BWeaves Amazing Journey to Japanese Pearl Farms

In February, 2025, Jeremy Shepherd sent me a message here on Pearl Guide.

"Would you be interested in joining a small select group for an all-expense paid trip to Japan to visit a pearl farm in Uwajima and a behind-the-scenes experience with the JPEA and the JPPS (Japan Pearl Exporters Association and the Japan Pearl Promotion Society)?"

I replied YES immediately. I didn't even have to think about it. I yelled to my husband, "I'm going to Japan. You're not invited." He said, "Have a nice trip."

My trip started on 1-June-2025 and ended 10-June-2025. I just got back and it was wonderful. I have so many interesting things to share with you, that it will take me a while to post everything. So keep checking this thread for updates.

The trip was paid for entirely by the Japanese groups. Jeremy was tasked with putting together a group of influencers who would spread the word about akoya pearls.

Our group consisted of:

Jeremy Shepherd: Owner of Pearl Paradise, Pearl Guide, and the president of the Pearl Association of America, and globally recognized pearl expert.

Hisano Shepherd: Award-winning pearl jewelry designer, professional pearl buyer, and co-leader of Pearl Paradise. She is the creator of little h designs. She currently hosts the Pearl Paradise Live events from LA and around the world.

Tevai: He is the most influential pearl advocate of his generation, redefining how pearls are perceived by younger audiences worldwide. As a third-generation pearl farmer at Kamoka Pearl Farm in French Polynesia, he has harnessed the power of social media to make sustainable pearl cultivation both captivating and aspirational. With 1.6 million TikTok followers, 1.7 million YouTube subscribers, and 744k Instagram followers, his content has amassed nearly 4 billion views—an unprecedented reach in the pearl industry. Through visually stunning and educational storytelling, he brings the intricacies of pearl farming to life, making them accessible and engaging for a digital-savvy generation. Beyond his digital influence, Tevai has bridged traditional pearl farming with modern eco-conscious values. His emphasis on sustainability, marine conservation, and the cultural significance of Tahitian pearls has reshaped how younger consumers perceive pearls, transforming them from mere luxury items to symbols of responsible beauty. As a leading voice within this demographic, Tevai's authentic and innovative approach is actively shaping the industry's future.

Nathalie: She is the creator of The Journey of a Gem, is a certified gemologist (A.G. from AIGS Bangkok) and a prominent social media educator with a substantial European following. Based in Bangkok, she has cultivated a community of over 47,000 collectors, designers, and industry professionals. Her extensive travels to gem mines and markets provide firsthand insights into sourcing and its impact on local communities. Known for her engaging storytelling, Nathalie simplifies complex gemological topics, making education both accessible and captivating. Her high engagement rates underscore her role as a trusted industry voice.
Despite her extensive gemological expertise, Nathalie has yet to visit a pearl farm—an experience she is eager to undertake. She views pearls as a natural extension of her work, aiming to bring transparency and modern appeal to a younger audience. As a stylish educator within the 25-34 demographic, Nathalie aspires to redefine pearls' image while preserving their elegance, bridging the gap between traditional pearl narratives and contemporary jewelry trends. Her Instagram is thejourneyofagem.

Helena: She is a leading key opinion leader in both Europe and Asia, known for her unique blend of gemological expertise, luxury retail training, and digital influence. With over 15 years in the high jewelry industry, she has held senior roles with iconic maisons such as Dior, where she served as a high jewelry manager and client development specialist in Paris. A GIA Accredited Jewelry Professional and certified expert in colored gemstones and pearls, Helena combines deep technical knowledge with a refined understanding of the global luxury market. Now an independent consultant, Helena advises top jewelry houses on client development strategies, provides training for retail teams, and connects ultra-high-net-worth clients with exclusive brands. Her website, slightlyobsessedwith.com, offers insight into her work and philosophy, while her Instagram account (@helena.gems), followed by more than 38,000 people, showcases her storytelling approach—humanizing the luxury experience and highlighting her passion for rare rings and glyptic art. Fluent in English, French, Russian, and Polish, and experienced with Middle Eastern and Chinese clientele, Helena reaches a diverse international audience and brings a highly sought-after perspective to the global jewelry community.

