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Thank you for your inquiry.
If you are inquiring about custom-made jewelry, please include your desired design image (reference homepage URL, simple/gorgeous atmosphere, etc.), the material you would like to use (diamond, sapphire, platinum, etc.), and how it will be used (for a gift, for personal use, etc.). Please enter as much information as you can understand, such as for personal use/for parties, for everyday use, for funerals, etc.
FAQ
Q.What is the best feature of Yamashita Pearl?
This pearl culturing company has been in business for 50 years and handles everything from culturing to design, processing, and sales. ``I want to convey the charm of real Akoya pearls, not low-quality or imitations.Based on this strong desire, the third generation, Futoshi Yamashita, studied jewelry design and engraving in Osaka, and was responsible for everything from cultivation to processing and sales. I am working on it.
Q. How much cheaper will it be if I sell directly from the manufacturer?
It’s hard to say exactly how much cheaper it will be, but it's definitely worth it for the reasons listed below.
Normally, when you purchase pearls at a department store, specialty store, or brand store, the pearls go through multiple distributors during the process.
Aquaculture company → Bidding → Processor → Primary wholesaler → Secondary wholesaler → Retail store
Furthermore, retailers set prices that take into account store tenant fees (rent), personnel costs, advertising costs, and brand fees, so the price inevitably increases by the time it reaches you. .
On that point, Yamashita-Pearl’s online sales are direct sales, so there is no intermediate margin, and we are not selling at high-rent stores such as Ginza, so we are able to provide better quality beads at more affordable prices. Because you can.
Q. Why does Yamashita Pearl issue its own certificate of authenticity?
The craftsmen at Yamashita-Pearl, who have been dedicated to pearls for 50 years, carry out the appraisals with the pride of the cultivators, so we are able to give more accurate and stricter evaluations than general appraisal institutions.
Recently, I often see pearls that come with a ``Certificate of Authenticity from ○○ Laboratory'' on the Internet or TV shopping. Certainly, with this certificate, it is easy to convey to consumers that the pearl has passed a certain level of quality standards.
In reality, however, the issue is that the institutions that issue them are often commercially based, and as a result, standards tend to be quite lenient.
Q. Does Blue Pink Pearl mean “Hanadama Pearl”?
It’s not a flower ball. These extremely valuable blue-pink pearls are also known as ``miracle pearls among cultivators.
Click here for the secret of blue pink pearl>
In the first place, once a hole is drilled into a pearl, it ceases to be a "flower ball" in its original meaning.
Originally, ``Hanadama'' is an industry term that refers to the highest rank, less than the top 1%, of pearls (that is, unprocessed and unprocessed pearls) that have been harvested (removed from shellfish after cultivation). Therefore, once it is processed, it is no longer a ``Hanadama'', and of course it is unlikely to be sold for the normal price (about tens of thousands of yen).
This is because sellers have named beads that have passed the standards set independently by each vendor or the aforementioned appraisal organization. Unfortunately, these are not the rarest, highest-ranking ``flower beads'' in the true sense of the word, as industry professionals call them.
For more details, please refer to the Japan Pearl Promotion Association’s caution regarding the notation of “Hanadama”
Q. I would like to see the actual product...
We offer a 30-day return guarantee, so if there is a product you are interested in, please feel free to order it and try it on.
About the 30-day return guarantee＞
https://uwajima-shinju.com/policies/refund-policy
If you are able to come to Uwajima, we will be displaying and selling all of our products at our store, so feel free to take a look.
If you make a reservation in advance, we will also guide you to the actual aquaculture site.
・Location: 1028 Hiraura, Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture
・Business hours: 12:00-19:00 (irregular holidays)
・TEL: 050-3590-3299
Also, I would like to experience life in the countryside! For those who are interested, the second generation of Yamashita Pearl runs the fishing lodge ``Yuumin , which was featured on the TV program ``Paradise of Life, so we recommend you to use that as well. Limited to one group per day.
At Yuumin you can not only see the actual aquaculture site, but also try your hand at making accessories such as necklaces and earrings by harvesting beads from mother oysters with your own hands. In the past, some people have won beads in the 10mm class (the beads alone cost 10,000 yen!!!), which surprised even the pearl farmers.
You can also enjoy delicious local dishes unique to Uwajima, such as sea bream rice and scallops.
Click here for the official website of the fishing lodge “Yuumin ”
https://ameblo.jp/uwajima-yumin/
Q. Are there any differences depending on the production area even though the Akoya pearls are the same?
For example, pearls from China. Although China’s aquaculture technology has improved tremendously, there are still generally more beads produced in Japan of higher quality than those produced in China.
This is not only due to differences in culture techniques, but also because Japan’s oceans, with its rich mountains and forests and rich seasons, are the perfect environment for pearl farming. Japan has many mountains and forests that are rich in water retention. The nutrient-rich water that flows from these forests and rivers flows into the ocean. This seawater creates the perfect environment for the binding of calcium and proteins that create nacre.
Furthermore, for the same reason, even with pearls produced in Japan, the quality, size, and color of the pearls vary depending on the fishing environment and other factors. Since the mid-1970s, Ehime Prefecture (Uwajima) has become Japan’s number one pearl producing area, simply because it has the perfect fishing environment for pearl farming. In particular, Uwajima pearls are known for their beautiful pink color.
Q. How can I tell if the beads are good?
Without a certain amount of knowledge and experience, it is difficult to discern whether a bead is good or bad. On the other hand, because people can easily tell when they see it, when they wear pearls in public, they can unexpectedly embarrass themselves or unknowingly lower their reputation.
Therefore, we recommend purchasing pearls from a reliable source.
Generally speaking, pearls are evaluated based on six factors: texture, curl, color, shape, flaws, and size. Among these, we believe that the most important evaluation point is the unique ``Shine” of pearls. This is because if the pearl has a strong shine, it will be easy for people around you to tell that it is a beautiful, shining pearl.
Click here for more detailed pearl evaluation>
https://uwajima-shinju.com/pages/howto
Q. Please tell me how to care for pearls.
At Yamashita-Pearl, all products come with a special jewelry case and pearl polishing cloth, which is a favorite choice among professionals.
It is said that Japan’s oldest pearl is the one kept at Shoso-in Temple and is the one owned by Emperor Shomu. Not only in Japan, there are many cases where pearls that are over 100 or even 1,000 years old still retain their brilliance. In this way, pearls can literally last a lifetime and become heirlooms if you take care and store them with a little care.
You can easily clean your pearls by wiping them with a patented pearl polishing cloth before and after using them. (Pearls are sensitive to acid and heat, so please be careful when wearing them while cooking, washing, bathing, etc.)