6mm x 6.5mm AA Quality Chinese Akoya Cultured Pearl Necklace
$250
6mm x 6.5mm AAA Quality Akoya Cultured Pearl Necklace
$350
6.5 x 7mm AA Quality Chinese Akoya Cultured Pearl Necklace
$275
6.5 x 7mm AAA Quality Akoya Cultured Pearl Necklace
$375
The affordable saltwater akoya — round, mirror-bright Chinese Akoya cultured pearls in AA and AAA quality.
American Pearl adheres to The Mikimoto Pearl Grading System where surface perfection or a blemish-free surface found in the AAA quality is the key to the most valuable pearls in the world.
Learn more about Japanese Akoya cultured pearls:
Kokichi Mikimoto was among the first entrepreneurs to create a cultured pearl (using the Pinctada Fucata Martensii oyster known as Akoya), the result of decades of painstaking experimentation and research. Previously, pearls were made by the oyster's defense against natural irritants (a shell fragment, a parasite), releasing layer upon layer of silky "nacre" to wrap the object, hardening to a crystalline shimmer.
Kokichi Mikimoto took this a step further by introducing a foreign object into the oyster to provoke the process. Today, this foreign object is primarily cut from the pig-toe shell as it is the only foreign object that the Akoya oyster won't reject. From here afterwards, Mother Nature can create the gem. Through this process, he created the oyster farm and from this, the seed of the Akoya cultured pearl, and an entire industry, was sown. Japanese Akoya pearls, ranging in sizes from 1mm up to 10mm, are now an essential element in any woman's wardrobe, from the elegant single strand to the power-dressing double and the aristocratic triple. Japanese Akoya cultured pearls are known for their (1) thick cultivation, (2) very high luster (3) perfectly round shapes and (4) investment-grade stature. Until recently, all Akoya pearls originated from Japan as no other country could produce the equivalent quality.
Chinese Akoya pearls are true saltwater akoya pearls, cultivated in the akoya oyster in the coastal waters of China. They share the round shape and bright, reflective luster that make akoya "the classic white pearl," at a more accessible price than their Japanese counterparts.
American Pearl offers Chinese Akoya necklaces in AA and AAA quality from 6mm to 7mm, each strand hand-knotted with a 14K or 18K gold clasp and unconditionally guaranteed for authenticity and workmanship.
