BWeaves Amazing Journey to Japanese Pearl Farms
- Thread starter BWeaves
- Start date
Yens
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 18, 2024
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Japanese pearl farming is in a very complex situation right now. Many of the traditional skills have not been passed down to the next generation, and there is little interest among younger people in continuing the craft. At the same time, market trends are now heavily influenced by Chinese consumers, who purchase in high volume and are shifting how the trade operates.
One issue that does not get talked about enough is how certification has evolved. Many in Japan are reluctant to admit that they played a role in weakening the value of certificates. As demand for certified goods increased, especially after COVID, the labs responded by issuing more certificates to meet market appetite. The problem is that this also led to a wider range in quality within the same certificate name. Certified goods now sell immediately to Chinese buyers, while high-quality, uncertified strands often sit longer and sell for less, simply because they lack a certificate.
In contrast, the U.S. wholesale market is less dependent on certification. Many buyers here are trained to evaluate pearls visually and make purchasing decisions based on the quality they see, not just a certificate. Certification can be helpful, but it is not the deciding factor.
It is also important to remember that only a limited number of true Hanadama or Tennyo-grade strands are produced each year. When you see smaller companies at the Kobe trade show offering large quantities of certified strands, it is likely that their goods fall at the lower end of the quality range. These companies usually do not have the buying power of larger manufacturers, who can sort through massive volumes of pearls to assemble the highest quality matched strands. Fewer pearls mean fewer chances to create exceptional pieces.
The solution is not to abandon certification altogether, but rather to tighten the standards and issue fewer, more meaningful certificates. That would help restore confidence in what designations like Hanadama and Tennyo are meant to represent.
And we have not even touched on freshwater Edison pearls, which are now being produced using hybrid white tissue mollusks. These pearls are creating an entirely new level of competition in the market, especially when it comes to pricing. That is a whole conversation of its own.
One issue that does not get talked about enough is how certification has evolved. Many in Japan are reluctant to admit that they played a role in weakening the value of certificates. As demand for certified goods increased, especially after COVID, the labs responded by issuing more certificates to meet market appetite. The problem is that this also led to a wider range in quality within the same certificate name. Certified goods now sell immediately to Chinese buyers, while high-quality, uncertified strands often sit longer and sell for less, simply because they lack a certificate.
In contrast, the U.S. wholesale market is less dependent on certification. Many buyers here are trained to evaluate pearls visually and make purchasing decisions based on the quality they see, not just a certificate. Certification can be helpful, but it is not the deciding factor.
It is also important to remember that only a limited number of true Hanadama or Tennyo-grade strands are produced each year. When you see smaller companies at the Kobe trade show offering large quantities of certified strands, it is likely that their goods fall at the lower end of the quality range. These companies usually do not have the buying power of larger manufacturers, who can sort through massive volumes of pearls to assemble the highest quality matched strands. Fewer pearls mean fewer chances to create exceptional pieces.
The solution is not to abandon certification altogether, but rather to tighten the standards and issue fewer, more meaningful certificates. That would help restore confidence in what designations like Hanadama and Tennyo are meant to represent.
And we have not even touched on freshwater Edison pearls, which are now being produced using hybrid white tissue mollusks. These pearls are creating an entirely new level of competition in the market, especially when it comes to pricing. That is a whole conversation of its own.
