Word: akoya
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...some estimates - and pearls are suddenly as trendy as when Jackie Kennedy popularized them in the early 1960s. Not that these are your mother's pearls. The jewels now come in all shapes and sizes. Colors are equally diverse, ranging from the bright white of the Akoya variety to freshwater pastels to Tahitian black pearls. Unlike diamonds, pearls have no common grading system, and value is judged on seven factors: size, color, shape, luster, surface quality, nacre and how well they match. In the end, though, "it's really about what you like," says jeweler Alex Chan...
Colors vary tremendously. Akoya pearls, prized for their bright whites and creams, have a warm hue, as do the larger South Sea pearls, which come in gold, silver and white, and freshwater mussels, available in a range of pastels. Tahitian pearls, which were not successfully cultivated until the 1970s, have cooler hues, like black, gray and green. Some pearls are shinier than others. "Luster is a matter of taste," says Tom Moses, senior vice president of the laboratory and research departments at the Gemological Institute of America, an educational group. "At the moment, in the U.S., pearls with high lusters...
...Dancer O Kuni in 1603, comes closest to the western theater. Less formal than the classical Noh drama, its stages extend into the audience like burlesque runways. Actresses are rare in Kabuki, and Nizaemon was equally at home in both male and female parts. As the leading lady in Akoya he had to perform expertly on three difficult musical instruments. His interpretation of the murdered warrior in The Story of the Soga was second to none...
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