Help me choose a Mikimoto

[love_pearls]

Hello Pearl Lovers,

I am new to this forum. I suddenly become interested in pearls or perhaps my interest in pearls has always been there and Mikimoto just brings it out for me.
I would like to purchase one or two pieces from Mikimoto after trying on one of the creations.

The tricky thing is the city where I am has lots of Mikomoto stores and yet they don't grade their single pearl ear studs. I have heard that only their AAA is worth the Mikimoto price so I am not sure how to pick one that is equal to AAA since I can only rely on my eyes. I have consulted the price and it seems that for ear studs, they only have AA or something similar in my city. This makes things very complicated. It makes me like someone who need to dive into the water to find my own pearls because the lack of grading in the store. I don't know why they grade them in the US.

For classic one strand necklace, they do grade them, they have something like basic, premium, and best of the best. Within each category, they don't grade them.
I really don't like it when something that can be measured is not measured. Is it because their worth is quite subjective? Like only those who love pearls are willing to pay the price?

Please let me know how I can choose a pair of nice ear studs from Mikimoto. How much is it for a pair that is 8.5 mm in AAA? If I have the price, then I can guess what grade of pearls they are offering to me.

Thank you!!

 

[yssie]

I sent a couple of people questions about this and one just got back to me:
There’s no direct equivalence between the three categories that Japan/Singapore/etc. have (Best of the Best, Premium, and Quality) and the Mikimoto America scale (AAA/Reserve, AA, A+, A).
And, in general, the same product will be more expensive from Mikimoto America than in East Asia.

That said, for buying a necklace, I don’t think equivalence to the US system matters - you’d just choose the category that fits your budget and choose your necklace from what’s available in that category. Same as in the US - if I choose AA, then I know AA is a continuum and some AA specimens will be nicer than others, and it’s up to me to figure out which specific strand I want. Ie. there’s no finer-grained breakdown within “Premium” or “AA”.

For studs… I can see how this becomes more challenging, given what you describe - a lack of any grading at all. Best I’m coming up with is to have them pull a Best of the Best strand and compare stuff options with that strand… But the option of doing that is of course dependent on having Best of the Best strands available.

If you want to compare pricing to US standards you could use this site as a basic compass: www.jrdunn.com. This works in January 2022 (because as of January 2022 their listings are current with Mikimoto America retail pricing) but no guarantee this will remain true in future of course!! But again - keep in mind that US pricing will most likely be {variable amount} higher than any East Asian store for the same product…

I personally only have experience buying pearls in America, and from Mikimoto America. Other PSers who’ve purchased in different markets might have more helpful info for you. Where are you based? Tagging @icy_jade.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Hello Pearl Lovers,

I am new to this forum. I suddenly become interested in pearls or perhaps my interest in pearls has always been there and Mikimoto just brings it out for me.
I would like to purchase one or two pieces from Mikimoto after trying on one of the creations.

The tricky thing is the city where I am has lots of Mikomoto stores and yet they don't grade their single pearl ear studs. I have heard that only their AAA is worth the Mikimoto price so I am not sure how to pick one that is equal to AAA since I can only rely on my eyes. I have consulted the price and it seems that for ear studs, they only have AA or something similar in my city. This makes things very complicated. It makes me like someone who need to dive into the water to find my own pearls because the lack of grading in the store. I don't know why they grade them in the US.

For classic one strand necklace, they do grade them, they have something like basic, premium, and best of the best. Within each category, they don't grade them.
I really don't like it when something that can be measured is not measured. Is it because their worth is quite subjective? Like only those who love pearls are willing to pay the price?

Please let me know how I can choose a pair of nice ear studs from Mikimoto. How much is it for a pair that is 8.5 mm in AAA? If I have the price, then I can guess what grade of pearls they are offering to me.

