About abalone cultured half-shaped pearls from Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture

Abstract

Abalone cultured half-shaped pearls from Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, have been distributed in the jewelry and pearl industry market since the 1960s. The appearance of the pearls is attractive not only because of their color but also because of their dome shape. When we inquired at the Onagawa Town Hall about the current status of abalone-cultured half-pearls from Onagawa, we were told that pearl cultivation is no longer practiced in Onagawa.

In addition, almost no records of pearl cultivation remain due to the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. The only record of pearl cultivation in Onagawa Town is a brief history of the cultivation of half-shaped pearls by abalone by the producer, Mr. Komatsu, in the "Onagawa Town Magazine". In this article, we will introduce Onagawa's abalone-cultured semi-pearls, which have become a legend, and briefly report on the structural differences between abalone, which belongs to the coiled shell family, and pearls produced by bivalves.