Flower Jem

Flower Jem We spread the word about the charm of pearls, focusing mainly on natural blue Akoya pearls.

17/07/2026

🌸 Making a pearl ring | Flower Jem 🌸

I made a prototype for a ring today.

Work at my weekday job has been especially busy this week, and even after getting home, I haven’t had much energy left. I got home at 9 p.m. tonight, and before I knew it, I had been sitting in my chair for almost an hour. I thought to myself, “I can’t keep doing this,” so I decided to work on a ring that I had been meaning to improve for some time.

I hand-fabricated an additional support onto the ring to reinforce the pearl. I’ve always liked vines, so I designed the support while imagining the way vines grow. They reach out in every direction, so as I worked, I kept thinking, “Any shape is fine. That’s what nature looks like.”

The reason I decided to add this support is that the pearl fell out of one of the rings I had sold. A customer kindly let me know. It was a shock, but at the same time I felt it was incredibly valuable feedback. Some customers probably wouldn’t tell me at all. They might simply think, “Flower Jem? Don’t buy from them. I bought a ring that broke almost immediately,” and never come back.

I really like the simplicity of this ring’s design, so I’m trying to preserve that while creating supports that branch out like vines. The important thing is not to become too obsessed with the ring itself. The pearl is always the main character. The ring only exists to provide a stage for it, and I don’t want to spend more effort decorating the stage than necessary.

Although I’m sure someone will say, “Come on, you could have made it a little more elaborate!”

Of course, hearing how much someone loves the pearls they received always makes me happy. But hearing, “This part of the product didn’t work,” is just as valuable to me. If I can solve each problem one by one, I’m sure I’ll be able to create even better jewelry.

Tomorrow is Saturday, so I’ll be at my regular job. Then I’ll have Sunday and Monday off. I’d love to spend that time working with pearls, but instead I’ll be returning to my parents’ home to clean our family graves before Obon.

At the beginning of next week, the findings I ordered should arrive, and I’ll finally be able to complete several custom orders all at once.

02/06/2026

Well, last weekend I had the hellish inventory work that happens every month at my weekday job, and I was battling with incomplete numbers until late at night every day. On top of that, I had to work on Saturday last week, so my time for pearls was drastically reduced. I finished the inventory work around 9 PM on Saturday, did some light cleaning at my house in Osaka, and then returned to Kobe. On Sunday I woke up early and made this necklace. It usually takes an hour, but this time the thread was rebellious, so it took me two hours. From the afternoon onwards I was busy running errands around Kobe, and didn't get home until the evening. I did some quick photography and editing and then headed to Osaka.

Last weekend I had almost no time for pearls. Normally, the process of making pearl products, photographing, editing, writing articles, and listing them proceeds with a certain rhythm, but this time everything just didn't click.

And this necklace is C, but I just realized that I completely skipped over M, which I made last week.

M was made into a necklace last Wednesday and was just waiting for photography and listing. C, made last Sunday, is already catching up to M.

The comparison between the two is interesting. C has a strong luster but the pearl surface is a little rough; C has a slightly softer luster but is a reasonably well-formed baroque pearl. It comes down to whether you prioritize luster or shape.

If you really delve into what kind of pearl you want, your true values ​​might become clear.

Even just the choice between shape and luster seems to offer a glimpse into each person's values ​​and personality preferences.

26/05/2026

This time as well, I completed another 9mm Akoya Natural Blue Baroque Pearl necklace.

From 674 loose 9mm pearls, I created 14 strands, and I have been turning the higher-quality strands into necklaces one by one. This M strand is the seventh necklace in the series. Compared to the earlier necklaces, the overall quality level has naturally become lower.

That means this necklace contains pearls with slightly different body colors, and among the baroque pearls there are also some rounder pearls mixed in. In other words, this necklace has gathered together pearls that are somewhat “in between.”