Thank you!!

despite the frustrations this is very exciting
please keep us up to date on your Mikimoto journey

Yssie and some of our other members have a deep knowledge of pearls and as you can see from Yssie's post above will deffinatly be able to help you choose

when you get to a store take lots of pictures as you narrow down your selection

 

[icy_jade]

Unfortunately I’ve no experience with Mikimoto! But my experience buying pearls has always to take the entire tray of pearls to pick out the ones with best luster. Look for the sharpest reflection (least satiny). It may take a bit of practice but once you are familiar it’s very easy. And definitely much easier to do in person. Typically if the seller knows what they are talking about, you can also ask e.g. ask which pair they would pick and why. I used to do that quite a bit to learn from the experts especially the Japanese wholesalers.

 

[love_pearls]

I sent a couple of people questions about this and one just got back to me:
There’s no direct equivalence between the three categories that Japan/Singapore/etc. have (Best of the Best, Premium, and Quality) and the Mikimoto America scale (AAA/Reserve, AA, A+, A).
And, in general, the same product will be more expensive from Mikimoto America than in East Asia.

That said, for buying a necklace, I don’t think equivalence to the US system matters - you’d just choose the category that fits your budget and choose your necklace from what’s available in that category. Same as in the US - if I choose AA, then I know AA is a continuum and some AA specimens will be nicer than others, and it’s up to me to figure out which specific strand I want. Ie. there’s no finer-grained breakdown within “Premium” or “AA”.

For studs… I can see how this becomes more challenging, given what you describe - a lack of any grading at all. Best I’m coming up with is to have them pull a Best of the Best strand and compare stuff options with that strand… But the option of doing that is of course dependent on having Best of the Best strands available.

If you want to compare pricing to US standards you could use this site as a basic compass: www.jrdunn.com. This works in January 2022 (because as of January 2022 their listings are current with Mikimoto America retail pricing) but no guarantee this will remain true in future of course!! But again - keep in mind that US pricing will most likely be {variable amount} higher than any East Asian store for the same product…

I personally only have experience buying pearls in America, and from Mikimoto America. Other PSers who’ve purchased in different markets might have more helpful info for you. Where are you based? Tagging @icy_jade.

Thank you so much for your reply. Prior to creating this thread, I have read some of your threads and yes, that's why I feel that Miki AAA might worth the Miki price. I am no expert of pearls so getting some basic knowledge might be important. I also feel that sometimes it is quite subjective as I think I might not like the silver tone in pearls because it gives a cool feeling so if the stores have only the silver tones pearls, I might need to think about it.

Yes, it also feels like the price might not be the same as the ones in the US. Yes, I went to their Asian stores. I just worry that the quality might be different. Who knows, maybe they want to promote pearl culture in the US? It seems that the things or luxury items that Americans like are different from those of Asians except the love for LV. Pearl culture is not about loudness. it certainly does not scream 'Look at me' but the glow might only be appreciated from those who know it well. Currently I am eyeing a pair of diamonds earrings that are similar to the price of Miki AAA but I can only choose one item. so it's a bit difficult for me. Eventually I might purchase both but I need to prioritize for the time being. If I am listening to my voice of reason, then I need to go with the Diamond earrings.

Is it better to look at pearls at natural light? They have some stores that are not inside the mall so I might go to those store and go near the windows to look at the pearls and compare.

Thank you so much again!

 

[lissyflo]

How much is it for a pair that is 8.5 mm in AAA? If I have the price, then I can guess what grade of pearls they are offering to me.

Thank you!!

If you’re looking for US prices to use as comps, you can search Mikimito America online and it seems to take you to the US site where you can easily see their prices (unlike some companies that only link you to your own national site). At least I think that’s the case - I’m not US based, but I see prices in $ when I do this, the customer service phone number is a US one and the product range is different to my national site, so I assume the prices are local dollar ones. The site is very user friendly: you can select by grade and size and see the price for each changing parameter. Hopefully that helps you compare more easily!

 

[yssie]

Thank you so much for your reply. Prior to creating this thread, I have read some of your threads and yes, that's why I feel that Miki AAA might worth the Miki price. I am no expert of pearls so getting some basic knowledge might be important. I also feel that sometimes it is quite subjective as I think I might not like the silver tone in pearls because it gives a cool feeling so if the stores have only the silver tones pearls, I might need to think about it.

