Miki 7-7.5 mm strand. Is something amiss?

[BoonGrrl]

Good afternoon! I bought this 16" 7-7.5 mm pearl choker about 17 years ago, secondhand. There is no hanging M charm. The pearls came with the box, pouch, paperwork and this valuation. What puzzles me is the paperwork has them graded at A+ yet the clasp has a diamond. I read somewhere a diamond clasp was reserved for the top tier pearls (AA & AAA for Mikis). Is this 100% true? I am still learning about pearls. The string looks nice, but they don't have that high luster of the most $$$ prized pearls, yet I know that Miki can be inconsistent with grading. As I Google the product code, U75216W, I see retailers selling strands like this, in size and grade but I see both diamond and pearl clasps, so this seems inconsistent.

Should I bring them in to an authorized Miki store to have the hanging M added, restringing and revaluation? What do you guys think?

 

[pearlsngems]

I cannot speak to the question about whether the diamond clasp is ever used for lower grade strands (not that A+ is low; it's just lower than, say, AAA.) Miki has done various things with clasps over the years.
Nor is this about inconsistency in grading. An A+ strand can't be expected to have the luster of a AAA strand.

Your necklace is beautiful, and will look even better if it is restrung. Silk gets weak with age and exposure to skin oils and pollution; it also stretches and little gaps form between the pearls. All pearl necklaces need periodic restringing.

Unless the M charm is important to you, you can have the necklace restrung wherever you like, or can even do it yourself. I restring all my pearls myself.

 

[pearlsngems]

Also the gimp (French wire), which protects the thread where it meets the clasp, has tarnished; when the necklace is restrung it will be replaced.

 

[NY_Resonant]

I can’t opine about miki authenticity but what struck me the most was the inconsistency of the pearl luster, inconsistency in color matching and that it has a fair number of surface imperfections.

Miki is known to be fairly stringent in having smooth surfaces but all the one’s I looked closely at were AA or AAA, so perhaps they are less stringent in the A+ category?

The necklace has some beautiful pearls though! I’d worry less about them being Mikimoto and just enjoy them!

 

[BoonGrrl]

Update: I could not help myself. I brought the pearls in to my local Miki dealer and asked them all my questions. They said it is not unheard of for a diamond clasp to be put on an A+ string. Not often, but sometimes celebratory events were marked with such things (like the Princess Grace of Monaco strand). I am having them sent in for a re-valuation, restringing (needed anyway) and the M charm. I will update with results in 2 months.

 

[Cinders]

Excellent, thanks for the update. It will be wonderful for you to have them back & looking like new again!

 

[yssie]

Update: I could not help myself. I brought the pearls in to my local Miki dealer and asked them all my questions. They said it is not unheard of for a diamond clasp to be put on an A+ string. Not often, but sometimes celebratory events were marked with such things (like the Princess Grace of Monaco strand). I am having them sent in for a re-valuation, restringing (needed anyway) and the M charm. I will update with results in 2 months.

So glad you decided to have them inspected - that would have been my recommendation as well, if I'd seen this thread earlier! That's really the only way to know for sure.

 

[BoonGrrl]

Update: Miki quoted me $600 for restringing, new certificate with evaluation and estimate, and placement of hanging M. I said go for it. Should be another 4 weeks.

 

[BoonGrrl]

I just got my pearls back from Miki and all is well! Miki restrung, cleaned, put on the hanging M and issued a new valuation. They were more precise with size on the new valuation. But the grade remains an A+. I started out with this post, and my mission here, wondering if Miki only uses diamond clasps with higher graded pearls and the answer is no. Someone sais this in a forum years ago ... Glad to get it resolved!! Thanks everyone for your 2 cents.

 

[BoonGrrl]

 

[yssie]

But the grade remains an A+. I started out with this post, and my mission here, wondering if Miki only uses diamond clasps with higher graded pearls and the answer is no.

In the US locations they do use clasps with the diamond in the main part of the clasp for some non-AAA strands.

But I believe only the AAA will have the diamond bezelled in the little ring that's on the top of the M charm. I don't know if all AAA strands have this bezelled diamond, but no non-AAA strands will. And I'm reasonably confident platinum clasps are reserved for AAA only, as well - again, don't know if all AAA strands will have a platinum clasp, but I believe no non-AAA strands ever will.

So glad the appraisal came in as expected!

 

[love_pearls]

This is looking really good.

I wonder how pearls from other non-branded companies would look like after 17 years.

It seems like the layers that are wrapping the pearl body are very transparent. Is it possible that this is how mikimoto authenticated their pearls? I mean how do they know that it's their pearls and not people using their clasps and stated that it's Mikimoto's pearls?

Thank you for sharing.

I'm glad that you followed your guts and not listening to other's advice about how inconsistent your pearls look like.

Worth the $600 for restring and evaluation paper.

Thanks for sharing