Andrew: He is one of the world’s most influential field gemologists and educators, with over 30 years of experience shaping the industry. As the founder of Mine-to-Market field gemology, he has conducted over 210 research trips, published more than 220 articles, and built a reputation as a foremost authority on colored gemstones, diamonds, pearls, and processing. Now Dean of Guild Gemology Education, he has designed training programs for elite brands like Tiffany, Cartier, and Van Cleef & Arpels, educating professionals in over 50 countries. His expertise and research have redefined industry standards, earning him global recognition.
Andrew’s reach is unparalleled, particularly in Asia, where Guild Gemology Education dominates the field. Guild’s platforms command a following of over 230,000, and its events, including the Guild Aurora International Gem and Jewelry Competition, have amassed an astonishing 80 million views. His live broadcasts and educational content engage massive audiences, solidifying his influence in China’s gem trade and beyond. Through Guild, he has forged key collaborations with leading pearl and gemstone brands, providing industry-shaping insights to a vast global network.

Ruby: She is the president of GUILD Gem Laboratories and is Andrew's boss. Ruby is one of China's most respected gemologists and a leading figure in gemological education across Asia. The GUILD labs specialize in colored gemstones and pearls. As president of GUILD Gem Laboratories and co-founder of the GUILD Institute of Gemology, Ruby has spent over a decade shaping the future of gemstone knowledge and certification in China. She has personally visited major mining regions around the world, bringing rare first-hand field experience to her classroom and lab. Under her leadership, GUILD has become China's premier gemology academy, developing internationally respected training programs that bridge global standards with local industry needs.

BWeaves: And then there was me. I'm a retired computer engineer from Florida. I've loved pearls ever since I was little. Jeremy introduced the Pearls As One course during the first RUCKUS I attended, and I was one of the first 15 people to complete the Pearls As One course. I've been posting on Pearl Guide for years, sharing my collection and enjoying the pearl discussions that happen here every day. With everyone else on this trip being a certified gemologist or pearl farmer, I felt like the least qualified member of the group. However, everyone gravitated to me as the one with the most pearl knowledge (excepting Jeremy and Hisano, of course).

Jeremy was concerned that we were such a diverse group, but we all bonded instantly! Within an hour, it was like we'd known each other for years.

#pearlassociation

First up, what to wear? I knew I had to wear akoya pearls for this trip. Plus, I wanted to make sure that everyone important to me was represented.

From the top!

Mikimoto earrings.
Little h emerald and pearl tin-cup and little h emerald and soufflé pearl enhancer, all made by Hisano.
Natural white Hanadama rope bought from Jeremy at Pearl Paradise.
South Sea, Japanese akoya, and Chinese freshwater pearl tin-cup from Sarah at Kojima Pearl.
Peacock Tahitian ring from Kamoka Pearl Farm, bought from Tevai's mother Celeste.
Vintage akoya pearl ring inherited from my mother. She would have loved this trip.

I started on Sunday, 1-June-2025, from Orlando, Florida. I flew to Minneapolis to Haneda Airport in Tokyo, and then on to Matsuyama. I travelled for 26 hours, and managed to somehow get a taxi to the hotel and collapse onto the bed. I was exhausted. I'm glad a googled the hotel rooms before I arrived, or I would have been shocked at the size of the room. But there was plenty of room. It was quiet and cosy.



I had tried to learn a few Japanese words before I went, because I thought it would look like I tried. But I got in trouble every time. When I walked up to the reception desk, the lady spoke to me in English, because I look Anglo. She asked me a question and I answered, "Hai (Yes)" and she immediately started talking fast in Japanese, and I had to say, "No nononnoononno." She went back to English. Then, the next morning, I went up to the roof for breakfast, and they asked me if I wanted coffee or tea, so I said, "Chai." I should have said Ocha, but anyway. They said, "We don't have chai, would you like tea instead." Headdesk. I won't make that mistake again. I know half the world calls tea chai, and the other half calls it tea. Only in America are we goofy enough to call something chai tea, which means tea tea, when what we really want is Indian spiced tea. I just wanted hot green tea.

Breakfast was awesome. I tried everything and loved it. The view out the window was soothing. There was a light misty rain falling. Up top on the left is a castle we visited later in the day.

Tuesday, 3-June-2025

Jeremy, Hisano, and I walked around the covered streets that were like a shopping mall, next to our hotel. We found a store selling pearls, so of course we had to check it out. One strand was very, very pink.



We asked them to take it out for us to look at closer.



The surface quality of the pearls was not great, and the pearls were small. But it was the color that was so unusual.



These pearls are nucleated with pink coral!!!! Notice the coral in the Sango Pearl logo.

