History of Culturing Pearls

• 13th Century: Chinese produced blister pearls (Buddha figures)
• Linne produced the first round pearls in 1761
• First Mikmoto semi-spherical pearls
• 1896: Mikimoto patents a production method for cultured blister pearls
• 1908: Mise and Nishikawa develop a new method for culturing whole pearls
• 1916: Mikimoto patents another complex method for culturing whole pearls, which is no longer used (however, Mikimoto was the first to produce cultured pearls on a large, commercial scale)