Yes, it also feels like the price might not be the same as the ones in the US. Yes, I went to their Asian stores. I just worry that the quality might be different. Who knows, maybe they want to promote pearl culture in the US? It seems that the things or luxury items that Americans like are different from those of Asians except the love for LV. Pearl culture is not about loudness. it certainly does not scream 'Look at me' but the glow might only be appreciated from those who know it well. Currently I am eyeing a pair of diamonds earrings that are similar to the price of Miki AAA but I can only choose one item. so it's a bit difficult for me. Eventually I might purchase both but I need to prioritize for the time being. If I am listening to my voice of reason, then I need to go with the Diamond earrings.

Is it better to look at pearls at natural light? They have some stores that are not inside the mall so I might go to those store and go near the windows to look at the pearls and compare.

Thank you so much again!

The absolute best thing you can do to buy confidently is see as many pearls as possible in-person You’ll start to “see” luster, body colour, and matching quite quickly, once you’ve had a chance to look at a few specimens. Unfortunately there’s no shortcut for that sort of experience and learning - there’s no ubiquitous internationally-respected lab for pearls. But of course many pearls buyers aren’t necessarily looking for Best of the Best, literal or figurative, so those buyers don’t care to invest that time and effort and that’s a-okay.


Pearl studs vs. diamond studs… That’s a tough one. I love pearls but if you don’t have diamond studs already… well, just speaking personally here, for me diamond studs are more of a staple than pearl studs so my inclination would be to buy the diamonds first. But as you said, diamonds are much more LookAtMeLookAtMe compared to pearls!! Pearls attract less attention.

On a more objective note, the good thing is that there won’t be any shortage of 8.5mm akoya or diamonds in that price range anytime in the near future, so you can choose whatever you want now and buy the other at your leisure. If you wanted 9.5mm akoya I would be saying buy the pearls ASAP. But 8.5? No. I’m confident that will be available for the foreseeable future. The diamond market is more tumultuous right now. My strong impression is that prices on high quality diamonds in all sizes above melee are rising more quickly than prices of top quality sub-9mm akoya pearls.


@lissyflo mentions the Mikimoto America site. Definitely go there first. Unfortunately they only list prices for combinations that are available online right now - they don’t tell you how they would price a size/quality combination that’s out of stock at the moment. For those out of stock combos the jrdunn site is nice. But again - I’ve got mixed feelings about doing those sorts of comparisons at all, because you’re not actually buying in the America market - so what the America market is doing at the moment isn’t really of any consequence to your buying experience, if that makes sense?

In general the Asia markets have an appreciation for pearls that modern Western markets don’t. So I would have zero worry that they’re funneling their best to America at the expense of east Asia. That would anger the markets that care, and the Americans wouldn’t appreciate it anyway Lots of stereotyping here I know But yes, choosing colour is intensely personal. I’ve got friends who love a cool silvery overtone and friends who prefer a strong pink, and everything in between. Seeing pearls in person is also the best way to find out what suits your skin best!!

For you, I get the impression that you’re not looking to walk in and simply buy by name or brand - I feel like you really want the nicest that your budget can get you, and unfortunately there’s no shortcut to that. So here’s what I would recommend: Visit some boutiques and non-Mikimoto vendors, and just look at the pearls. Try to pick out the most lustrous, the most silver, the most pink. The more you do it the more quickly your eyes will learn to distinguish (and they’ll naturally determine what they do and don’t care about). Whether you buy pearls or diamonds right now, this effort won’t be wasted because you’ll be that much more confident come time to choose your pearls!


If you want to buy at Mikimoto, the strand is a bit easier - you can just ask to see what’s available in the Quality or Premium or Best of the Best category. For the studs I would do it two-step: Ask for a strand in a given quality and then compare stud options against the strand. That way you’ve got some baseline to come back next time and ask about.