Here are two pearls cut in half. The bottom pearl is a typical akoya pearl with a white shell bead nucleus and white akoya nacre surrounding it. The top pearl has a coral bead nucleus surrounded by akoya pearl nacre. Normally akoya pearls are bleached and then pinked (dyed pink). But the Sango pearls are not dyed. The pink color comes from the coral showing through the pearl nacre. The nacre is quite thin on this sample pearl.




This pair of earrings were the only pearls where they had drilled away the nacre so you could see the coral bead at the center. They cost about $190 USD.



I was tempted, but it was my first few hours in Japan, and I knew there was more to come. Plus, they were very small, and I suffer from PSS (Pearl Shrinkage Syndrome) where I keep wanting my pearls bigger and bigger.

We met Ruby and Andy at the hotel at 11 a.m. It was lightly raining. In Florida I would have called this type of rain "humidity." Jeremy kept trying to keep an umbrella over me, and I kept wandering out from under it. We walked across the street to Matsuyama Castle. It's the largest of the old castles in Japan. We took a beautiful hike up the mountain, although I had to keep stopping every two minutes to catch my breath. I'm out of shape. The chair lift up the mountain does not work when it rains, and after seeing the chair lift, I would not have gone on it anyway. No seat belt, no foot rest, just scoop you up and dangle you many feet above the ground for a steep ride up the mountain. Glad we walked. It was only when we got to the top that we realized that they ALSO had an enclosed cable car that we could have rode up on. Still, I'm glad we walked. It was beautiful.

Andy and Ruby.



Me. I'm soaking wet and I don't care. Rubber Birkenstocks were definitely the right choice of footwear for me. Also, my hair is ridiculously weather proof.





Inside the castle, we had to remove our shoes and put on rubber slippers. The stairs were VERY steep. More like ladders.



The trees in Japan are so different from the trees in Florida. When I look at Japanese paintings and prints, the trees and scenery look so stylized. However, seeing the actual trees, I realize that the Japanese artwork is accurately portraying exactly what those trees look like.

We rode the cable car back down the mountain.

At 1 p.m. we walked to a quiet street at the base of the castle and Hisano picked the restaurant. It served local TAIMESHI. It's a rice bowl dish in which sea bream sashimi (locally caught) is dipped in a sauce of raw egg, soy sauce, and dashi stock, plus various toppings, and then poured over the hot rice. It was delicious!!! The table even had instructions in several languages on how to eat TAIMESHI. The bowl on the right had miso soup, but we were not given a spoon. We drank it from the bowl. The black bowl on the left has the hot rice in it.

At 7:15 p.m. we met Nathalie and Helena in the lobby of the hotel. And Jeremy's friend, Takashi, took us out for a multi course, traditional Japanese meal. Private room. Tatami mats. We sat on the floor. AMAZING food. I have no idea what I ate although it was explained to me at time.

Helena, Jeremy, Andy.



Takashi, Hisano, Ruby. Notice the clear glass carafes and clear cups.



Hisano, Ruby, and Nathalie.



Nathalie and Helena ordered cold sake, which was served in clear glass carafes and clear cups. I ordered the hot sake which was served in . . .

PORNOGRAPHY ALERT!!!!!!




It was during this meal that I found out that Takashi owns The Akoya Pearl Company, and it was he who made my natural white Hanadama rope!!! He said he never finds out who ends up with his pearls, because he's a middle man, so he was thrilled to see me wearing them. And I'm always thrilled to know exactly where my pearls came from. This next photo was from later in the trip, when we took a photo together.

The Akoya Pearl Company is a smaller version of what we saw at Otsuki, which I'll tell you about later. They do the full processing, drilling, sorting, and matching etc. The Akoya Pearl Company specializes in the top quality akoya pearls -- Hanadama, Tenyo, GranPearl, etc. etc.



Oh, about my shawl. I'm a hand weaver. It's the "Weaves" in BWeaves. It's not my name.

The shawl is handwoven from my own handspun yarn. The yarn is hand spun from pearl fiber. This is rayon made from ground up pearls (or possibly parts of the shell) instead of the rayon being made from bamboo or cotton. The rayon process involves dissolving the ground pearls in a solution and then extruding the liquid through holes. The liquid then hardens into fine, silk like fibers that can be spun into thread.

I embroidered the shawl with 2mm tiny keshi from Wen Pearls.

Wednesday, 4-June-2025. The Japanese take us on!

