NY_Resonant
Shiny_Rock
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2023
- Messages
- 450
Finally back from my Japan trip! One of my stops was at the Yokota Pearls store in Kobe. I met with Mr. Yokota, the store owner and one of the few “certified Pearl specialists” in Japan. It is a very small operation but completely legit. He sells on eBay which is a good way to peruse his inventory of pearls.
I would strongly urge people to NOT buy from his eBay store but to email him directly if they see something they like. He speaks good English and will reply to your email. You can request pictures, videos, and so forth comparing multiple strands in the same picture. The price if you contact him directly will be MUCH cheaper than if you buy on eBay. I bought a Tahitian certified lagoon necklace and 10.5mm studs from him when I visited the store. Paid via PayPal.
This was his eBay listing at $4,560 for the strand: https://www.ebay.com/itm/352491360858?hash=item52121f525a:g:-3oAAOSwKERbytpq&nma=true&si=KF%2BVUd97RZz3ew9aXvXzkKFYPpI%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
That necklace was listed at the store 440,000 yen which is roughly $3500. I negotiated with him and he said he could do 375,000 yen($3,000). That’s roughly 66% of the original eBay price. Be aware that he said he would not do returns, so you take some risks. I would personally focus on certified strands (Tennyo, etc) and compare with 3+ of the same type to try to avoid bottom-of-category issues. Also ask him for his opinion. I liked a 460,000 tennyo more than a 600,000+ tennyo strand while at his store so price != quality always —- he indicated part of the price difference was when he got the strand and his original cost since akoya prices have been jumping.
Here are some pictures I took:
That 8.5-9mm tennyo with 460,000 yen and 8-8.5mm tennyo with 390,000 yen label are both *very* nice at a great price. I almost bought them both on Sunday but held off because I was meeting Takahashi Monday morning and then found a more expensive natural white strand that my fiancée fell in love with there. I think someone from this board would be very happy with those two strands.
This is the Tahitian certified lagoon that I bought:
Note that Tahitians are hard to photograph —- in real life this strand is a bit on the lighter color side, not really black. Earrings are a decent match, a *little* lighter than strand.
I would strongly urge people to NOT buy from his eBay store but to email him directly if they see something they like. He speaks good English and will reply to your email. You can request pictures, videos, and so forth comparing multiple strands in the same picture. The price if you contact him directly will be MUCH cheaper than if you buy on eBay. I bought a Tahitian certified lagoon necklace and 10.5mm studs from him when I visited the store. Paid via PayPal.
This was his eBay listing at $4,560 for the strand: https://www.ebay.com/itm/352491360858?hash=item52121f525a:g:-3oAAOSwKERbytpq&nma=true&si=KF%2BVUd97RZz3ew9aXvXzkKFYPpI%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
That necklace was listed at the store 440,000 yen which is roughly $3500. I negotiated with him and he said he could do 375,000 yen($3,000). That’s roughly 66% of the original eBay price. Be aware that he said he would not do returns, so you take some risks. I would personally focus on certified strands (Tennyo, etc) and compare with 3+ of the same type to try to avoid bottom-of-category issues. Also ask him for his opinion. I liked a 460,000 tennyo more than a 600,000+ tennyo strand while at his store so price != quality always —- he indicated part of the price difference was when he got the strand and his original cost since akoya prices have been jumping.
Here are some pictures I took:
That 8.5-9mm tennyo with 460,000 yen and 8-8.5mm tennyo with 390,000 yen label are both *very* nice at a great price. I almost bought them both on Sunday but held off because I was meeting Takahashi Monday morning and then found a more expensive natural white strand that my fiancée fell in love with there. I think someone from this board would be very happy with those two strands.
This is the Tahitian certified lagoon that I bought:
Note that Tahitians are hard to photograph —- in real life this strand is a bit on the lighter color side, not really black. Earrings are a decent match, a *little* lighter than strand.
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