Lustre legacy

Singapore

TO SAY that crafting jewellery from cultured pearls is a labour of love is almost an understatement.

A 14cm strand of Akoya pearls is five to six years in the making, from when the pearls start to form in baby oysters to when the necklace takes its place in the Pearl Falco showroom.

"No two real pearls are exactly alike. All pearls are unique as they are shaped in nature and perfected with the love and devotion of highly skilled artisans," says Maiko Makito, co-owner and managing director of Pearl Falco Corp.

"When making jewellery from cultured seawater pearls, there is no question of computers or AI ever replacing the experienced human eye."

She shares that every single pearl is individually cleaned, graded, evaluated, matched and crafted by hand. From the time an Akoya pearl is harvested until it reaches the Pearl Falco showroom, a pearl would …