Beside a window is ideal!! Diffuse natural light - beside a window, or outside on a cloudy day, will show both luster and overtone clearly. You don’t want direct sunlight though, that washes everything out, very had to see nuance. Those overhead spotlights that jewellery shops always have are the worst, they make everything look fantastic. If you’re in a store where there’s no window, and the only lighting accessible is those overhead jewellery shop spotlights, ask for a piece of white paper and use the paper to shield the pearls. That’ll get the spotlights off them and mimic a more diffuse lighting environment, and you should be able to see luster and overtone much more clearly.

 

[LLJsmom]

This is a super excellent advice from people who know. Hope you find the studs you love. And the necklace.

 

[higanbanya]

I’m based in Singapore and bought my AAA Mikimoto studs by enquiring through the contact form on the Mikimoto Singapore website as it did not have the pricing available for different pearl grades online.

It took a bit of back and forth with their representative through email to clarify the pearl grades and pricing for different sizes and models before I decided on one, and they ordered in the AAA for me (took a couple of months to arrive) as there were no physical stock already available for me in the boutiques. If the exact quality/size/model were available, the email representative could also help to arrange a boutique visit to view the item.

Hope this experience helps!

 

[yssie]

I’m based in Singapore and bought my AAA Mikimoto studs by enquiring through the contact form on the Mikimoto Singapore website as it did not have the pricing available for different pearl grades online.

It took a bit of back and forth with their representative through email to clarify the pearl grades and pricing for different sizes and models before I decided on one, and they ordered in the AAA for me (took a couple of months to arrive) as there were no physical stock already available for me in the boutiques. If the exact quality/size/model were available, the email representative could also help to arrange a boutique visit to view the item.

Hope this experience helps!

@astaeria this is SO great to know!! I didn't realize you weren't based in the US.

So your studs are notated AAA on your receipt, not "Best of the Best" or such?

Do you happen to know if they ordered from stock elsewhere or if they specially sourced your pearls based on your ask?

And did you pay in full up front? And would you have had the option to return them (or receive store credit to put toward another piece) if they'd come in and you weren't happy?

From your photos your studs are certainly as beautiful as akoya could ever get!!

 

[love_pearls]

I’m based in Singapore and bought my AAA Mikimoto studs by enquiring through the contact form on the Mikimoto Singapore website as it did not have the pricing available for different pearl grades online.

It took a bit of back and forth with their representative through email to clarify the pearl grades and pricing for different sizes and models before I decided on one, and they ordered in the AAA for me (took a couple of months to arrive) as there were no physical stock already available for me in the boutiques. If the exact quality/size/model were available, the email representative could also help to arrange a boutique visit to view the item.

Hope this experience helps!

Thank you so much for the information. I have no idea I can order through phone. I called two of their boutiques and both SAs couldn't or not willing to tell me the grading. They could only tell me the price and it seems that the prices are not matching with the site on the US.

May I know the price of your earrings in Singapore dollars?

I am very picky so I always avoid ordering items online. So if they don't have the stock in the boutique, I am not sure what to do.

 

[love_pearls]

The absolute best thing you can do to buy confidently is see as many pearls as possible in-person You’ll start to “see” luster, body colour, and matching quite quickly, once you’ve had a chance to look at a few specimens. Unfortunately there’s no shortcut for that sort of experience and learning - there’s no ubiquitous internationally-respected lab for pearls. But of course many pearls buyers aren’t necessarily looking for Best of the Best, literal or figurative, so those buyers don’t care to invest that time and effort and that’s a-okay.


Pearl studs vs. diamond studs… That’s a tough one. I love pearls but if you don’t have diamond studs already… well, just speaking personally here, for me diamond studs are more of a staple than pearl studs so my inclination would be to buy the diamonds first. But as you said, diamonds are much more LookAtMeLookAtMe compared to pearls!! Pearls attract less attention.

On a more objective note, the good thing is that there won’t be any shortage of 8.5mm akoya or diamonds in that price range anytime in the near future, so you can choose whatever you want now and buy the other at your leisure. If you wanted 9.5mm akoya I would be saying buy the pearls ASAP. But 8.5? No. I’m confident that will be available for the foreseeable future. The diamond market is more tumultuous right now. My strong impression is that prices on high quality diamonds in all sizes above melee are rising more quickly than prices of top quality sub-9mm akoya pearls.


