This dominance in the pearl industry was soon challenged by the Chinese after 1990.

With China's vast region and large bodies of water; including freshwater lakes and rivers, it was easy to see the the Chinese would take their role in the freshwater pearl industry.

Traditional methods were used by Chinese pearl farmers to produce many of the beautiful freshwater pearl earrings you may have found throughout the 1990s and after.

Modern technology has changed that for the Chinese.  Units of polishing, cleaning, drilling, and creating the best quality of pearl possible is now being incorporated into their culture and methods.  In fact according to the head gemstone book by Fred Ward, most of the Akoya pearls we are familiar with, are labeled as Japanese, but are imported from China.

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There are so many factors that come into play when you are deciding on choosing a freshwater pearl necklace. It really starts with pearl, which can take on many different shapes, depending on the health of the oyster, ingredients the water, and water temperature.

According to the Fred Ward gem book entitled," Pearls", because of the rareness of the natural freshwater pearl, the Japanese decided to experiment with freshwater mussels in the 1950s. Workers devised a way to cut small slits into the mantle tissue inside. Then they would place a small piece of live mantle tissue from another muscle into the opening. This produced what's now known as a cultured freshwater pearl, and is what you will typically find in a freshwater pearl necklace, since a freshwater pearl found in nature would be difficult to find.

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