Cultured freshwater pearls are pearls that are farmed and created using freshwater mussels. These pearls are produced in Japan and the United States on a limited scale, but are now almost exclusively produced in China. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission requires that farmed freshwater pearls be referred to as "freshwater cultured pearls" in commerce. Quality of cultured freshwater pearls is evaluated through a grading system of a series of A values, based on luster, shape, surface, color, color and matching. Pearls gathered in the wild from the Holarctic freshwater pearl mussel were important sources of pearls for medieval jewelry, with Scotland a major source; this species is now endangered in most areas. Although the Japanese freshwater pearl industry has nearly ceased to exist, it has a special historic place as the first country to cultivate whole freshwater pearls, which it did in Lake Biwa, using the Biwa pearly mussel (Hyriopsis schlegeli). The industry attempted a comeback with a mussel hybrid (Hyriopsis schlegeli/Hyriopsis cumingi) in Lake Kasumigaura in the last decade, but this venture also met with failure, with production ceasing in 2006. The pearl farm in Tennessee also holds special historic value as it is the only freshwater pearl outside of Asia. Founded by the late John Latendresse, it continues as a tourist attraction. Today China is the only commercial producer of freshwater pearls, producing 1500 tons (2005) using the triangle shell mussel (Hyriopsis cumingii) and several hybrids that have shown heterosis from several mussel species.