Mikimoto "best of the best"?

[lovedogs]

A few questions

1. Has anyone ever seen best of the best IRL? is it really that great?
2. Ive seen a few on the second hand market and truly don't know what a reasonable price is. Does anyone know what miki sells them for? I cant find "best of the best" on their website


Tagging @yssie @NY_Resonant

 

[yssie]

BOTB is East Asia branding! Not available in the US. Their top tier of goods out there.

I asked at an event (in the US) if it was "equivalent to AAA/Reserve" but noone was comfortable making that explicit comparison. But that's how I think about it

Fair resale is so hard - I don't even know how to value AAA on the secondary market. So dependent on how old they are and how they were cared for... If they're even authentic... I was watching a BOTB bracelet on eBay for over a year, round 40% off retail and it took a really long time to go. It was too much for me to take the risk, personally.

What sorts of pieces are you looking at preloved @lovedogs - pendants? Strands?

 

[lovedogs]

BOTB is East Asia branding! Not available in the US. Their top tier of goods out there.

I asked at an event (in the US) if it was "equivalent to AAA/Reserve" but noone was comfortable making that explicit comparison. But that's how I think about it

Fair resale is so hard - I don't even know how to value AAA on the secondary market. So dependent on how old they are and how they were cared for... If they're even authentic... I was watching a BOTB bracelet on eBay for over a year, round 40% off retail and it took a really long time to go. It was too much for me to take the risk, personally.

What sorts of pieces are you looking at preloved @lovedogs - pendants? Strands?

I was looking at a strand (I have a saved search for the term "Best of the best"). I definitely can't realistically afford it, so I'm going to link it here.

Mikimoto The Best of The Best Pearl 5.5-6.0mm Platinum With Diamond From Japan | eBay

[Product condition] MIKIMOTO's Best of the Best pearl necklace. "The Best of the Best" is made of only the top-class pearls, which are so rare that less than 1% of the 100 pearls are produced. [Gemstone] Akoya pearl 5.5mm-6.0mm 72 beads 2 pieces of diamonds (clasp M charm).

www.ebay.com

But I guess I just wanted to understand what the ballpark would be if someone was to buy it from a Miki store since I have no clue. It seemed like a relatively reasonable price for AAA/"reserve".

Obviously not the same size, but 7.5-8mm "reserve" strand is selling for 34k online.

Mikimoto Reserve Akoya Cultured Pearl Necklace in Platinum

All MIKIMOTO designs feature the highest quality cultured pearls, but only a precious few are crowned as MIKIMOTO RESERVE.

www.mikimotoamerica.com

 

[Civnhasy]

I've always used JR Dunn to look up specific prices (a tip from @yssie !) but just looked to see if they have any AAAs in that size and I don't see them.

I was just in Paris and learned they also use "Best of the Best" terminology for their strands, and their prices run about the same as USA reserve prices (fluctuating dollar/euro exchange rate notwithstanding). Interestingly, though, they use the A, AA, AAA ratings for their earrings. In hindsight I wish I had thought to ask to look at one of their BOTB strands to compare! (not a particularly warm and friendly boutique and I was just browsing anyway, so didn't spend much time there)

Beautiful strand! But completely get the hesitation, esp bc it's listed as "vintage" and the lighting isn't helpful for seeing flaws or other issues, IMO.

 

[lovedogs]

I've always used JR Dunn to look up specific prices (a tip from @yssie !) but just looked to see if they have any AAAs in that size and I don't see them.

I was just in Paris and learned they also use "Best of the Best" terminology for their strands, and their prices run about the same as USA reserve prices (fluctuating dollar/euro exchange rate notwithstanding). Interestingly, though, they use the A, AA, AAA ratings for their earrings. In hindsight I wish I had thought to ask to look at one of their BOTB strands to compare! (not a particularly warm and friendly boutique and I was just browsing anyway, so didn't spend much time there)

Beautiful strand! But completely get the hesitation, esp bc it's listed as "vintage" and the lighting isn't helpful for seeing flaws or other issues, IMO.

lol I also check JR Dunn for pricing, and found they didn't have this size. Either way, it's out of my budget but I was genuinely curious what folks thought.

 

[yssie]

I've always used JR Dunn to look up specific prices (a tip from @yssie !) but just looked to see if they have any AAAs in that size and I don't see them.

I was just in Paris and learned they also use "Best of the Best" terminology for their strands, and their prices run about the same as USA reserve prices (fluctuating dollar/euro exchange rate notwithstanding). Interestingly, though, they use the A, AA, AAA ratings for their earrings. In hindsight I wish I had thought to ask to look at one of their BOTB strands to compare! (not a particularly warm and friendly boutique and I was just browsing anyway, so didn't spend much time there)

Beautiful strand! But completely get the hesitation, esp bc it's listed as "vintage" and the lighting isn't helpful for seeing flaws or other issues, IMO.

Oh! So interesting that France mixes the BOTB and A/AA/AAA grading! That makes me even more sure that BOTB is just another word for what the US calls "Reserve". The best of the best by any other name...

 

[NY_Resonant]

I’ve seen a BOTB that looked absolutely beautiful (drool) and I’ve seen a AAA necklace in NYC mikimoto that I really did not get wow’d by (Still very nice of course). For the kind of price involved in one of these branded pieces, I strongly urge anybody to spend the money to go see it in person and do not buy it sight unseen.

 

[clockworkreader]

I’m in Hong Kong and Mikimoto HK calls their highest grade Best of the Best as well! It’s more commonly referred to as Q1. The grade right below that is Premium (Q2).

I’ve asked several SAs whether our Q1 correlates to AAA in the US, and a few have said yes while others have said there’s no official comparison. My suspicion is that Q1 and AAA are indeed roughly equivalent, but that staff are not supposed to say so, to avoid any sticky legal situations.

For strands, the grades we have here are Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q5 (there’s no Q4 as far as I know). I believe they also have a further grade below Q5, which is their baseline grade, known as “ungraded”.

For studs, they only have three grades: Q1, Q2 and their baseline grade.

I have seen a few Q1 strands, including a 9-9.5mm one, and they are extraordinary. Mirror-like luster and outstanding matching, with each pearl looking almost identical. I’ve compared Q1 strands directly with Q2 (Premium), Q3 and Q5, and do notice a difference between each of them. In the (admittedly limited number of) strands I’ve seen, the only difference is in the luster — the strands across all grades have been smooth-skinned and fairly blemish-free. The biggest jump in luster is between Q2 and Q3 — both Q1 and Q2 are obviously more lustrous than Q3 and Q5.

I notice a difference in luster between each grade, though as I say, the difference is always the biggest between Q2 and Q3. Q1 is noticeably more lustrous than Q2, but not to the extent where Q2 looks dull next to Q1 — whereas Q3 does look quite lackluster next to Q2. I hope this convoluted explanation makes sense .

Interestingly, the Q1 and Q2 strands always have a strong silver-pink overtone (pink halo and silver-blue center), whereas Q3 and beyond often display overtones which are solely pink or silver-green. I suppose this is how I developed my preference for silver-pink overtones

I’ve gone a bit off topic, but to answer your questions, BOTB is amazing in person. Whether it’s amazing enough to justify the price tag is up to you. As of late October, the prices for 6-6.5mm necklaces (as quoted by my SA, in HKD):
Q1 $69,300
Q2 $40,000
Q3 $25,600
Q5 $18,600

If you’re interested in pictures/prices for other sizes, I’d be more than happy to visit a Mikimoto boutique for you! My phone camera and photography skills are terrible but I’d do my best