Momme (匁), a Japanese unit of mass and former unit of currency, first appeared in a family book during the Bunmei era in 1484. While it is no longer used as a currency, it continues to be a standard measure in the pearl industry.

The concept of momme emerged as an alternative to thread count due to the high number and variation in threads within cocoons. It entered European parlance among traders in the nineteenth century.

In the early 20th-century Japan was when the metric system officially replaced the shakkanho system of weights and measures. The basic unit of mass was the Kan, and other measures, including the monme, were derived from it. The monme, later popularized as momme in the West, remains the traditional unit of measurement for silk and pearls.