Today we’d like to introduce you to Aya Konishi
Hi Aya, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
“Sharing is caring” is one of my beliefs that I like to share with my kids. So, I decided to set up a business, hoping by giving back to our community through donations and charitable causes, they will also find a value in sharing.
My grandfather used to own a small pearl business called “Nakanishi Shinju” back in Kobe, Japan. I wanted to learn more about his business as well as pearl cultivation, but I did not have the chance to do so before he passed away. He also donated a portion of his sales to several organizations and that overlapped with my goal as well. So, to carry on his legacy, I borrowed “Nishi” which means West from Nakanishi Shinju and started my business as West Pearl.
During the planning phase, I became aware that a lot of Akoya pearls are left on the shelf due to imperfection in shape, color or surface blemishing etc. Also, those pearls with natural blue color are hardly acknowledged as fine jewelry because they don’t quite fit in the industry’s standard which is “Akoya pearls are white and round”.
At West Pearl, we actively purchase those pearls with some uniqueness and turn them into subtle pearl jewelry. Our designs are relatively simple because we like to respect each pearl’s individuality.
In September 2024, we made our first donation to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. We donated 15 notepads and 70 packs of crayons, and we are looking to expand our options of our donation to toys, books and more in the future.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We source all our pearls directly from pear farms in Japan. In the beginning, I have contacted numbers of farms to see if I could purchase pearls directly from them; however, because I reside in Los Angeles and I am a sole proprietor, it was not easy to find suppliers. Currently, our pearls come from Tsushima, Nagasaki, and I am planning on visiting a few more farms in Uwajima, Ehime and Shiga to explore more opportunities in 2025.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We specialize in Natural Blue Akoya Pearls and Akoya Baroque Pearls because we believe that their uniqueness and purity deserve more recognition.
Akoya pearls are graded based on several factors such as Luster, Shape and Color. Those pearls with “Hanadama” or AAA grading must be white and round with high luster. Our pearls might not fall into that category, but they are absolutely stunning.
Natural Blue Akoya Pearls maintain its natural color as it came out of the ocean, and each pearl has its own shade of blue.
We also carry some white Akoya Pearls but most of them are so called “Baroque Pearls” which means they are not perfectly round. We admire those individuality and try to bring those uniqueness to light.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
We value transparency, and we also like to show our appreciation to the pearl farmers in Tsushima Nagasaki that their hard work is well-received by stating the origin of our pearls.
Raising Akoya oysters is the first step in cultivating Akoya Pearls. It takes about two years to grow them to where they can start forming pearls. Then additional one to three years are spent for pearls to be born.
We focus on building a relationship with pearl farms and professionals who are involved in the cultivating process before purchasing pearls for our customers because after all, we believe that transparency is honestly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://westpearlco.com
- Instagram: @west__pearl