Some pearls were removed from the higher-ranked necklaces because although they had strong luster and a round shape, their color leaned more toward skin tones than blue. Others were extremely distorted baroque pearls, but their luster was so beautiful that they earned a place in this necklace. Some pearls have noticeable wounds, yet their color and luster were so attractive that they were still chosen as members of this strand. That is the feeling of this necklace.

If I compare the necklaces to universities, the A-ranked necklaces would be the famous elite universities filled almost entirely with top students.

This necklace, however, feels more like a well-known mid-tier university.

Some students dreamed of entering this university as their first choice, while others treated it as a backup school. Because of that, the students are much more diverse — from honor-student types to more rebellious personalities. This M necklace feels exactly like that.

At first glance, it may seem like the quality is uneven, but when you carefully observe the pearls, you realize that each pearl simply has different characteristics. In terms of overall evaluation, they are actually all very close to one another.

Still, the luster of this necklace is slightly strong.

Because of that, even when pearls with slightly different colors are mixed together, it somehow does not become distracting.

There is still more I want to write, but if I do not sleep soon, it may become genuinely dangerous, so I will stop here.

Thank you as always.

24/05/2026

It is currently just before 4 PM. While editing videos, I accidentally fell asleep for a little while.

While showing the bracelet I made this morning to the customer, she suggested, “How about mint green thread?”

Mint green has become a thread color I use quite often recently. Even during a short phone call with my mother this morning, she said, “You’ve really been talking about that color a lot lately.”

At that moment, I thought:

“The mint green wave has arrived.”

So I immediately remade the bracelet using mint green thread.

The silver thread had a slightly more mature atmosphere, while the mint green version became softer and gentler. The biggest difference is that the mint green thread is slightly thinner, making the bracelet more flexible as well.

For a while, it seems Flower Jem will continue using mint green thread.

Actually, starting today, I had planned to begin using lavender-colored thread instead. But I am a very simple person — if even a small opportunity appears, I quickly jump onto that wave instead.

24/05/2026

The bracelet and earring set is complete.

The blue baroque pearls used for these earrings survived a tournament filled with many competitors all the way to the end. Even opponents suddenly descending from the seeded ranks were defeated with ease.

No matter how deep the blue color may be, pearls cannot win without a proper pair. And even beautiful pearls cannot survive the tournament if they have too many wounds.

They must walk safely to the customer’s table while carrying the main dish in the right hand, a drink in the left, and balancing seasonings on top of the head. Luster, smooth surfaces, wounds, and deep color all need to exist together at a high level.

Well… perhaps that was a rather confusing metaphor.

Many people want pearls that are both round and deeply blue at the same time.

However, from the perspective of pearl cultivation, the rounder the pearl becomes, the lighter the color tends to become. Round pearls often have thinner nacre layers, and thinner nacre contains fewer impurities, which is one reason why deep blue color becomes less likely.

Meanwhile, pearls with thicker nacre layers often develop deeper blue tones. Various impurities become trapped within the nacre, helping create those rich colors. However, blue color is influenced not only by impurities. It also seems necessary for a small amount of the prismatic layer — the material that forms the outer shell — to become involved, and the health condition of the Akoya oyster also affects the result.

The liquid secreted by Akoya oysters consists of both nacre and prismatic material. Nacre forms the shiny inner surface of the shell, while the prismatic layer forms the brown outer shell. The cells that produce these substances are used in pearl cultivation. Apparently, the key is to use cells that produce mostly nacre, while including just a small amount of cells that produce the prismatic layer as well.

Incidentally, these cells come from the part of the oyster that would roughly correspond to the “mantle” area in common shellfish.

Now the afternoon begins.

And I am about to enter my own tournament battle against sleepiness.

24/05/2026

The weather is beautiful again today. Well, actually yesterday was cloudy. Since today is sunny, I let the pearls from the bracelet I made last night enjoy a little sunlight.

Originally, these pearls were intended for earrings. They had already been sorted for earring use, and what remained were the pearls left over after making as many matching pairs as possible.

