City - Up The Yellow River State - Country - China
About
Born 1858 (died 1954) as the first son of a noodle shop owner, having left school at the age of 13 selling vegetables to support the family. Seeing the pearl divers of Ise unloading their treasures at the shore in his childhood started the fascination with pearls.
In 1888 he obtained a loan to start his first pearl farm at the Shinmei inlet in Shima province (now Mie prefecture) together with his wife and partner Ume. On July 11, 1893, after many failures and near bankruptcy, the first cultivated pearl was obtained. It took another 12 years to create completely spherical pearls that were indistinguishable from natural ones. In 1899 the first Mikimoto pearl shop was opened in the fashionable Ginza district of Tokyo. The Mikimoto empire expanded internationally soon thereafter. Just before his death, he was awarded the Order of Merit of the First Class. In September 1954, Kokichi Mikimoto died at the age of 96. Posthumously he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of Sacred Treasure.
http://www.mikimoto.com/index_f_en.html
http://www.mikimoto-pearl-museum.co.jp/en/
William & Son, the Mount Street store owned by the eponymous scion of the Asprey dynasty, shows off a £130,950 graduating string of pastel South Sea pearls as large as gobstoppers. "A connoisseur knows these are exceptional pearls," says chairman William Asprey ( http://www.asprey.com/i.php?c= ). "A layman may think coloured pearls are costume jewellery. This has its advantages for security-conscious clients who wish to enjoy their jewellery."
The story doesn't end happily, however. In the late 1990s, a mysterious oyster blight appeared, slashing Japan's pearl production by 60%. Although scientists have yet to identify the exact cause of the virus, pollution, over-breeding and over-harvesting are suspect. With rampant consumerism and a disrupted ecosystem, pearls are another of the world's resources in danger. Unfortunately, after a tough beginning, Mikimoto Pearls could face even greater challenges.
There is also a delicious book by Steinbeck called The Pearl... which appears to be available on line http://www.bookrags.com/notes/pea/ but it is the sort... that should be part your bookcase...
It is felt that every woman should have at least one pair for their ears... and a string around their neck... it is such a basic part of a wardrobe...
The capture is of a faulty or un-disloged pearls... from China.
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{K:15233} 8/23/2005
