoya. 16" necklace: $990.

This page: americanpearl.com/65x7mmaaaqua7.html
is for 6.5 x 7 mm AAA quality Chinese akoya. 16" necklace: $375.

This page: americanpearl.com/65x7mmaaqual.html
is for 6.5 x 7 mm AA quality Chinese akoya. 16" necklace: $275.

Now, take a look at the pictures on each of those pages that shows the "magnified view" and the "nacre view." All 3 pages use the same image! In fact, they display the exact same image file!

A company that claims to be "the Internet's Premier online source for premium quality pearls," that goes so far as to say "we felt it is very important to draw a "clear line in the sand" between Chinese Akoya cultured pearls and Japanese Akoya cultured so consumers can understand the value and quality differences for themselves," apparently feels that the difference isn't large enough to bother taking separate close-up photos of the Chinese pearls.

Question for any pearl retailer that posts here:

Would you feel comfortable using the same "detail" photo for a piece that costs $990 as for a piece made of supposedly inferior-quality pearls that costs $275? (Actually, the AA Japanese can be had in a 51" length for $3156. But apparently you'll just be getting more "superior" Japanese pearls that are, according to American Pearl's site, indistinguishable from their Chinese counterparts.)

Maybe it's just me, but I was shocked, though somehow not surprised, that a company that makes such a big deal out of the superiority of Japanese pearls feels comfortable enough to use a single image as representative of both Japanese and Chinese akoya.

American Pearl, I'm calling you out. Charlie Bakhash, "a modern day Mikimoto," Eddie Bakhash, who started the pearl-education forum because you "believe that Consumers are entitled to the truth about finer quality pearls," how can you defend yourselves?

Excuse me while I don't hold my breath waiting for their response.

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Mike,

I recommend you read the copy of the Mikimotoamerica.com site. They say that "Mikimoto pearls are known as hanadama" as if all Mikimoto grades were hanadama and better.

Zeide

[Pearls_by_Angela_Carol]

This page: americanpearl.com/mik65x7mm16c1.html
is for 6.5 x 7 mm AA quality Japanese akoya. 16" necklace: $990.

This page: americanpearl.com/65x7mmaaaqua7.html
is for 6.5 x 7 mm AAA quality Chinese akoya. 16" necklace: $375.

This page: americanpearl.com/65x7mmaaqual.html
is for 6.5 x 7 mm AA quality Chinese akoya. 16" necklace: $275.

Well, there is a larger issue here. How can they guarantee to the customer that the first sting mentioned is 100% Japanese? Is it because they purchased the strand from a Japanese factory? The fact is that pearls 7.5mm and below purchased from the Japanese pearl factories are up to 80% Chinese and the farms in Japan do not sell directly to retailers or wholesalers. See this article: http://www.pearl-guide.com/japanese-akoya-pearls.shtml

So - either AP is that naive (which I doubt) or they are trying to recoup their losses on the strands they purchased in Japan vs the strands they purchased in China.

[mikehrz]

Originally Posted by Zeide Erskine

Hi Mike,

I recommend you read the copy of the Mikimotoamerica.com site. They say that "Mikimoto pearls are known as hanadama" as if all Mikimoto grades were hanadama and better.

Zeide

True, and that is misleading. (of course, they price them like they're all hanadama+, don't they?) However, on the point-of-sale page, they do at least indicate what grade pearls you're getting, and they have a link to the grading system. It might give some buyers pause to consider if Miki's A+ is really any better than the A+ found at other retailers for a fraction of the price. I guess you could say some attempt at honesty is being made, however slight it might be.

Originally Posted by Pearls_by_Angela_Carol

How can they guarantee to the customer that the first sting mentioned is 100% Japanese? Is it because they purchased the strand from a Japanese factory? The fact is that pearls 7.5mm and below purchased from the Japanese pearl factories are up to 80% Chinese and the farms in Japan do not sell directly to retailers or wholesalers.

We know our strands are the best because we get the first look of the Japanese Akoya pearl harvest each year as we have been doing so for the past 55 years.

we’re always guaranteed the cream of our farmers’ crops

This gives you the impression that their pearls come straight from the farms. How accurate this is, who can say? And if the strands have a "product of Japan" tag, there's no way to disprove the claim, regardless of the percentage of "inferior" Chinese pearls it may contain.

My point was that it's the height of hypocrisy to make such a big deal about how Japanese pearls are better than Chinese and then have both kinds represented by the same photo at the point of sale. If AP can't seem to tell the difference between the Japanese and Chinese pearls, and they've been in the biz for "55 years," why should any of the rest of us care?

Imagine walking into AP's NY store and asking to see an AA Japanese strand. The salesperson tells you how important it is to get Japanese akoya because they're better than the Chinese. Then you ask to see a Chinese AA strand. The salesperson then says, "Oops. Actually, you're already holding one." You then ask why the salesperson couldn't tell the difference right away if the Japanese are so much better. What response could they offer?

