Japanese akoya
Akoya pearls
The classic white pearl, known for an exceptionally sharp luster. We buy ours in Kobe, two or three times a year, off the table.
Every strand here is Japanese, selected in person against our own standards, then knotted and finished in our Los Angeles studio.
~ Jeremy Shepherd, Founder and CEO
Shop akoya
Strands and bracelets are knotted to order. Earrings and pendants are matched from loose pearls in house.
Assael Collection: 8.6-13.8 mm South Sea and Akoya Pearl Large Bubble Bangle
Assael Collection: 9.0-11.8 mm South Sea and Akoya Pearl Linear Bubble Bangle
Assael Collection: 7.0-9.0 mm Japanese Blue Akoya Pearl Necklace with Diamond Ball Clasp
Assael Collection: 8.0-11.6 mm South Sea and Akoya Pearl Multi Bubble Ring
Assael Collection: 4.0-9.0 mm Akoya Pearl Linear Bubble Ring
Assael Collection: 7.5-18.0 mm South Sea and Akoya Pearl and Diamond Earrings
8.5-9.0 mm GIA Hanadama Akoya Pearl Necklace
7.5-8.0 mm GIA Hanadama Akoya Pearl Necklace
6.5-7.0 mm GIA Hanadama Akoya Pearl Necklace
8.5-9.0 mm GIA Hanadama Akoya Pearl and Diamond Necklace
8.0-8.5 mm GIA Hanadama Akoya Pearl Bracelet
8.5-9.0 mm GIA Hanadama Akoya Pearl Bracelet
In our Los Angeles studio
Then finished by hand, here
Pearls arrive from Kobe loose. Everything after that happens in one room in Los Angeles: graded a second time against our own standards for luster, surface and matching, double-knotted on silk by hand, finished with a solid gold clasp. Earrings and pendants are matched from the same loose pearls at the same bench.
Why it matters who you buy from
Selected by hand, in Japan
Akoya vary enormously, and the differences that matter most are the ones hardest to see across a counter. Two strands can look nearly identical the day you buy them and look nothing alike in five years.
Which is why we go rather than order. I went to high school in Japan, I speak the language, and my wife is Japanese. We buy in Kobe two or three times a year, off the table, from suppliers we have worked with for decades. In a market this tight, selection at the source is most of the job.
Looking for the very best akoya?
Hanadama
Flower pearl. The small share of a Japanese harvest that passes the strictest testing, certified by a laboratory rather than by the seller. There are four ways in.
White hanadama
The traditional look, lightly pinked for the rose overtone.
Natural white hanadama
Same testing, never pinked. A cooler white, and the report notes no color treatment.
GIA hanadama
Tighter criteria than the standard designation. Comparatively little material qualifies.
天女 tennyo
Tennyo hanadama
Celestial maiden. Awarded on exceptional color and luster. Very few hanadama qualify.
This was a special gift for my daughter on her wedding day. I first purchased an Akoya AAA necklace from another well known pearl house, but it didn't have the “wow” factor I wanted and the overall quality of the stringing did not warrant the price. So I returned it and decided to seriously stretch my budget and buy the natural white hanadamas from Pearl Paradise, and am SO glad I did. Simply stunning.
Nancy M. Verified buyer7.0-7.5 mm 18 Inch Natural White Hanadama Akoya Pearl Necklace
Choosing a size and a length
Every pearl below is a real akoya, photographed at true scale against the others.
Most akoya fall between 6.0 and 8.0 mm, and 7.0 to 7.5 mm is still the most popular strand size by a wide margin. One millimeter sounds like nothing, but a pearl is a sphere. Compare the 7 mm and the 9 mm above.
16 inch, choker
Sits at the base of the neck. Best with open necklines and the most traditional of the three.
18 inch, princess
Just below the collarbone. The length most people choose, and the easiest to wear with anything.
20 inch and longer
More relaxed, layers well, reads less formal. Worth considering if you already own an 18.
Before you buy
Can I choose the overtone of my pearls?
Yes. Akoya are generally white but the overtone varies, from bright white to a soft rose to a warmer cream. We tend toward white with a slight pink, and our natural white hanadama are a silver-white, but we carry the full range. Tell us in the special instructions box at checkout, or book a virtual appointment and hand-select the strand with a specialist.
Can I see the exact piece before it ships?
Ask us and we will photograph it for you. Strands and bracelets are knotted to order and earrings are matched from loose pearls, so the piece you receive is assembled for you rather than pulled off a shelf. Request photographs or a short video on any product page, at no cost and with no obligation to buy.
Are your strands and bracelets knotted?
Every one, double-knotted on silk. It stops the pearls rubbing against each other, and if a strand ever breaks you lose one pearl rather than all of them.
What clasps and findings do you use?
Solid gold throughout, 14K and 18K. Clasps, earring posts, pendant settings and ring mountings. Never plated, never base metal. Where there are diamonds they are natural, VS1 clarity and G color.
Why does grading vary so much between sellers?
There is no international grading standard for akoya. Value comes from nacre thickness and density, luster, surface and matching, and none of that reduces cleanly to a letter. The same strand can be called AA+ by one seller and AAA by another. Ours are selected in person against our own standards, which is why we publish what those standards are rather than asking you to take the letter on trust.
A few reviews from akoya customers
I wasn't confident buying online, but Jordyn and Hisano were both so helpful in showing me pictures and video of the strand I would receive. I am so happy with my pearls and would recommend this seller over any other online pearl retailer.
Clara M. VerifiedI have freshwater, south sea, and AAA Akoya pearls. I thought I would get these to see how they compare. I wasn't expecting them to be very different from the AAA Akoya pearls which are lovely, but there really is a difference. The Hanadama pearl earrings do have the deepest luster and glow of all my pearls.
Kristine L. VerifiedThe quality of the necklace and pearl itself is stunning. I have worked at a fine jewelry store for over 10 years, and can tell that this piece is excellent quality. I am so excited to give this to my mother as a Christmas gift.
Gracie G. VerifiedStill deciding?
Our specialists will show you strands on camera and talk you through what you are looking at. Most appointments run about twenty minutes.
