Mikimoto's First Cultured Pearl
An oyster farmer grows a pearl on purpose.
On 11 July 1893, after years of failures and near bankruptcy, Kokichi Mikimoto harvests the first cultured pearls from his oyster farm on Ago Bay, Japan. They were half-round; fully round cultured pearls took him years longer, and once harvests became commercial in the 1920s, pearls stopped being a lucky find and became jewellery for millions.
Open in interactive timeline →Key Numbers
- Pearl Farm Founded
- 1888, Ago Bay
- First Cultured Pearls
- 11 July 1893
- First Patent
- 1896
- Round-Pearl Patent
- 1916
Verified Facts
- In 1888 Kokichi Mikimoto took out a loan to start his first pearl oyster farm at the Shinmei inlet on Ago Bay in Mie prefecture, Japan.
- On 11 July 1893, after many failures and near bankruptcy, he produced his first cultured pearls. They were hemispherical, not round.
- He patented hemispherical pearls in 1896, culturing in mantle tissue in 1908, and a technique for round pearls in 1916. Commercially viable harvests of round pearls came in the 1920s.
- In 1927 Thomas Edison was in awe of Mikimoto's cultured pearls, which were supposed to be biologically impossible.
Myth vs. Reality
Myth:
Reality: His first cultured pearls, in 1893, were hemispherical. He patented a round-pearl technique in 1916, and commercially viable round harvests came in the 1920s.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who invented cultured pearls?
Kokichi Mikimoto produced the first cultured pearls on 11 July 1893 at his oyster farm on Ago Bay, Japan. They were hemispherical; round cultured pearls came later.
When did round cultured pearls arrive?
Mikimoto patented a technique for round pearls in mantle tissue in 1916, and commercially viable harvests came in the 1920s.
Are cultured pearls real pearls?
Yes. A cultured pearl grows inside a living oyster; the farmer starts the process instead of waiting for chance. That is why Mikimoto's pearls astonished Thomas Edison in 1927.
Sources & Further Reading
Cite This Page
AskHistoryAI. “Mikimoto's First Cultured Pearl.” AskHistoryAI — Interactive Timeline of Everything. Updated 2026-10-08. https://askhistoryai.com/event/sv-mikimoto-pearl/
Every fact on this page is checked against the published fact ledger and methodology; sources are listed above.