@lissyflo mentions the Mikimoto America site. Definitely go there first. Unfortunately they only list prices for combinations that are available online right now - they don’t tell you how they would price a size/quality combination that’s out of stock at the moment. For those out of stock combos the jrdunn site is nice. But again - I’ve got mixed feelings about doing those sorts of comparisons at all, because you’re not actually buying in the America market - so what the America market is doing at the moment isn’t really of any consequence to your buying experience, if that makes sense?

In general the Asia markets have an appreciation for pearls that modern Western markets don’t. So I would have zero worry that they’re funneling their best to America at the expense of east Asia. That would anger the markets that care, and the Americans wouldn’t appreciate it anyway Lots of stereotyping here I know But yes, choosing colour is intensely personal. I’ve got friends who love a cool silvery overtone and friends who prefer a strong pink, and everything in between. Seeing pearls in person is also the best way to find out what suits your skin best!!

For you, I get the impression that you’re not looking to walk in and simply buy by name or brand - I feel like you really want the nicest that your budget can get you, and unfortunately there’s no shortcut to that. So here’s what I would recommend: Visit some boutiques and non-Mikimoto vendors, and just look at the pearls. Try to pick out the most lustrous, the most silver, the most pink. The more you do it the more quickly your eyes will learn to distinguish (and they’ll naturally determine what they do and don’t care about). Whether you buy pearls or diamonds right now, this effort won’t be wasted because you’ll be that much more confident come time to choose your pearls!


If you want to buy at Mikimoto, the strand is a bit easier - you can just ask to see what’s available in the Quality or Premium or Best of the Best category. For the studs I would do it two-step: Ask for a strand in a given quality and then compare stud options against the strand. That way you’ve got some baseline to come back next time and ask about.

Beside a window is ideal!! Diffuse natural light - beside a window, or outside on a cloudy day, will show both luster and overtone clearly. You don’t want direct sunlight though, that washes everything out, very had to see nuance. Those overhead spotlights that jewellery shops always have are the worst, they make everything look fantastic. If you’re in a store where there’s no window, and the only lighting accessible is those overhead jewellery shop spotlights, ask for a piece of white paper and use the paper to shield the pearls. That’ll get the spotlights off them and mimic a more diffuse lighting environment, and you should be able to see luster and overtone much more clearly.

Thank you so much for your lengthy reply. I think I will go to mikimoto store to ask for different pearls to look at. By the way, there might be a jewelry fair coming in March if covid calms down. I think I will go to the fair to look at pearls as well.

I aim at having different kinds of jewelry so in the end, I will get a pair of pave earrings from my favourite brand. No, I don't have diamond earrings but I do not want people to know the price of the earrings as the pave earrings are from a luxury brand. I like pearls because I felt happy when I tried on the pearls chocker from Mikimoto plus people who do not know pearls cannot know the price of the pearls that I am going to wear. I like this because I can bring them with me when I travel.

We will never know when the demand of pearls will rise. Sometimes when influencers keep talking certain brands or things, people just rush to buy creating the shortage. I think I will just buy it now when I can.

Yes, I want to get the best I can possibly afford because I aim at only having one pair of everything, one pair of diamond earrings, one pair of pearl studs, and one from other stones. I don't think I will get tired of that one pair if I choose it correctly.

I hope that the SA at mikimoto can pull out some nice pieces for me to try on and look at. I will keep you updated once I visit the stores.

 

[higanbanya]

@astaeria this is SO great to know!! I didn't realize you weren't based in the US.

So your studs are notated AAA on your receipt, not "Best of the Best" or such?

Do you happen to know if they ordered from stock elsewhere or if they specially sourced your pearls based on your ask?

And did you pay in full up front? And would you have had the option to return them (or receive store credit to put toward another piece) if they'd come in and you weren't happy?

From your photos your studs are certainly as beautiful as akoya could ever get!!

For the studs, in the email correspondence they only had the serial number initially (eg. HE 03002DU), but when asked further they provided the quality in AAA/AA/etc grading while the necklace quality went by the “MIKIMOTO Best of the Best” kind of grading, and for stock-wise I’m not too sure how they sourced it, only knew there was a lead time of several months!