Basically, the highest quality pearls are first used for rings and earrings. Pearls for rings and earrings should ideally have no wounds, or perhaps only one. Once there are two or more wounds, it becomes difficult to hide them completely.

These pearls could not find matching partners, but even so, they still have very few wounds and strong luster, so the bracelet became something quite beautiful.

If I showed this bracelet to pearl dealers, the conversation would probably go like this:

“This? I made it from half-drilled pearls. Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Oh? Half-drilled pearls? Well, that’s luxurious.”

This time, at the customer’s request, I used gold findings. I am gradually becoming more fond of the combination of blue and gold.

“Which do you like more, your father or your mother?”

“Mom…”

No, wait—

“Which is more important, your work or me?”

“Work…”

No, no—

“Which do you prefer, sushi or yakiniku?”

This is truly difficult. A hard decision.

Gold or silver — which color suits blue pearls better?

Yes… in the end, it is simply a matter of personal taste.

23/05/2026

This Saturday, I left Osaka at 8 in the morning and headed for Kobe. Usually, I leave Osaka on Friday night. But this time, I thought riding my motorcycle in the bright morning air would feel good.

The cool morning air was refreshing. Since it was Saturday, many cars with license plates from other prefectures were on the road, looking as though they were carrying excitement and happiness for the weekend ahead. And alongside them, large trucks roared past as if declaring, “Weekends mean nothing to us.”

By 9:30, I arrived at my home in Kobe and began by cleaning my room, which looked as though three different groups of burglars had broken into it. Cleaning and organizing took until around 3 in the afternoon. After that, I thought I would start working with pearls, but instead I suddenly went for another three-hour motorcycle ride.

Only afterward did I finally begin making this custom bracelet.

Originally, these pearls were intended for earrings, so although they are baroque pearls, their surfaces are quite beautiful. These are the pearls I had already shown to the customer and received approval for, but while working, I replaced several pearls with even higher quality ones. Through our conversations, I could feel her desire for something truly exceptional. And unless I respond to that feeling, I cannot feel satisfied offering the pearls myself.

When it comes to quality, I am actually very timid. I feel that if I rely too much on optimism or self-indulgence, someday it will come back to hurt me. Everyone believes their own child is the most beautiful in the world, but other people may not always see things the same way. There are also people with far sharper eyes than mine.

Well, I still have many things I want to say, but Instagram has a character limit, so I will stop here.

Anyway, I am extremely satisfied now that my room is clean.

People say a room reflects the state of one’s heart.

Then what do pearls reflect…?

Hmm. That is difficult. I cannot think of an answer yet.

20/05/2026

Following last night, I made another all-knot pearl necklace tonight. Last night was G, but tonight was B. Among the baroque strands, B has pearls that are closer to round in shape, and in terms of quality, it is the second best after A.

That said, the luster is not especially strong. Most of the truly excellent pearls were taken by A, so B contains some pearls that appear slightly cloudy. However, because the overall shape is rounder, the necklace has a more elegant atmosphere as jewelry.

Last night’s G had such a deep blue color and strong luster that it almost looked digitally enhanced. Rather than elegant, it gave a luxurious impression. Tonight’s B, on the other hand, feels more like a necklace for adults.

Round pearls, but slightly weaker luster. Strong luster, but baroque pearls. Roughly speaking, these differences balance each other out in the end.

Since I personally love baroque pearls, I am the type who chooses to invest the budget into luster rather than shape. People who prefer round pearls are usually sacrificing either luster or wounds to some degree.

And tonight’s B necklace has a lighter blue color. Light blue pearls have a more soothing impression.

By the way, during tonight’s production, I tried applying candle wax to the thread. I hoped, “Maybe this will reduce tangling?” But it had absolutely no effect, and the thread tangled just as usual.

Now that the necklace is finished, I would love to list it immediately on Etsy and the Flower Jem website, but it is already approaching 1 a.m. Staying up late night after night makes my daytime work unbelievably exhausting. I keep telling myself I should sleep early for at least one day, but in the end I become too curious and make another necklace anyway.

