DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT
MIKIMOTO THE ORIGINAL PEARL COMPANY CELEBRATES MORE THAN A CENTURY AT THE TOP
A mong pearl companies, Mikimoto is the undisputed giant. The Japanese Akoya pearl cultivator celebrates its 130th anniversary this year, at a time when pearls are peaking, once again in both the worlds of fashion and jewelry. Mikimoto can proudly claim to have invented the cultured pearl, along with the established standards of excellence in the production and grading of these beautiful gems. So naturally, its standards exceed all others. Only a small percentage of the world’s cultured pearls meet the quality criteria set by Mikimoto.
At a time when supplies of Akoya pearls are dwindling, and demand has never been higher, prices for pearls have soared over the past year, and Mikimoto pearls have become especially prized. To pearl lovers, the very best specimens are worth the cost, and represent an investment in fine jewelry style and substance. A Mikimoto strand is an heirloom. The company was built on a foundation of passion. As a boy, founder Kokichi Mikimoto was fascinated with natural pearls, and sat for hours watching divers bring in their daily hauls from the waters near Toba, his home town on the eastern tip of Japan’s Shima peninsula. In the wild, fewer than one-in-a-thousand oyster shells can produce a pearl during a lifetime, but Mikimoto began to dream of finding a way to culture pearls, and to do it in a way that consistently produced specimens that were perfectly round and smooth. That way, instead of being a luxury only for the wealthy, he could bring pearls to women everywhere.
His ultimate solution was to introduce an “irritant” into Akoya oysters - a tiny mother- of-pearl bead that stimulates the oyster’s nacre secretion, causing it to naturally create the thousands of layers around the bead that form a pearl. In 1893, he produced the world’s first cultured pearl. His pearls were a hit, and soon Mikimoto opened a store in Tokyo’s Ginza shopping district. In the process, he established one of the world’s original luxury brands. Stores in Paris, London and New York soon followed.
Akoya Cultured Pearl Ocean Pendant with Sapphire. $5,200.
Morning Dew Akoya and Black South Sea Cultured Pearl Earrings with Diamonds – 18K White Gold. $5,800.
Black South Sea Cultured Single Pearl Pendant in 18K White Gold. $2,600.
Akoya Cultured Pearl Ocean Earrings with Blue Sapphire. $4,900.
Akoya Cultured Pearl Ocean Bracelet with Sapphire. $3,450.
18k White Gold Akoya Cultured Pearl and Diamond Ring. $4,550.
40 | KING JEWELERS MAGAZINE
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