We checked out of the hotel and drove to Matsuyama Airport to pick up Tevai. Our group is now complete. We drove to Uwajma City for lunch, and met the Japanese team. We ate Taimeshi again, so those of us "in the know" instructed the newbies how to eat it. Members of JPEA and JPPS, plus a university professor, and 2 videographers joined us. The video guys were constantly filming us and the pearl farmers.

Then we drove to Yamashita Shinju and our first pearl farm!!!!





Let's walk inside!



Takashi and the 2 pearl grafters. Notice how clean the pearl farm is. There was no smell. ZERO smell. No fishy smell. No bleach smell. Everything smelled fresh and clean. The inside rooms. The outside areas where the oysters are put back into the water. Everything, fresh and clean. Every pearl farm we visited had the same level of cleanliness.

On the lower right you can see already opened shells with the mother of pearl inner coating that is created by the mantle tissue that sits next to the shell. When that mantle tissue is put on the inside of an oyster, it forms a pearl sac and starts secreting nacre to form a pearl.



Akoya oysters have been anesthetized and put to sleep before they are operated on.



Donor oysters are opened and a strip of mantle tissue is removed from each half of the shell. It is cut into 1 mm squares, and then a red dye with an antibiotic is squirted over them. The red dye helps the grafters make sure they place the mantle tissue in the right place within the oyster that will grow the pearl.

Donor oysters before harvesting the mantle tissue.



The mantle tissue removed, cut up, and dyed red with the antibiotic.

Each pearl grafter had their own technique for culturing pearls. This gentleman makes a cut in the oyster's gonad, then he inserts a piece of mantle tissue, and then he inserts a round shell bead (the nucleus of the pearl) up against the mantle tissue. Remember, the mantle tissue is tiny, but it's dyed red so the grafter can see that he's put the bead up against the mantle tissue correctly.



After the pearls are grafted, the oysters are put into their baskets for safety and lowered into the water from the floating thingy I can't think of the name of.



Jeremy and Hisano walking down to the end of the dock.



Oysters in the water after grafting.



In a couple of weeks the oysters will be moved further off shore where they each will grow a pearl for a year, or maybe two years. 50% of the oysters may die, or expel their bead. Not all of the pearls will be good. In warm water, the pearl nacre grows fast. In cold water, the pearl nacre grows slow and tight, so they harvest the pearls in the winter when the last layers of nacre are smooth and tight. It makes for a more lustrous and stronger pearl.

The oysters have to be cleaned every two weeks, because parasites and other things will start clinging to the shells. This man has a machine to buff off the crap on the outside of the shells.


In contrast, Tevai said that they have a setup at the Kamoka Tahitian Pearl Farm so that the fish can swim up to the oysters and eat the the stuff clinging to their oysters. So their oysters are kept clean 24x7 with no human intervention. And the fish are happy, too. The akoya farmers didn't think they had the kind of fish that would do that, they'd be more likely to eat the akoya oysters, too.

The Japanese had us scheduled to the minute. We had to go right next door to the next pearl farm. 4 pearl grafters at this farm, and one person on the left cutting up the mantle tissue.



This lovely married couple have been grafting a long time. He's been grafting 50 years, and she's been grafting 40 years. She was also ogling my little h necklace that Hisano made.



I was able to get some video of the mantle cutting process at this farm.

Opening the donor oysters.


Cutting the mantle tissue off. It reminded me of trimming my cuticles on my nails.


Removing the mantle tissue and drying it off.


The next step is to put a strip or two on those blocks of wood, and cutting the strip into tiny 1 mm squares. Then squirting the red dye antibiotic mixture onto the mantle tissue. Now it's ready to be inserted into the pearl oysters.

Fantastic trip, BWeaves! Thank you for all the information and photos. I am looking forward to seeing more!

Now we're off to our 3rd pearl farm. DOI Pearl.



Once again, look how clean everything is. There was no fishy smell anywhere. Everything smelled fresh. Even leaning over the oysters, everything smelled fresh.


Akoya shells cannot be used to make the bead that goes inside the pearl, because the shells are so thin. Mississippi River shells are used, because they are thick. They are cut into cubes, and then polished into spheres.



Cutting up the mantle tissue.



They had a great video setup for watching the pearl grafting. This grafter made a cut in the gonad, put the bead in first, and then followed it with the mantle tissue.

BWeaves and Jeremy et al, thank you for taking us along on your trip. Fascinating.

