Most people often hear about Japanese AKOYA pearls. Correctly speaking, Japanese pearls are different from Japanese Akoya pearls. In fact, Japanese pearls can be divided into freshwater pearls and seawater pearls, but only Japanese seawater pearls are called Japanese Akoya pearls. Freshwater pearls produced in Japan are called pipa pearls, because the largest lake in Japan is Lake Biwa, and the quality of pearls used to be quite high. But recently, the water quality of this lake has been greatly polluted, and the production of pipa pearls has almost stopped because of the impact of the freshwater pearl market in China. At present, China has become a major producer of freshwater pearls, and Japan has also imported a large number of freshwater pearls from China. Among Japanese pearls, seawater pearls are mainly produced in Seto Inland Sea in Mie, Xiongben and Ehime Prefecture of Japan.

Almost all South China Sea pearls belong to seawater pearls, and South China Sea pearls are produced in Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, French Polynesia and other places in the South Pacific. Apart from the valuable Nanyang white pearls, the most special ones in the world are golden Nanyang pearls and Tahiti pearls (also known as black pearls or black Nanyang pearls).

At present, almost all Japanese pearls sold in China are Japanese seawater pearls. Because Nanyang pearls are also cultured in seawater, they all belong to seawater pearls in terms of culture environment. Due to the different cultivation methods of seawater pearls and freshwater pearls, Japanese seawater pearls and Nanyang pearls are mostly round, which are more round and more valuable than freshwater pearls, catering to the high-end jewelry consumption market.

Pinctada martensii is the main marine pearl among Japanese pearls, and the general cultivation time is 3-4 years. The mother-shells of Nanyang pearls are mainly Pinctada maxima, Pinctada papillata and Pinctada nigromaculata. Their shells are larger than those of Pinctada martensii, so they can raise larger pearls, and the cultivation time is longer, which takes at least 5-6 years. So the first difference between Japanese pearls and Nanyang pearls lies in the size of pearls. Generally, the particle size of Japanese pearls is between 9mm, and that of Nanyang pearls is over 9mm, while those above 13mm belong to the rare collection level, with high value.

Due to the differences in size and specifications, Japanese seawater pearls are generally more popular as pearl necklaces. High-quality Japanese seawater pearls look moist and firm because of their good breeding environment and technology, which is very eye-catching for any lady. Nanyang pearl, as the queen of jewelry, has a large diameter, so it is generally used as pearl pendants, earrings and ring jewelry. Of course, matching and stringing a Nanyang pearl necklace with the same color is very rare and precious! Ladies who can wear are either rich or expensive, showing their worth!

In addition to size, the difference between Japanese pearls and Nanyang pearls lies in color. Japanese pearls are mainly white, often with faint colors. Nanyang pearls are not only holy and elegant white, but also rich in noble gold and mysterious black pearls (Tahiti pearls). The value of Nanyang pearls is several times or even ten times higher than that of Japanese pearls. In terms of epidermis, Japanese seawater pearls often have slight growth texture defects, even the best quality pearls will not be completely absent. This is also the natural state of pearls, and there is no need to find fault in eggs. The surface of Nanyang pearls with good quality is smooth, with few or no defects. Therefore, to distinguish Japanese pearls from Nanyang pearls, we can judge from the combination of diameter, color and skin. Of course, ordinary regular merchants will also strictly mark the varieties of pearls to help consumers distinguish between purchases.