Miscellaneous

Pearls have been used worldwide in jewelry and other accessories for centuries. People in ancient Japan would offer these so-called white gems to the gods. Despite this, farming pearls only began in 1888 in Ago Bay in Ise-Shima. It then took until 1906 before a method developed to produce round pearls (the technique was later adopted worldwide). You can learn about the cultivation and processing practices, how the pearl industry has progressed from its beginnings to the current day, and the different varieties of pearls at Kobe Pearl Museum. Pearl Processing in Kobe Kobe isn’t just the center of pearl processing in Japan, as it produces around 70 percent of all the pearls in the world. Most of the pearls are from Akoya oysters, a bivalve species with a shell spanning about 10 centimeters. Creating the pearls involves implanting a nucleus into the oyster and then allowing the oyster to remain in the sea for as long as two years. Over this time, the oysters require special care, including cleaning their shells and monitoring the surrounding water. After the pearls are harvested, a professional must process them to confirm their quality and remove any imperfections. There are several reasons why…