Payment-wise it was 50% deposit upon order, then another 50% upon collection, I’m not too sure if it would be refundable if not pleased with the product, and there was no “proper” receipt per se so there wasn’t any AAA/grade indicated, I only had the 2 layaway receipt that looked like the attached but in hindsight, should have requested or asked if they had a more “proper” looking receipt!

Have attached some screenshots and the receipt for your references! (: @love_pearls hope the pricing helped too!

 

[higanbanya]

Thank you so much for your lengthy reply. I think I will go to mikimoto store to ask for different pearls to look at. By the way, there might be a jewelry fair coming in March if covid calms down. I think I will go to the fair to look at pearls as well.

I aim at having different kinds of jewelry so in the end, I will get a pair of pave earrings from my favourite brand. No, I don't have diamond earrings but I do not want people to know the price of the earrings as the pave earrings are from a luxury brand. I like pearls because I felt happy when I tried on the pearls chocker from Mikimoto plus people who do not know pearls cannot know the price of the pearls that I am going to wear. I like this because I can bring them with me when I travel.

We will never know when the demand of pearls will rise. Sometimes when influencers keep talking certain brands or things, people just rush to buy creating the shortage. I think I will just buy it now when I can.

Yes, I want to get the best I can possibly afford because I aim at only having one pair of everything, one pair of diamond earrings, one pair of pearl studs, and one from other stones. I don't think I will get tired of that one pair if I choose it correctly.

I hope that the SA at mikimoto can pull out some nice pieces for me to try on and look at. I will keep you updated once I visit the stores.

I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time at the Mikimoto stores! (: as I contacted Mikimoto through the contact form, they were unable to provide photos of AAA quality since they did not have the exact model I’ve wanted in store and gave a general reply when asked about the difference.. so I purchased it blind and also didn’t know what undertones it’ll have. There were other pieces in store which had the same quality AA but one clearly looked much better than the other, so imo it might be better to wait till a boutique has the actual model you like before going down to look at it and decide if you’d like to purchase, and also linking up to a Mikimoto SA (which I didn’t have) would certainly be better as they can keep you informed about boutique stocks and whether something you wanted has come in and take pictures of the actual piece for you if you’re not able to make it in person!

 

[love_pearls]

For the studs, in the email correspondence they only had the serial number initially (eg. HE 03002DU), but when asked further they provided the quality in AAA/AA/etc grading while the necklace quality went by the “MIKIMOTO Best of the Best” kind of grading, and for stock-wise I’m not too sure how they sourced it, only knew there was a lead time of several months!

Payment-wise it was 50% deposit upon order, then another 50% upon collection, I’m not too sure if it would be refundable if not pleased with the product, and there was no “proper” receipt per se so there wasn’t any AAA/grade indicated, I only had the 2 layaway receipt that looked like the attached but in hindsight, should have requested or asked if they had a more “proper” looking receipt!

Have attached some screenshots and the receipt for your references! (: @love_pearls hope the pricing helped too!

Thank you so so much. I cannot describe how grateful I am for your tremendous help. This helps a lot. Yes, I was quoted the similar price point minus the grading for the pearl studs. For the best of the best necklace, yes, the price point is very similar as well. I will go to the boutique and see what the SA will say and make certain to look at different pearls as well.

I feel that once I ask them to pull out some pearl necklace or once you show interest in the necklace, they might need to pull out some earrings to match with the color and the tone of your intended purchase. I feel that they want to push their pearl necklace hence keeping the ear studs grading hidden. I do want a pearl necklace, I feel that it might be the only fine jewelry necklace I need as I seldom wear pendant or other necklace, I focus on earrings most of the time but I want a special gift for myself to celebrate a milestone birthday so I want something big to make it memorable.

 

[higanbanya]

Thank you so so much. I cannot describe how grateful I am for your tremendous help. This helps a lot. Yes, I was quoted the similar price point minus the grading for the pearl studs. For the best of the best necklace, yes, the price point is very similar as well. I will go to the boutique and see what the SA will say and make certain to look at different pearls as well.

