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The Western appetite for natural pearls had grown, since the latter half oft he 1800s, as the pearl had been a symbol of power and authority. Pearl jewellery represented international fashion items for the upper class women. Due to the advancement of European imperial powers, natural pearl dealers in Europe became able to control most of the natural pearl producers and dealers in both Arabian Gulf and India, which are the centres of pearl production, and also secured its trade routes by the sea. However, the transformation of the pearl commodity chain started, when cultured pearls from Japan, which were cheaper, but offered the same lustrous appearance, came onto the international market. Although Mikimoto, which was a pearl exporter of Japanese pearls and was the largest one in Japan, paid attention to providing good quality pearls to the market, it was difficult for Japanese to exercise control over the supply chain. The marketing strategy, which Kokichi Mikimoto pursued, as to tie his reputation and prestige as the Pearl King to his products, and to sell Mikimoto pearls to his customers as branded commodities. Branding often infuses commodities with the personal traits of the producer or the seller. Then, he attempted to increase the value of the Mikimoto brand by showing his pearl customers great hospitality. With the introduction of mass production, the pearl industry started to transform the values and the fashion trends of pearl jewellery which consequently destroyed the global market for natural pearls and its commodity networks.