Highly Lustrous Akoya pearls come from the white Pinctada Fucata oysters of Japan.

Akoya pearls are stars in the fashion world right now. In recent years, fashion-forward women have given celebrity status to the beautifully lustrous Akoya pearls in fine jewelry.

Why are Akoya pearls creating such a buzz? Akoya oysters, which grow in the waters off the coasts of Japan and China, produce the mirror like nacre, the outer coating of a pearl, because of the cold waters that they live in. The cold water makes the layers of nacre thinner and not unlike the number of coats of thin paint that a high end car would get, creates that depth of shine. In fact, Akoyas were once called the Cadillac of pearls. The luster or mirror like surface of Akoyas casts a glow on your skin, especially when worn close to your face in earrings and strands. I think we were told this by our mothers. Akoya pearls are the most flattering to wear because of that glow.

Akoya pearls usually have a traditional round shape because there are only 2 nucleus' inserted into each oysters, unlike their freshwater cousins which can have up to 35 nucleus' in each mollusk.

This shape, combined with the high-luster found on top-quality akoya pearls, and their relative rarity compared to freshwater pearls, give akoya pearls a higher perceived value