An auction was held in Ise City for pearls produced in Mie Prefecture, etc., and the transaction was at a higher price than usual due to the mass death of young Akoya pearl oysters used for farming.
At the "Pearl Hall" in Ise City, an auction for pearls produced in the Ise-Shima area of Mie Prefecture and Kyushu has been held since last week, and the handling of sub-first grade products began on the 24th.
On the 24th, about 70 processors gathered from all over the country, picked up pearls sorted by size and production area, and bid on them while checking the quality under natural light.
Four years ago, around Ago Bay in Mie Prefecture, 70% of pearl oyster spats died due to viruses, etc., and although the number decreased to 20% last year, there is still a shortage of pearls.
In addition, due to the strong sales of pearls in Japan and overseas against the backdrop of the weaker yen, the auction for first-class products held until the 23rd was about 22,000 yen per month, about 1.8 times higher than last year. that it has been traded.
A processing company in Kobe City said, "Because the production volume is decreasing and the demand is high, we are determined that there is no choice but to increase it."
Tetsuya Fujita, chairman of the National Federation of Pearl Farmers' Cooperative Associations, said, "Although the fishing grounds are in a harsh environment, good pearls are being grown. The status of pearls among the world's jewels is rising, and I think the price will continue to rise in the future. I was talking.
Expectations for purchasing power of foreign tourists due to yen depreciation
At a tourist facility in Toba City that introduces pearl farming techniques, there were voices of expectations for foreign tourists' purchasing power against the backdrop of the weaker yen.
On the morning of the 24th, a group of about 60 people from Malaysia visited the facility, and after watching a demonstration of how Akoya oysters were harvested by the female divers and an exhibition on aquaculture, they purchased pearl pendants and rings. rice field.
According to the facility, the price of pearls has risen due to the mass death of pearl oysters, and the price of metals and diamonds used to process necklaces and rings has also risen due to the impact of the weaker yen. It means that they are forced to raise their prices.
On the other hand, since the easing of border measures in October last year, about 3,000 tourists from overseas have visited, and some of them are buying expensive products against the backdrop of the weak yen.
Shingo Ishikawa, sales manager of the tourist facility Mikimoto Pearl Island, said, "Although the price of pearls is rising little by little, it is easy for overseas visitors to buy them due to the yen's depreciation, so we expect that inbound demand will increase further. I was talking.