I am pleased to announce that over 3 kilos of fresh Japan Kasumi pearls have arrived to the studio today! One of the largest harvests in many years.. and full of rich deep colors, these pearls are a delight to photograph, and play with. As many of you know (and some of you may not).. These pearls come from the only pearl producing lake in Japan, Lake Kasumi ga Ura (which translates to “the body of water beyond the mist”. There are ONLY 3 farmers working tirelessly to seed, maintain and harvest this production. That is 3.. just 3 people… not thousands, just 3 people. These pearls represent a labor of love.. and dedication deeper than greed. The beauty of this shows in the pearls. These pearls are not mass produced..they are the opposite of that!

From first glance.. I can say that this year there is a larger percentage of deep color round pearls.. which is something not easily found in the past. For many years  the coveted deep purple Japan Kasumi pearls were always baroque.. so to open the cloth bags and find even 20 pieces of deep purple round pearls.. I was overjoyed with these! There are of course hundreds of the baroque pearls with deeply rippled surfaces in various colors. So I expect to start my annual sorting and drilling ritual tomorrow.. I have my work cut out for me. Please stay tuned for the strands from this latest harvest which I will share when they are ready.

We are also very very excited to be hosting 2 of the farmers from Lake Kasumi ga Ura during the upcoming Tucson show. We will be exhibiting at the GJX booth #107 (February 1st-6th 2011). If you plan to attend the show, please stop by and meet these two masters of their craft in person. We are honored to be hosting them and the latest harvest of their beautiful unique pearls! (**they love chocolate and fresh fruit!**)

*As education is a big part of how we have built our business, I would like to mention that we have sold Japan Kasumi pearls (imported directly from the farm) for more than 15 years. We also sell Chinese fresh water pearls.. and some of them look very similar to Japan Kasumi pearls with their rippled surfaces and colors. Chinese fresh water pearls are much less expensive than Japan Kasumi pearls because of the quantity of production, and the cost of labor. We take provenance very seriously. Please be aware that it is now very common for people to sell Chinese pearls as “Kasumi” or as they have done for years as “Kasumi-Ga”. We have always taken care to offer pearls in every price range.. and are pleased that there are now very similar looking pearls from China at affordable prices.. so that women on any budget can enjoy the same look. However if what you are looking for is truly a pearl from Japan’s Lake Kasumi ga Ura.. then make sure to educate yourself, buy from a reputable dealer.. and feel free to ask us if you have any questions.