Kokichi Mikimoto, the son of a noodle maker, worked with his dedicated wife Ume to develop a strategy that enticed oysters to produce pearls on demand. It was this discovery that brought about the beginning of oyster farming and cultured pearls. Of course, they didn’t know that government biologist Tokichi Nishikawa, and carpenter Tatsuhei Mise had also each discovered the cause of pearl formation.

With all of these discoveries, and Mise’s patent in 1907 for a grafting needle, cultured pearls became quite an important and competitive science. They didn’t even know about each other’s efforts until Nishikawa applied for a nucleating patent and found out that Mise had discovered the exact same thing. They united for their common goal, creating the Mise-Nishikawa method, which is still the essence of cultured pearls today. Mikimoto took this a step further by altering the Mise-Nishikawa method, with his own, and creating a technique to culture round pearls. This patent was granted in 1916. From there, Mikimoto took off, shadowing the works of the others.

Gently wipe pearls with a soft cloth to remove body oils or dirt before putting them away.

Pearls should be stored away from other objects or jewelry that may scratch the pearls’ surface. Wrap the pearls in linen, soft cloth, or place in a soft pouch. Do NOT store pearls in an airtight package such as a plastic bag because pearls need moisture. If the environment is too dry, the pearls may crack. If placing the pearls in a safety deposit box or in a hot environment, leave a damp cloth nearby.

Keep pearls away from chlorine bleach, vinegar, ammonia, hairspray, perfume, and cosmetics, as these substances will damage the pearl surface. Make sure to put pearls on after finished spraying perfume or hairspray and putting on makeup. Also, remove pearls before exercising to keep them away from perspiration. Be very careful with substances as they will eat holes in the pearl nacre.

Restring pearls once a year if worn often. Be sure to have each pearl knotted separately, preferably with silk, so they do not rub together and wear on the pearl nacre. If pearls are very small, knots between each pearl may be undesirable.