Kokichi maintained his painstaking attention to the highest standards of beauty and continued to strive to meet these standards in his own creations. He spared no effort in seeking new opportunities to encounter, to experience and to elevate beauty. He made it his mission to acquire new information and ideas about jewelry and fashions from around the world, sending his best employees overseas to learn about the latest designs and crafting technology, and incorporating these ideas into the works of his own company. His encounters with the rest of the world only increased his sensitivity. He was confident that if he mastered such specialties as selection of materials, design, and engraving technology and displayed the highest levels of competency, he would be able for the first time to create jewelry that the whole world could appreciate. Based on this conviction, he established the Mikimoto Gold Work Factory in Tokyo's Tsukiji area in 1907 as a vital link in jewelry production and put a specialized team of craftsmen in place. He also invited jewelry designers to work exclusively for the Ginza store, and he set up a new design room for them. In essence, he established a system for producing original works that were superb in both their design and their craftsmanship. The Mikimoto Pearl Store having become well-established, its fame rapidly spread throughout Japan and the world, and the store began receiving orders from everywhere. Delighted that the beauty of his pearl jewelry was being recognized, and eager to respond to the expectations of his customers, Kokichi opened a store in London in 1913, followed in quick succession by establishments in Paris, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Shanghai, and Bombay. Wanting to convey the beauty and charm of pearls to ever more people and respond to those who appreciate things of beauty, Kokichi took advantage of every opportunity to present his works in exhibitions throughout the world. Beginning with the world exposition in Philadelphia in 1926, and continuing with expositions in cities such as Chicago, Paris and New York, the many splendid works he displayed were greeted with the highest praise as symbols of the beauty of pearls and as culturally sophisticated art. Partly thanks to Kokichi's efforts, the popularity of pearls increased in the 1930s, which resulted in the expansion of pearl culturing. Yet at the same time, increasing numbers of pearl culturers were unable to maintain quality standards, so crude, inferior pearls began appearing on the market. For the majority of jewelers, who worked hard day after day to produce high-quality jewelry, this development was not easy to accept. Kokichi, who had been so proactive in trying to convey the beauty of pearls to the public, was particularly distressed. Japanese pearls were recognized throughout the world for their superb quality. Responding to insistent demands from both Japan and abroad to maintain the quality of cultured pearls, Kokichi founded the Japan Pearl Producers' Association in 1932. He also pulled off a bit of performance art when he went to the plaza in front of the offices of the Kobe Chamber of Commerce, the office that had the most to do with foreign trade in those days, and threw a succession of low-quality pearls into a blazing bonfire. This was his way of asking society to pay close attention to quality.