I feel that once I ask them to pull out some pearl necklace or once you show interest in the necklace, they might need to pull out some earrings to match with the color and the tone of your intended purchase. I feel that they want to push their pearl necklace hence keeping the ear studs grading hidden. I do want a pearl necklace, I feel that it might be the only fine jewelry necklace I need as I seldom wear pendant or other necklace, I focus on earrings most of the time but I want a special gift for myself to celebrate a milestone birthday so I want something big to make it memorable.

Great to hear that it helped! But perhaps the staff might not have known the exact grades and all too, as the item tag only has the serial number and price



Congrats in advance for your milestone birthday!! I’m sure whichever choice you make would turn out wonderful! (:

 

[icy_jade]

Thank you so much for your lengthy reply. I think I will go to mikimoto store to ask for different pearls to look at. By the way, there might be a jewelry fair coming in March if covid calms down. I think I will go to the fair to look at pearls as well.

At last year’s fair, the Japanese pearl sellers did not participate (and the fair was terribly small anyway). If the Japanese sellers do participate in the March fair and if you are still looking, and if I will pop by, then tag me at that time and if you want I can help to looksee studs for you (so many ifs lol).

Luster aside look at the color against your skin when you try the earrings. One reason why I don’t have white akoya is because (size aside) the pinked ones don’t look good on me and after seeing natural white strands (and the prices for them), I’ve sort of given up on akoyas. So what I’m trying to say with this grandma story is that the most lustrous pinked akoya will still not look as great on me vs a not so lustrous natural white pair. So imo it’s really important that you choose a pair with color/overtones that really suits you/your complexion. Try the smaller pairs in the store first to try out the color, before you make any special orders k.

Like if you usually like to wear pinks and pastels, then you are probably fine. If you are a very “cool” color/tone type of person, then I think the pinked pearls won’t be great on you.

 

[yssie]

@astaeria Oh my goodness. That is a wealth of detail. Thank you so much for sharing all of this!! This has become the most informative thread in this forum for non-Western Mikimoto shoppers

And I've learnt a lot from your posts - namely that different Mikimoto geographies operate completely differently...

@astaeria you did a lot of work to get your studs and it paid off, they're so beautiful

 

[higanbanya]

@astaeria Oh my goodness. That is a wealth of detail. Thank you so much for sharing all of this!! This has become the most informative thread in this forum for non-Western Mikimoto shoppers

And I've learnt a lot from your posts - namely that different Mikimoto geographies operate completely differently...

@astaeria you did a lot of work to get your studs and it paid off, they're so beautiful

Awww thank you so much @yssie, and we’ve learnt so much from your posts too on how to choose pearls and see the differences in quality! Glad to have contributed with this experience of purchasing! (:

 

[love_pearls]

Today I went to Mikimoto boutique and tried on the pearl ear studs. I don't know about the grading but did ask the SA to pull out one best of the best 7mm necklace for me to compare.

Which pair is good?

 

[higanbanya]

Today I went to Mikimoto boutique and tried on the pearl ear studs. I don't know about the grading but did ask the SA to pull out one best of the best 7mm necklace for me to compare.

Which pair is good?

Can’t be of much help to choose as I’m far from an expert, but just wanted to say they look incredibly amazing! The left one looks a tad better in my layman opinion but they have very different undertones, so might be better to try them on yourself to see which one fits your skin tone better! (:

 

[love_pearls]

Can’t be of much help to choose as I’m far from an expert, but just wanted to say they look incredibly amazing! The left one looks a tad better in my layman opinion but they have very different undertones, so might be better to try them on yourself to see which one fits your skin tone better! (:

I suddenly found out from the tag what grade they are, it's very disappointing that the SA is not honest about it and keep telling me there's no stock and didn't allow me to order a pair of AAA.

I found out that many high end boutiques are very cunning in my city. I think maybe I need to travel to another Asian city to buy my luxury items.

