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Kasumiga Pearls
The Kasumiga is a new type of pearl that comes from a lake northeast of Tokyo.
The mussels are a crossbreed between Japanese and Chinese freshwater mussels,
and are implanted with round or flat seeds. Kasumiga Pearls glow in rosy hues of
light to dark pink.
Following success in culturing saltwater pearls, Japanese pearl farmers turned their attention to cultivating freshwater pearls from Lake Biwa; and producing commercial crops in the 1930's. The high quality pearls cultivated from Hyriopsis schlegeli, the freshwater mussel native to Lake Biwa, quickly became the standard for all freshwater pearls. However, the beauty of the Biwa pearls was not to last forever. In 1985, production of Japanese Biwa Freshwater Pearls, ceased due to shoreline development, local agriculture and pollution; and the subsequent total mortality of all shells in lake Biwa.
With a desire to revive the beauty of Biwa pearls, Belpearl began experimenting with mussels from Lake Kasumiga-ura in Gifu pref., Japan, which were recognized for their ability to produce high quality pearls previously. With the expertise of the finest technicians from Lake Biwa, we were able to create a hybrid mussel that have two unique qualities:
a) These mussels are pollution resistant
b) These mussels are able to accept a round nucleus
Experimentation and ultimate success was achieved in 1993 with a handful of pearls as the result. These pearls were called Kasumiga? Pearls, named after Lake Kasumiga-ura where they were cultivated.
Because of the four year cultivation period, double that of its South Sea counterparts, with which it also can compete with in size, the first marketable pearls were not available for sale on the world markets until 1997. With a unique pastel array of pink, purple and white, commanding sizes of 11-16mm and only available in limited quantities; Kasumiga? Pearls have now become some of the most sort after pearls in the world.
