A gemstone nurtured hand-in-hand with nature, the culturing of “Akoya Pearls”
An average of three years is devoted to the development of Akoya pearls, starting with the caring of an oyster through infancy, to the implanting of a nucleus, until the exquisite sphere is removed. Akoya pearls, where the skill of an artisan meets the rich environment of nature in harmony, are natural gemstones. At the Tategami pearl farm, cultured pearls are created with the care and devotion of nurturing a living being, not as the manufacturing of an item.
1st year: May – June, Development of an infant oyster (oyster seedling)
The baby of an artificially fertilized Akoya oyster is raised into adulthood before being used in the making of cultured pearls. This occurs approximately two years and three months before the nucleus is surgically implanted.
1st year: July – August, Basket is replaced
Relative to the baby oyster’s growth, a suitable basket for the tidal current is replaced frequently, adjusting the size of the holes.
1st year: August – December, Managing operations, oysters, and barnacle removal
Barnacles and tubeworms are cleaned away with a nata (Japanese-style blade) or an electric brush from the Akoya shell’s surface. Thousands of these shells are hand-cleaned.
1st year: December – 2nd year: April, Relocation to hibernation grounds
Akoya oysters are sensitive to temperature fluctuations in ocean water, and a summer not exceeding 30℃ (86℉) and a winter not dropping below 10℃ (50℉) is considered the ideal climate. To account for this, the oysters are relocated to a warm area south of the entrance to Ago Bay in winter.
2nd year: May – 3rd year: May
Throughout this year long period, coinciding with the growth of Akoya oysters, shell cleaning and basket replacement is performed, continuously providing great care for the oysters.
3rd year: May, Oyster restraining (Preparation for implanting procedure)
Akoya oysters being prepped for the implanting procedure are placed in a restraining basket designed to control their physical condition. Implanting procedure refers to the insertion of a foreign object into the body of an Akoya oyster. During this procedure, if the oyster is overly energetic, it can spit the nucleus back out or possibly die from shock. To avoid such an outcome, the oyster has to be calmed as much as possible.
3rd year: May – July, Implanting procedure (Inserting the nucleus)
At last, it is time for the implanting procedure. The Akoya’s mouth is opened, and a small piece of mantle tissue (known as the graft) is transplanted along with the nucleus. The nucleus is the object at the core of a pearl. Tategami gathers freshwater bivalve shells from America’s Mississippi River, which are finely grinded and shaped into a sphere for use as a nucleus in the implanting procedure. Skillful technique is required for the nucleus insertion procedure to reduce the oyster’s stress as much as possible.
3rd year: August – October, Base raft hanging in the open sea
Akoya oysters that have completed the procedure are returned to the ocean. In order to restore the oyster’s strength, they are suspended on a base raft in a gentle wave area of the bay to recuperate for a while. After that, the oysters are put into a basket and hung from a raft in the open sea where they are continuously maintained. It is a great effort to clean and preserve the health of oysters. If too much attached matter accumulates, the mouth will become difficult to open and the oyster will be unable to feed on plankton. Therefore, shell cleaning is frequently performed.
3rd year: November – December, Harvest and screening procedure
The pearl harvesting procedure has begun. The Akoya oyster, personally raised and cared for for about three and a half years, will reveal the kind of pearl it has created, making for true excitement. As to not damage the pearls, they are removed gently by hand one at a time. Even oysters raised in the same area at the same time will have pearls of varying size, color, and shape.
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