Your information has been very helpful. It's the key for help me find out the grading of the earrings. Thank you

 

[FL_runner]

I suddenly found out from the tag what grade they are, it's very disappointing that the SA is not honest about it and keep telling me there's no stock and didn't allow me to order a pair of AAA.

I found out that many high end boutiques are very cunning in my city. I think maybe I need to travel to another Asian city to buy my luxury items.

Your information has been very helpful. It's the key for help me find out the grading of the earrings. Thank you

Interesting- I looked at the US website and there is the option to order AAA studs online. Of course that is ordering “blind” not seeing the exact pair in person. But it would follow that they must actually have some, somewhere.

 

[icy_jade]

I suddenly found out from the tag what grade they are, it's very disappointing that the SA is not honest about it and keep telling me there's no stock and didn't allow me to order a pair of AAA.

I found out that many high end boutiques are very cunning in my city. I think maybe I need to travel to another Asian city to buy my luxury items.

Can you try another SA?

Not sure re: cunning, think is just bad customer service. I’ve also felt very underwhelmed by the service levels in some brands in Singapore.

 

[love_pearls]

Can you try another SA?

Not sure re: cunning, think is just bad customer service. I’ve also felt very underwhelmed by the service levels in some brands in Singapore.

They made me feel like this. I think they try to sell the lower grades before selling me the higher grade, this way, customers keep buying and there's no end to it. Modelling Hermes.

I will try another boutique. I will try another approach to see if it works. Will update. I don't know what's going on with all the boutiques in my city, another brand is also like this, whatever I asked, they just answered no stock yet I keep seeing other YouTubers unboxing the items. And we are not talking about Hermes here. I think my city is sick.

 

[love_pearls]

Can’t be of much help to choose as I’m far from an expert, but just wanted to say they look incredibly amazing! The left one looks a tad better in my layman opinion but they have very different undertones, so might be better to try them on yourself to see which one fits your skin tone better! (:

Hello, I called another boutique and they are going to ask the head quarter if I can order a pair of 9 mm AAA. But I need to give a full payment instead of 50% deposit.

Are you happy with your pair? It will be a blind order for me and I just want to make sure that I will not regret it.

I am also eyeing another item, that is the long necklace which I can wear it double. But of course, the long necklace will not be the AAA.

I think not many people are going for the AAA earrings that's why they don't have them in stock. Are we too stubborn about our earrings?

 

[icy_jade]

Hello, I called another boutique and they are going to ask the head quarter if I can order a pair of 9 mm AAA. But I need to give a full payment instead of 50% deposit.

Are you happy with your pair? It will be a blind order for me and I just want to make sure that I will not regret it.

I am also eyeing another item, that is the long necklace which I can wear it double. But of course, the long necklace will not be the AAA.

I think not many people are going for the AAA earrings that's why they don't have them in stock. Are we too stubborn about our earrings?

Do you know which overtone suits you the best? Did you try at the boutique you went to? It makes a world of difference and imo more so than the luster/blemishes. If you know which overtone, you can make a request and I think it’s better than going in blind. I think AAA will have no problem with luster anyway

 

[love_pearls]

Do you know which overtone suits you the best? Did you try at the boutique you went to? It makes a world of difference and imo more so than the luster/blemishes. If you know which overtone, you can make a request and I think it’s better than going in blind. I think AAA will have no problem with luster anyway

I tried on the silver tone and pink tone and the pink tone pops more, I also tried on the best of the best necklace with pink tone. I like it very much but it's in 7mm. I think a pair of earrings in AAA is the best I can afford at the time being.

 

[icy_jade]

Ok, then you should be fine with the usual pinked ones. I think no harm making a request anyway for pink tone.

 

[yssie]

@love_pearls, if another SA allows you to place the order, I would ask explicitly about return/exchange options - and also get that information in writing. 9mm AAA is not a small amount of money, and the option to exchange is not unreasonable when buying organic products completely blind. I agree that luster should not be any concern in this grade but overtone preference is so personal… And you are paying a hefty premium for what should be premium service and safeguards.

Perhaps you could go the same route as @astaeria and buy online, if no boutique staff will help you with your request.