[jshepherd]

I think we are missing a point on those "chinese" strands they have for sale. It is an obvious attempt to make Chinese look less valuable than Japanese. It has to be clear to you guys that they have absolutely no interest in selling Chinese. Just look at the pictures. They have always had the most touched-upped pictures on the Web that look border fake, and now the Chinese look like an intentional makeup disaster on Ru Paul - you cannot tell what they are trying to portray. They obviously want it to look bad.

Regardin the "product of Japan" tag, this was (until just a few years ago) on every strand of cultured pearls produced in the world, from every producing company. The Japanese supplied technology for new farms around the world, and they retained the exclusive right to market the pearls. This means, they had a monopoly on the marketing side of the industry. Even freshwater pearls from Mississippi where exported to Japan where they were slapped with a "product of Japan" label, and sold as Biwas. All pearls produced around the world were sold through the Japanese pipeline, and were ALWAYS "product of Japan" as soon as they touched the Japanese shores.
All the Tahitians, Chinese freshwater, South Sea, etc. pearls that are traveling through Japan even today, exit with that "Product of Japan" label. Now, all of us in the industry know exactly what that is supposed to mean - simply that any one part of the individual piece was processed or changed in Japan. This could be nothing more than dropping the pearls in a polisher - suddenly the pearls are "Product of Japan". It DOES NOT mean that the pearls were cultured in Japan.
But don't take my word for it, go to any "Japanese Backed" pearl company in your area and check their loose hanks for yourself. Maybe you can ask the people behind the counter why all the strands of even Chinese freshwater and Tahitian pearls are marked, "Product of Japan".

Any retailer that tells a consumer that their product has been cultured in Japan simply because the necklace has this label or has a JPEA tag, is LYING! It is outright, intentional deception.

[Pearls_by_Angela_Carol]

Originally Posted by jshepherd

Any retailer that tells a consumer that their product has been cultured in Japan simply because the necklace has this label or has a JPEA tag, is LYING! It is outright, intentional deception.

This is another thing that gets me. Since we have been discussing Pearls Only (in another thread), I will used them as an example. They clearly state on their site:

The blue tags shown on our Akoya Pearls are Japan Pearl Exporters' Association Inspection Tags.

This guarantees that the pearls are truly Japanese Akoya Pearls.

This is 100% false. Nowhere does the JPEA criteria does it specify country of origin or even type of pearl. So, not only does it not signify they are Japanese Akoya, it does not even signify they are Akoya at all.

[Pearls_by_Angela_Carol]

Originally Posted by jshepherd

I think we are missing a point on those "chinese" strands they have for sale. It is an obvious attempt to make Chinese look less valuable than Japanese. It has to be clear to you guys that they have absolutely no interest in selling Chinese.

I have just noticed something interesting and, in my opinion, is about as low as you can get in deceiving the customer. The pictures that American Pearl is using for their so called "Chinese Akoya" are actually photos of their A Grade Akoya (yes you read that right - A Grade) with some pink added.

Take a look at the AAA grade Chinese Akoya on this page:
americanpearl.com/65x7mmaaaqua7.html

and then look at the A Grade Akoya on this page:
americanpearl.com/775naone.html

If you superimpose the two pictures you will see that they are the same photo! Even better, if you are using FireFox as a browser, open each page in a separate tab and then tab back and forth between the two. Unbeleivable!

In their own words, in their "Quality Check" section they say "Don't let a seller's A+ quality sneak by you as a AAA." This is exactly what they are doing! Selling A Grade pearls as AAA Grade...

[CortezPearls]

Excellent thread! I read avidly all of your contributions, tought one more would not hurt, so here goes my 1 cent contribution:
I guess one factor not being considered in the overall equation between the price of Japanese & Chinese Akoyas is BRANDING. After all, Japanese Cultured Pearls were the first and the best (being no other available) for some decades...this caused an effect in people, that I still see almost everyday.
Even here in Mexico, people will swear by their Japanese Akoyas, even if they have all flaked and gone to utter ruin. They arrive at my store with these disgraceful specimens and WILL BELIEVE THEY ARE PERFECT.

The other "factor" in our equation could be PLACE OF ORIGIN. People have been taught to place emphasis on the Origin of a Product. The "Made with Pride in the USA", "Compre lo Bien Hecho en Mexico" campaigns do work with many individuals. Would you prefer a Japanese made Whisky or Tequila (they do make them in Japan) over one made in its place of origin? Most people will say "Yes!".

These factors have an effect...the thing is: How to re-inform the final consumer? Education, education, education...but let us imagine a "typical customer" if you will: he comes running into a store to purchase a pair of pearl earrings for your girlfriend because he forgot TODAY was her birthday. Will he have the time to "become educated"?or will he shout at the sales-person "Gimme a pair of Japanese Akoya earrings in 18K!" (as if being burguers)?

Fortunately -for Mankind- we have the Pearl-Guide Pearl Forum.

Best Regards to all.

Douglas McLaurin

[Valeria101]

Originally Posted by CortezPearls

...

Fortunately -for Mankind- we have the Pearl-Guide Pearl Forum.

... and girls doing their own shopping