And since I have been continuously making these 9 mm necklaces, it is becoming harder and harder to think of names for them. I will think about it slowly tomorrow. For tonight, I think I will quickly make this post and go to sleep.

Apparently it will rain tomorrow. The Akoya oysters will probably be happy about that.

19/05/2026

This beautiful wooden desk measures 250 mm thick, 2000 mm wide, and 600 mm deep. Somehow, using millimeters instead of centimeters makes it feel even larger. I also really love the appearance of this wooden desk. In fact, it feels even more comfortable than the work desk at my home in Kobe.

Tonight, I turned Strand G into a necklace from the fourteen strands labeled A through N, all created from the original selection of 763 pieces of 9 mm pearls. Personally, G is my favorite necklace of them all. The blue is almost excessively deep, and there are also those reddish tones that are always welcome in pearls.

During tonight’s photography session, the light I had recently bought at a 100-yen shop already broke, so I photographed everything using only a small desk lamp. Even so, the necklace looks so beautiful that it almost feels “over-edited.”

In reality, these pearls contain many wounds, and there are also many pearls with rough surfaces, but honestly, they do not bother me enough to matter. I can simply say, “Please enjoy them as much as you like.”

Both this G strand and the next-quality H strand are extremely deep blue, so I am considering keeping one of them for myself. Their luster also has a slightly aggressive brilliance and strong presence.

I remembered something an older pearl dealer once told me:
“I prefer lighter shades of natural blue. They feel more elegant.”

That does not mean G lacks elegance. Rather than elegance, it simply feels overwhelmingly luxurious.

The gold clasp also suits it very well. And perhaps I am the only one who feels this way, but I think these pearls match beautifully with my favorite wooden desk.

This all-knot necklace also uses the method I recently invented — or rather, discovered — which allows the knots to remain large while keeping the finished necklace soft and flexible.

I would like to write much more, but Instagram has a 2,200-character limit, so I will write as much as I want on my website instead.

Well then.

17/05/2026

This morning, I began listing the 9mm necklace [I]. I decided to name it “One More Turn.” I also wrote an article about the origin of the name on Etsy or the Flower Jem website. If you actually read the unnecessarily long article, your final impression will probably just be, “Hmm, I see.”

Since the weather was so nice, I photographed the necklace out on the balcony. The birds were a little quieter than usual this morning. Normally they are very lively, almost as if they are having endless conversations with each other, but perhaps today they all went somewhere together.

Quite a long time ago, sparrows built a nest on top of the outdoor air conditioner unit on my balcony. I felt sorry for them, so from that point on, I stopped using the air conditioner entirely. And after more than four years of not using it, the air conditioner eventually broke. Even during the brutally murderous midsummer nights in recent years, I lived in Kobe without air conditioning, quite literally risking my life to protect the sparrows’ nest. But recently, the nest has become vacant.

They still come to the balcony often, and whenever they notice me, they scatter away as if shouting, “Hey! He’s back!” On rainy days, I would watch sparrows carrying food to the nest with their feathers completely messy from the rain. I was deeply moved by the sight. I had never seen a disheveled sparrow before, and somehow they looked incredibly cute to me. Humans and sparrows alike seem to spend their days running and flying around simply to stay alive.

Of course, there are also dogs like Lulu, who spend most of the day lying around sleeping. Well, actually, Lulu was practically dragged by my father to the rice fields and vegetable garden almost every day. So in a way, she could be said to work half-days regularly herself. She truly hates going to the fields. Every morning, when my father calls out, “Lulu! Come here!” she silently stares at my mother’s face. My mother laughs and says, “Don’t ask me for help only at times like this!” Then she picks Lulu up and hands her over to my father. Lulu quietly accepts everything with the completely expressionless face of a monk in trai

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Kobe-shi, Hyogo

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