PSL Hanadama Akoya Collection, 7.5–10 mm

Rare Collectibles · October 2026

When we first offered our customers pearls graded by Pearl Science Laboratory (PSL), we set ourselves a goal: one day, have certified Hanadama strands in every size, side by side. This is that collection. Five sizes of Japanese Akoya, from 7.5–8 mm to 9.5–10 mm, every strand certified Aurora Hanadama® by PSL, with a choice of tone in each size.

Four strands of PSL-certified Hanadama Akoya pearls from 8 to 10 mm fanned across a black mirror surface, white pearls with rose and cream overtones

Aurora Hanadama® Akoya Collection

From the PSL reports

Pearl: Japanese saltwater Akoya, cultured
Sizes: 7.5–8, 8–8.5, 8.5–9, 9–9.5 and 9.5–10 mmFive sizes, half a millimeter apart
Designation: Aurora Hanadama® (オーロラ花珠)Every strand in the collection
Tones: Warm white, white with rose, natural whiteIn every size
Brightness: Strongest (最強)On the 7.5–8 mm report shown below
Nacre: 0.5 mmPSL’s Hanadama minimum is 0.4 mm
Surface: Very slight (微)
Shape: Round series
Report: PSL SS-type, one per strandNumbers withheld for the owners’ privacy

A collection built one harvest at a time

PSL does not grade a farm or a lot. It grades one strand at a time, and a strand earns the Hanadama name only if its pearls pass on luster, surface, shape and nacre together. (Our Hanadama & Tennyo guide explains each criterion.) Every harvest has only so many pearls that clear that bar, and far fewer that can be matched into a full strand of one size.

So the collection could not be bought in one trip. One season might give us beautiful 8 mm strands and nothing we liked at 9.5 mm; the next, the reverse. Rather than fill a gap with a lesser grade, we waited, and added strands size by size as qualifying pearls came up. It took a while. Now the run is complete, and we can offer it to our clients together.

5 sizesFrom 7.5–8 mm to 9.5–10 mm, in half-millimeter steps.
3 tonesWarm white, white with rose and natural white, in every size.
1 gradeAurora Hanadama® throughout, each strand with its own PSL report.

Finding one good Hanadama strand takes a good harvest. Finding one in every size, in a choice of whites, took many.

Five sizes, one grade

Half a millimeter sounds small. On a strand it changes how the necklace sits, how much light each pearl holds and how it reads from across a room. Here is each size in the hand, photographed under ordinary shop light.

Two 7.5 to 8 mm Hanadama Akoya strands draped over an open hand, one a cooler white and one a warmer white — 7.5–8 mmJust above the classic size: refined, and easy to wear every day.

Several 8 to 8.5 mm Hanadama Akoya strands laid across the back of a hand, showing rose overtone and sharp luster — 8–8.5 mmA fuller look that still wears every day.

Several 8.5 to 9 mm Hanadama Akoya strands across the back of a hand, round pearls with rose and silver-white overtones — 8.5–9 mmWhere an Akoya strand starts to read as a statement.

Several 9.5 to 10 mm Hanadama Akoya strands across the back of a hand, large round pearls with rose and white overtones — 9.5–10 mmClose to 10 mm, the size the trade treats as rare for Akoya.

Size	How it wears	In the shop
7.5–8 mm	Just above the classic 7–7.5 mm: refined, and easy to layer	Ask us
8–8.5 mm	Fuller, still an everyday strand	8–8.5 mm strands
8.5–9 mm	The point where Akoya becomes a statement	8.5–9 mm strands
9–9.5 mm	Bold presence, with luster that carries across a room	9–9.5 mm strands
9.5–10 mm	Near the upper limit of a typical Akoya harvest, and rare at Hanadama grade	9.5–10 mm strands

Three whites in every size

Hanadama is a grade, not a single color. Within the white body color PSL records, Akoya pearls still lean one way or another, and clients have strong preferences. So in every size we gathered strands across three tones.

Warm white. A white body with a soft, creamy warmth. It glows against warmer skin tones and sits beautifully beside yellow gold.

White with rose. The classic Akoya look: a white body with a pink overtone that blooms as the pearls move.

Natural white. Closer to a pure, neutral white, with a quieter overtone: crisp and modern, and at home with white gold and platinum.

All three carry the same Hanadama grade. The choice is personal, which is why we wanted every size to offer it.

