Where to buy pearls in Japan besides Mikimoto and Tasaki

[snowsealguard]

I’m looking for good places to buy pearls in Tokyo. Are there any good options besides Mikimoto and Tasaki in terms of quality?

Also is it worth it to hunt for ten-yo certified pearls or is the certification not what I should be looking for.

 

[NY_Resonant]

I’m looking for good places to buy pearls in Tokyo. Are there any good options besides Mikimoto and Tasaki in terms of quality?

Also is it worth it to hunt for ten-yo certified pearls or is the certification not what I should be looking for.

For white/pink akoya, I would recommend asking to see their tenyo certified pearls FIRST and then pick the best two you see --- Then ask for their best non-certified strands to compare them to the two best Tenyo. Tenyo certification is a good "floor" in quality but they may certainly have better pearls that they have not certified.

Note: Tenyo has a high requirement in the surface GLOSS (ie: very very good skin) but i've seen strands with amazing luster/contrast (superior to many Tenyo strands) that had surface/skin slightly below Tenyo standard. Since I prioritize Luster, as long as the skin is "good enough", for me in that scenario i'd pick the non-certified strand.


Go to the General Pearl showroom in Tokyo (I'd call/email them ahead of time):

ゼネラルパールショールーム | GENERAL PEARL

GENERAL PEARL SHOWROOM​

(Weekdays) 10:00-17:00
(Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays) Open only on the days when you can view the exhibits. 6F, Tojin Building, 5-26-11 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo
110-0005 0120-0064-32, 03-3831-5650

 

[NY_Resonant]

If you have a high budget (Which you would need to shop from Mikimoto), you should also ask General Pearl to show you any Granpearl certified (or Granpearl level uncertified) pearls they might have.

Granpearl (PEPCA certification) is a higher quality floor than Tenyo (PSL certification).

Both are very beautiful but Granpearls are really special and rare. Just be aware that once you hit the Tenyo level, the price starts going up VERY quickly for small quality improvements.