Glossary of Pearl Terms K
karasu-gai: Japanese term for the Cristaria plicata (cockscomb) freshwater pearl mussel.
kago: Japanese term for pearl mollusk baskets suspended from longline systems.
kan: Historical Japanese weight unit used to valuate pearls. One kan equals 1,000 momme (see), 3.75 kilograms and 8.26 pounds.
kangaroo basket: Underwater basket in which pearl mollusks are stored for a short period after the grafting process. The baskets have individual pockets meant to catch expelled nuclei.
koao: Coral platforms on which pearl farms are built on Manihiki atoll in the Cook Islands.
kashra: Historical Persian quality factor describing blister pearls.
Kasumigaura cultured pearl: Cultured pearl grown in Japan?s Lake Kasumigaura in a hybrid freshwater pearl mussel (Hyriopsis schlegeli/Hyriopsis cumingi).
keshi: Japanese term for ?poppyseed.? Originally, the term referred to a small natural or cultured pearl.
keshi cultured pearl: Trade term for a saltwater pearl produced as an accidental byproduct of the pearl culturing process.
khardil: Historical Persian quality factor describing black pearls.
Komatsu flower pearl: Original faceted cultured akoya pearl developed by Japan?s Komatsu Diamond Industry Company in 1992.
koshimono: Japanese term for cultured akoya pearls grown for two years.
Kunz, George Frederick: With Charles H. Stevenson, author of The Book of the Pearl, published in 1908.
Kuri Bay: Site of the first successful Australian South Sea pearl farm, founded in 1956 in remote Western Australia. The site was named for Tokuichi Kuribayashi, president of Japan?s Nippo Pearl Company, which owned the Arafura Pearling Fleet.
Kuta pearl: Cultured blister pearl grown in Pinctada maxima off the island of Bali. A section of sea urchin is embedded in the resin when the blister is filled to form a mabe pearl.