Please help. First time buyer

[ndqanh92]

Hi all,
I ve been reading the forum for a while and have decided to buy a vintage Mikimoto but since I’m such a noob Please help me check if this is real Mikimoto or imitation pearls?

Please help me @yssie as you’re a legend when it comes to Mikimoto knowledge
Warmest regards

 

[yssie]

Hi!

So it’s actually unfortunately pretty much impossible to authenticate pearls by photos - there are just too many unknowns without the usual workmanship “tells”. Mikimoto has a valuation service - it’s not inexpensive but it’s the only way to be 100% sure.
(See Certificate of Retail Replacement Valuation: https://www.mikimotoamerica.com/us_en/frequently-asked-questions)

On your strand - Did you get any paperwork or original packaging? And what’s the clasp made of? It’s odd to see fresh/untarnished french wire given the patina and oxidation on the clasp - unless maybe it’s silver.

 

[ndqanh92]

Hi. Thank you so much for your reply. The clasp is silver. The seller is from Japan with no paperwork or box but does provide a cloth with Mikimoto written on it. The seller is selling it for $800usd so the authentication from Mikimoto itself would prob be 1/2 of the cost . Does it look like real pearls to you? Sorry I’m not quite sure what to look

 

[mayaINaU]

Hi. Thank you so much for your reply. The clasp is silver. The seller is from Japan with no paperwork or box but does provide a cloth with Mikimoto written on it. The seller is selling it for $800usd so the authentication from Mikimoto itself would prob be 1/2 of the cost . Does it look like real pearls to you? Sorry I’m not quite sure what to look

Is the brand name important to you, or do you just want a really nice strand of pearls? What is the vendor’s return policy? It’s really not possible to tell from a photo if they are real pearls or genuine Mikimoto. If the vendor has a return policy that works for you, you could buy them and have them authenticated as Yssie said. Or, people here could help you find a very nice strand within your price range new from another vendor.

 

[yssie]

I do believe the clasp is a genuine clasp from Mikimoto. Mikimoto used silver a fair bit in the 30s/40s/50s. That version of the logo was in use at that time too.

I have doubts about the pearls themselves, the gimp just looks too fresh. Could be genuine Mikimoto pearls restrung, or random other pearls, or fake pearls.

Honestly with these older pieces pearl quality is nothing to write home about and the Mikimoto brand isn’t worth nearly as it is with much their modern offerings… I would definitely ditto @mayaINaU, if the name isn’t important to you I’d focus on the pearls. If the name is important to you then I think you’ll have to have it evaluated by Mikimoto to be confident. (The cost for that service is high to disincentivize people from buying on the secondary market, but I have to say $400 is a lot less than most houses charge for evaluation services and sometimes it’s worth it!)

 

[ndqanh92]

I do believe the clasp is a genuine clasp from Mikimoto. Mikimoto used silver a fair bit in the 30s/40s/50s. That version of the logo was in use at that time too.

I have doubts about the pearls themselves, the gimp just looks too fresh. Could be genuine Mikimoto pearls restrung, or random other pearls, or fake pearls.

Honestly with these older pieces pearl quality is nothing to write home about and the Mikimoto brand isn’t worth nearly as it is with much their modern offerings… I would definitely ditto @mayaINaU, if the name isn’t important to you I’d focus on the pearls. If the name is important to you then I think you’ll have to have it evaluated by Mikimoto to be confident. (The cost for that service is high to disincentivize people from buying on the secondary market, but I have to say $400 is a lot less than most houses charge for evaluation services and sometimes it’s worth it!)

Thank you so much for your advice

 

[BoonGrrl]

I have purchased pearls from Japan on Ebay and I tend to trust Japanese sellers with luxury goods. That said, my most recent purchase was from Ebay, seller Wabash Jewelers from Chicago. I had the pearls 8ndependently appraised and I am happy. They sell secondhsnd Miki. If you buy them, the Miki authentication service will take several weeks. I have used this service for restringing and valuation papers and it was 6 weeks. Possibly longer duration than the return period. Also know that vintage pearls are sometimes yellow tinted from age, whereas newer pearls tend to be whiter. Good luck!

 

[ndqanh92]

I have purchased pearls from Japan on Ebay and I tend to trust Japanese sellers with luxury goods. That said, my most recent purchase was from Ebay, seller Wabash Jewelers from Chicago. I had the pearls 8ndependently appraised and I am happy. They sell secondhsnd Miki. If you buy them, the Miki authentication service will take several weeks. I have used this service for restringing and valuation papers and it was 6 weeks. Possibly longer duration than the return period. Also know that vintage pearls are sometimes yellow tinted from age, whereas newer pearls tend to be whiter. Good luck!

Oh no. That would makes it past the return period for eBay if it turns out to be inauthentic . The seller I’m looking at is SYJAPANTRADING. She seems to have so many vintage Miki. I do see the yellowness of the pearls, almost looking like golden akoyas. I wonder if you have seen this eBay seller before?

 

[Pearlescence]

Do you want great pearls to wear and love and enjoy or do you want a brand?
If the former buy the best new ones you can afford (and buy the pearls, not the clasp - the price of gold is soaring again and silver works fine); if the latter, then risk all from an overseas eBay seller.

 

[ndqanh92]

Do you want great pearls to wear and love and enjoy or do you want a brand?
If the former buy the best new ones you can afford (and buy the pearls, not the clasp - the price of gold is soaring again and silver works fine); if the latter, then risk all from an overseas eBay seller.

I had purchased one AAA from PD previously and although I love it, it doesn’t look like the pearls from Mikimoto. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with buying a vintage piece if it ends up being authentic.

 

[Pearlescence]

Of course there is nothing wrong with buying vintage. BUT. pearl quality has increased exponentially in the last ten years.
Who is PD?

 

[ndqanh92]

Of course there is nothing wrong with buying vintage. BUT. pearl quality has increased exponentially in the last ten years.
Who is PD?

Sorry typo I meant pearl paradise (PP)

 

[mayaINaU]

Sorry typo I meant pearl paradise (PP)

Definitely, there’s nothing wrong with buying vintage. But if you want super high-quality pearls, and you want them to be higher quality than your pearl paradise AAA strand, you might not want to buy this particular vintage piece. According to what @yssie and @Pearlescence are saying, even if this ends up being an authentic Mikimoto, strands from that time are not super high-quality. Therefore, you might not be happy with it. There are not industry-wide standards for how to grade pearls, so each vendor’s AAA, etc., will be different according to their own judgment. Check out some of @yssie’s threads where she compares strands from different vendors. I think @NY_Resonant has posted some too.

 

[Pearlescence]

Even a Pearl Paradise strand from 10 years ago might not compare favorably with one with the same grade today also from Pearl Paradise.

 

[pearlsngems]

And PP's Hanadama may be expected to also be better than their AAA.

Whatever you buy, try to make sure you can return them if you are not absolutely thrilled.