Japan's akoya oysters have been preëminent among cultured pearls ever since Kokichi Mikimoto first established the industry in the early part of this century. But since 1994, something has been ...

And not every pearl comes out the same. The size of the pearl largely depends on the size of the mollusk. For example, akoya pearls can only grow about 9 or 10 millimeters in diameter, but South ...