Enjoy the deep relationship and charm of AKOYA PEARL and PEARL PIT,
a new form of pearl jewelry.
"nodane" is a new brand launched with a different approach from sCenes.
nodane is a brand that takes on the deep world view of pearls and the unseen charm of pearls that has not been expressed much until now, giving them shape through challenging attempts.
In this Feature, I'd like to talk about the inspiration behind launching nodane, the new material "PEARL PIT" which is essential for nodane's jewelry, and the first series, "nude."
The beginning of nodane
"What comes to mind when you think of pearls?"
It's probably a "white string of pearls."
Pearls have been cherished for a long time and are an indispensable part of special occasions.
However, in recent years, many items using imitation pearls have appeared, and because their quality can't be judged at a glance, I feel that people may unfortunately not aspire to a string of pearls as much as they once did.
Perhaps this is also due to the fact that there have been almost no new designs for stringed necklaces throughout history.
My goal was to create a "new string of pearls" that fully expresses the beauty of Akoya pearls and brings out their unseen charm.
nodane began by re-examining the essence of pearls.
A New Essence
It's not easy to give something already complete a new look.
The white string of pearls is a piece of jewelry that has remained almost unchanged throughout its long history.
While I understood that a new essence needed to be added not just to the clasp design, but to the pearl part of the necklace itself, good ideas weren't coming to me easily.
So, I re-examined the production background of pearls and, by changing my perspective, I finally realized something.
That is, the pearls I was dealing with were "cultured pearls."
It was something so obvious that I had overlooked it.
Cultured pearls are formed when a shell gradually layers nacre over a spherical base called a "pearl nucleus," which is made from shell.
And this "pearl nucleus," like a seed inside an Akoya pearl, is indispensable for cultured pearls and actually makes up the majority of the pearl.
How many people, I wondered, are aware of this fact, which is so obvious to us who work with pearls?
I felt there was a design hint in that fact.
I wondered if it would be possible to use the pearl nucleus, the base of the pearl, in a necklace.
Encountering PEARL PIT
"PEARL PIT" is the new name we gave to the "pearl nucleus," as we felt its pure beauty and production background held potential as a new jewelry material.
Visiting a pearl nucleus producer, learning about the raw material, American freshwater mussel shells, and the process of making pearl nuclei, I never imagined until I saw it with my own eyes that "pearl nuclei" are made with such deep dedication and extensive effort.
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As mentioned earlier, cultured pearls are formed when the shell gradually layers nacre over the pearl nucleus.
Especially since the nacre of Akoya oysters is fine-grained and transparent, the quality of this pearl nucleus greatly influences the finished Akoya pearl.
For this reason, despite being a material that never appears on the surface, pearl nuclei are graded, carefully crafted by artisans, and strictly selected.
We became convinced that these highest quality pearl nuclei, having undergone many processes, time, and strict selection, are excellent as a material and would become one of the essential identities for creating the new pearl jewelry that nodane aims for.
We named this pure, delicate, and beautiful material "pearl seed = PEARL PIT," and by bringing it to the forefront, we decided to create a new form of pearl jewelry.
This seed, created for the pearl, is also part of the pearl, and is the pearl itself.
"nude," a narrative strand of pearls.
"Could we create a new design for the most standard pearl jewelry, the 'white string of pearls,' which has been cherished for centuries, that has never been seen before?"
"Despite the immense effort and time invested in creating cultured pearls, are we truly conveying the story and charm embedded within them?"
The "nude" series, nodane's signature jewelry, was born from the fusion of these two ideas.
By designing a gradation that depicts the transformation from PEARL PIT, where nacre gradually layers, into radiant, top-quality AKOYA PEARLS, we expressed the process of cultured pearl formation within a single strand of necklace or earrings.
Instead of the larger 7mm UP sizes often used for ceremonial occasions, we use smaller 5-6mm sizes that are easier for everyday wear.
"nude" is an entirely new form of pearl jewelry that allows you to enjoy the exposed charm of pearls.
