A short interview with Mr. Kiyoshi Yoneguchi of Seiwa Pearl - Lake Kasumi ga Ura

[jshepherd]

We spent a bit of time with Mr. Yoneguchi yesterday, the last remaining pearl farmer on Lake Kasumi ga Ura. It's incredible how he manages the entire operation on his own!

 

[jeg]

What a great little clip! Only one farmer remaining, and to man the entire operation himself, is truly incredible. These pearls are such special little treasures!

 

[CortezPearls]

I had the pleasure of meeting Kiyoshi about a decade ago...and this man's Soul is as beautiful as the finest of his Gem-grade pearls.
Great interview!

 

[BWeaves]

Oh wow, what a wonderful PP Live. I had to keep reminding myself, "I already have Kasumi pearls from Sarah. I already have Kasumi pearls from Sarah. I JUST GOT PEARLS IN THE MAIL from Hisano. DO NOT NEED MORE PEARLS." It didn't stop me from lusting after half of them, though.

 

[CMN]

I did not realise that there was only one Kasumi farm and farmer left.

 

[Marianne]

i have a question that I thought of two hours after the livestream ended. There is what I thought was a reputable seller on eBay who puts up a "kasumi" necklace for auction every 10 days or so and people often get them for $120-200. They don't display any of the rippling that the pearls in the livestream had.

They honestly look like Edison type pearls to me with mauve and yellow colors. So bead-nucleated freshwater pearls. Could they be dyed or are the colors real at least? Maybe I should avoid this seller altogether? In the pictures they post, the south sea pearls always look correct and so do the akoya..

What I got from the livestream is that there's an 0.0% chance they're Kasumi pearls. Because a strand of those is like $9000. Right?

Many sellers on eBay fraudulently mislabel their pearls... and sadly people buy them.

 

[CortezPearls]

Many sellers on eBay fraudulently mislabel their pearls... and sadly people buy them.

Perfect reason to source them from TRUSTED vendors, such as Kojima!

 

[evinz]

Perfect reason to source them from TRUSTED vendors, such as Kojima!

I deleted my question since this thread is to honor Mr. Yoneguchi and his beautiful pearls. I was just a little shocked to realize I had never actually seen Kasumi pearls until last night! Hoping to see at least a couple in person someday

 

[CathyKeshi]

It was such an honor to watch this video, the photos and most especially the Live Event ... brought tears of joy to my heart. FANTASTIC and WELL DONE ... Doumo arigatou gozaimasu

 

[MW5718]

I’m just starting my journey into the jewelry business and Pearls truly captured my heart as with other natural Gems other than Diamonds. The stories of the farmers truly inspire me! Thank you for sharing!

 

[kojimapearl]

I just uploaded two short videos to our YouTube Channel of Fuji Voll and Kiyoshi Yoneguchi in conversation at Kasumigaura, Japan this past April. There are more to come! Watching these two talk about their favorite subject after decades and decades in business, was really touching. It was a LOT of footage, and I will be posting clips of it throughout the week. Endless thanks to the Pearl Paradise team for capturing these iconic moments in pearl history.
We really worked for decades teaching people that "KasumiGa" was a BRAND NAME.. and that when you have branded something after a PLACE, the item you are selling does NOT HAVE BE FROM THAT PLACE.
Albeit catchy, let us not use the term anymore!