The Japanese brand Mikimoto became famous for having patented the process of artificially culturing pearls in the late 1800s by introducing irritants into oyster shells which caused the crash of the pearl market of the early 20th Century due to the ambiguity around the status of the cultured pearl as natural or manufactured. Fujiwara subjects the pearls to another bodily but this time human process by swallowing the pearls one by one in a daily ritual. The pearls, on encountering the acids in the human stomach deform and discolor before exiting the body. Each pearl is unique to the daily diet and health of the consumer on the day of consumption.