Four 9 to 9.5 mm Hanadama Akoya strands held in the hand, showing the range from warm cream-white to white with rose — 9–9.5 mmFour strands in one hand, from warm white to white with rose.

See it move

Teri, the Japanese word for a pearl’s glow, lives in motion: overtone sliding across each pearl as the strands turn, and a sharp reflection that seems to sit just under the surface. We filmed the strands in the hand under ordinary shop light, with no filters.

Four strands draped in the palm, smallest on the inside to largest on the outside.

Across the back of the hand, then into the palm.

VideoUnedited clips of the strands, September 2026. Tap a clip to play.

Hanadama Akoya strands of several sizes held in an open hand, on their original silk threads — Side by sideSeveral sizes together in one hand, still on their original threads.

Reading the report

Every strand in the collection carries its own PSL report, the SS type used for Aurora Hanadama®, written in Japanese. The one below belongs to a 7.5–8 mm strand. Here is what it says, in plain terms.

Two 7.5 to 8 mm Hanadama Akoya strands held over an open PSL report, report number blurred — The PSL report for a 7.5–8 mm strand (tap to enlarge). We have blurred the report number.

On the report	Reads	What it means
真珠の種類 (pearl type)	アコヤ真珠	Akoya pearl, saltwater
品名 (item)	連	A strand
サイズ (size)	約7.5–8.0 mm	Roughly 7.5 to 8 mm across the strand
特別呼称 (special name)	オーロラ花珠	Aurora Hanadama®, PSL’s certified Hanadama
テリ (luster)	最強	Strongest: the top of PSL’s brightness scale
干渉色 (interference)	あざやかな干渉色の発現を確認	Vivid interference color confirmed
まき厚 (nacre)	0.5 mm	Above PSL’s 0.4 mm Hanadama minimum
ボディカラー (body color)	ホワイト系	White
きず (surface)	微	Very slight, PSL’s cleanest surface rating
かたち (shape)	ラウンド系	Round series
Marks	Pearl Mark, Best Quality	Passed PSL’s defect inspection, with all quality components at PSL’s top standard

The remarks confirm the strand’s Aurora Effect: interference color strong enough to meet PSL’s luster standard, photographed and printed on the report. No two strands share that pattern, so it works like a fingerprint that ties the strand to its report.

Why we call it a collectible

No single strand here is the largest pearl we have handled; our 11–12 mm Hanadama holds that title. What is rare is the set: Aurora Hanadama® in every half millimeter from 7.5 to 10 mm, with a real choice of tone in each, gathered across many harvests and ready to compare side by side.

As strands find new homes, refilling a size means waiting for the right pearls again. That is why the complete collection belongs in Rare Collectibles, documented while it is all in one place.

Frequently asked questions

What sizes are in the Hanadama collection?

Five sizes of Japanese Akoya: 7.5–8 mm, 8–8.5 mm, 8.5–9 mm, 9–9.5 mm and 9.5–10 mm. Every strand is certified Aurora Hanadama® by Pearl Science Laboratory (PSL) and comes with its own report.

Why is it hard to collect certified Hanadama in every size?

PSL grades one strand at a time, and each harvest has only so many pearls that pass its standards for luster, surface, shape and nacre. Matching enough of them into a full strand of one size takes more still, and different sizes become available in different seasons, so a complete run has to be gathered over many harvests.

What is the difference between warm white, white with rose and natural white?

All three are white Akoya at the same Hanadama grade. Warm white has a soft, creamy warmth; white with rose shows the classic pink overtone; natural white is closer to a pure, neutral white with a quieter overtone. The choice comes down to personal taste, skin tone and the metal it will be worn with.

Are all the strands in the collection the same grade?

Yes. Every strand is certified Aurora Hanadama® by PSL. Within that grade, luster, overtone and surface still differ slightly from strand to strand, so each strand is priced on its own.

Why is the PSL report number blurred in your photos?

A PSL report number identifies one specific strand. We blur it in public photos to protect the strand’s future owner and the retailer who places it. Approved trade buyers can see the full report on request.

Also in Rare Collectibles: Hanadama at 11–12 mm · Tennyo in the classic size, 7–7.5 mm · The Tennyo that shouldn’t exist.
Learn more: Hanadama & Tennyo pearls: PSL grading explained · Akoya pearl guide