I had never heard of coral nucleated pearls before.

Pella said:

BWeaves and Jeremy et al, thank you for taking us along on your trip. Fascinating.

I had never heard of coral nucleated pearls before.

Click to expand...

Neither had we!

BWeaves said:

We met Ruby and Andy at the hotel at 11 a.m. It was lightly raining. In Florida I would have called this type of rain "humidity." Jeremy kept trying to keep an umbrella over me, and I kept wandering out from under it. We walked across the street to Matsuyama Castle. It's largest of the old castles in Japan. We took a beautiful hike up the mountain, although I had to keep stopping every two minutes to catch my breath. I'm out of shape. The chair lift up the mountain does not work when it rains, and after seeing the chair lift, I would not have gone on it anyway. No seat belt, no foot rest, just scoop you up and dangle you many feet above the ground for a steep ride up the mountain. Glad we walked. It was only when we got to the top that we realized that they ALSO had an enclosed cable car that we could have rode up on. Still, I'm glad we walked. It was beautiful.

Andy and Ruby.

View attachment 474226

Me. I'm soaking wet and I don't care. Rubber Birkenstocks were definitely the right choice of footwear for me.

View attachment 474227

View attachment 474228

Inside the castle, we had to remove our shoes and put on rubber slippers. The stairs were VERY steep. More like ladders.

View attachment 474229

The trees in Japan are so different from the trees in Florida. When I look at Japanese paintings and prints, the trees and scenery look so stylized. However, seeing the actual trees, I realize that the Japanese artwork is accurately portraying exactly what those trees look like.

We rode the cable car back down the mountain.

Click to expand...

As a fellow Floridian, we notoriously hate umbrellas . You just have to make peace with the rain here and swim through the humidity. You get more wet trying to battle an umbrella.

What an amazing trip! THANK YOU for taking us along with you for your report!

Now, I know you all know and hate those pearl parties that were popular a few years ago. The ones where unscrupulous people would take dead baby akoyas and stuff them with cheap freshwater pearls from China, pack the oysters in formaldehyde, and sell them to people to open and find a pearl. Word finally got out that they were all faked, although I still see kiosks in places where they still part tourists from their money in the name of entertainment. Those are all fake.

What I am about to show you is the real deal. I repeat. What you are about to see is how it's really done, except they would do it in December or January when it's cold, not in June when it's hot like it is today.

At DOI Pearl, they walked out and pulled up a basket of oysters that had been growing pearls for 1 year.



I cannot begin to stress again how clean and fresh they smelled.

This is the oyster I picked.



And this is me getting my pearl out of the oyster. It wasn't as squicky as I thought it would be. Again, I didn't smell like fish afterwards, either. Oysters do not have a brain. They do not have a nervous system. Parts of the oyster are eaten. Other parts are used for fertilizer. Nothing goes to waste.


Not everyone had a pearl in their oyster. They had to pick a second oyster. A couple of times, the man wouldn't let us touch certain oysters, because he said they were dead. (And that was Ruby wanting to use the guy's knife to do it herself.)

This is my pearl and my oyster shell. Pearls are not always pretty when they come out of the shell. They need to go through maeshori.
This is pre-processing to clean, remove stains, and improve luster. Then the pearls are bleached. Then they are pinked (dyed pink) because that's the color most people want.

Hisano got a blue drop shaped pearl from her oyster. I was jealous.



Then we were given tiny little bags to keep our pearls in.

The 4th pearl farm. Only 2 grafters here.


The grafter inserted a bead, then 2 pieces of mantle tissue, and then a second bead. Back in the day, all pearl farms did two nuclei beads per oyster, but I suspect this was back when the oysters were larger. Akoya oysters today are very small and most pearl farms only do one nuclei bead per oyster. I don't remember hearing if this farm managed to get twice the pearls per oyster used or whether it was a lower percentage but still worth doing.

This 4th pearl farm is the ramp on the right. The ramp on the left is a different pearl farm.



Jeremy and Hisano at the back. Takashi in the middle. And Tevai in the front. I was too nervous to walk out there. I was afraid I'd lose my balance and fall in the water.



Ruby and Tevai at the 4th pearl farm. At the end you can see the videographers trying to film the tiny culturing room.

And I'm only halfway through DAY 1 !!!!

I'll post more tomorrow.

BWeaves said:

And I'm only halfway through DAY 1 !!!!

I'll post more tomorrow.

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Can't wait!