Show Us Your Pearls In Action!!!

jeg · Oct 24, 2023

This is the highlight of my trip! Being able to meet the people at Takahashi, see beautiful pearls, and to see the office where everything is processed.
Entry to the office-

Meeting Mr. Seki and Yy, who are the workforce behind the Instagram pages.

The staff has many responsibilities and are specialists at what they do. This particular morning was a sorting day. Here, they are sorting pearls that have not been processed yet.

jeg · Oct 24, 2023

This person is using a sifter to sort sizes-

Later, she was sorting pearls for multi colored strands

This person was sorting natural pearls for strands-

And this person was sorting baby Akoya-

Ayako also happens to be Mr. Seki’s wife!

jeg · Oct 24, 2023

The processing room…

Pearls being bleached. Every company has their own secret formula for bleaching and pinking. During the bleaching process, the pearls are rinsed and sorted again several times.

The pinking solutions, but no pearls were being pinked on this day-

The machine for polishing the pearls-

And bags of pearls in their natural state waiting to be sorted and processed-

Pella · Oct 24, 2023

Jeg, thank you so much for such informative photos of your visit. Also that photo of you at the torii is superb and one for framing I suspect.

Pella

jeg · Oct 24, 2023

Thank you so much, Pella! Lots of memorable pics and experiences from this trip. It’s been a few years since I’ve been back to Japan. There are so many changes and it has been very busy everywhere with people from all over anxious to get out and travel.

jeg · Oct 24, 2023

So, a fun pic for everyone… from these strands of baby pearls, can you tell which are the Akoya and which are the freshwater???

jshepherd · Oct 24, 2023

Great behind-the-scenes tour! That's a very rare treat in Japan.

CathyKeshi · Oct 24, 2023

Wonderful; thanks so much Jeg

jshepherd · Oct 24, 2023

jeg said:
So, a fun pic for everyone… from these strands of baby pearls, can you tell which are the Akoya and which are the freshwater???

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I see what looks like three akoya strands in the center.

SurfnSci · Oct 25, 2023

Amazing pics, Jeg - thank you so much for sharing!!!

CatMom · Oct 25, 2023

What a fabulous visit jeg!

SurfnSci · Oct 25, 2023

Wearing white/silver Robert Wan tahitians today (from Pearlescence), while still drooling over those gorgeous Takahashi pearls from Jeg's tour.

jeg · Oct 26, 2023

Beautiful, SurfnSci!! I love silvery white Tahitians!

Just a little glimpse of today’s journey… I’ll create a separate thread when I return home because it’s easier to work from my ipad rather than my phone and I don’t have them syncing while I’m here.

A visit to Mikimoto Island. So quiet today. We practically had the whole place to ourselves.

CortezPearls · Oct 26, 2023

jeg said:
Beautiful, SurfnSci!! I love silvery white Tahitians!

Just a little glimpse of today’s journey… I’ll create a separate thread when I return home because it’s easier to work from my ipad rather than my phone and I don’t have them syncing while I’m here.

A visit to Mikimoto Island. So quiet today. We practically had the whole place to ourselves.

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Hope I can visit this site someday!

jeg · Oct 27, 2023

Back to the mountainous regions. This time to the Gifu Prefecture.

Some of the traditional floats used for the festivals in Takayama.

The sad thing is, the festival floats are not made to withstand poor weather conditions, so if the weather is not permitting, the substitute floats look something like food carts. That would be a disappointing spectacle. (See that cart to the left

)

BWeaves · Oct 27, 2023

JEG, what an amazing trip.

Yesterday I wore lapis and freshwater pearls, mostly from my Mom. At my last RUCKUS, I swapped out the rather dull 7 or 8 mm akoyas with 9 mm Freshadamas from PP. It really improved the lapis necklace. The Rice Krispies necklace is just a bit shorter than the lapis necklace since I added an orbit clasp to the lapis necklace. Before I restrung it, it didn't have a clasp. Now, they nest really nicely. I used to think the earrings were lapis, but one has a slight asterism in it, so I think they are sapphire cabochons. Really sparkly diamonds in the earrings.

Today I'm wearing La Perlagrina (from Kamoka) and opal and Tahitian earrings and an ombre' tin-cup (from Kojima).

La Perlagrina is a perfect rainbow shaded drop Tahitian pearl. I love the 18K gold bail.

The earrings are shinier than the pendant, but have a lovely green glow with cherry shimmer all over them. It's hard to capture the flash of the opals, but they look great with the Tahitians. I love the horseshoe earring finding. It's very comfortable and covers any droop in my piercing.

JerseyPearl · Oct 27, 2023

jeg said:
Back to the mountainous regions. This time to the Gifu Prefecture.
View attachment 466758

Some of the traditional floats used for the festivals in Takayama.
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The sad thing is, the festival floats are not made to withstand poor weather conditions, so if the weather is not permitting, the substitute floats look something like food carts. That would be a disappointing spectacle. (See that cart to the left)
View attachment 466761

I absolutely LOVE your photos! Thank you so much for sharing your tour of Japan. My son and his wife live in Tokyo and I am hoping to be able to visit them next year...with a side trip to Kobe. Safe travels.

jeg · Oct 28, 2023

Thank you BWeaves and JerseyPearl! i hope you have a chance to visit, JerseyPearl! I usually stay in Tokyo for longer, but this trip has been a lot of on the go between cities and mountains.

Today was a shopping and street food day along the historic streets of Takayama.