Tasaki or Mikimoto

[love_pearls]

Dear pearl lovers,

I am in Tokyo now. I have just gone to Mikimoto to look at the 7.5 mm best of the best pearl necklace my SA reserved for me. But I really don't like the color. I don't feel the wow factor. Then I went to Tasaki and they have the 7.5 mm their AAA grade that I like. The price is similar to the one in Miki. Should I pull the trigger? The color matches with my mikimoto 9mm ear studs.

Is Tasaki the brand you would also consider when purchasing pearls? Too bad they couldn't let me take photos of the necklace in Tasaki.

Yissie, please let me know what you think.

 

[Pearlescence]

Haven't you answered your own question?

 

[love_pearls]

Haven't you answered your own question?

Yeah, I guess but I worry that the quality is not as high as those in Mikimoto. The thing is I believe that the quality of AAA in mikimoto varies as well.
Also, the claps is not as fancy as the one in Mikimoto. The claps in Tasaki looks like the one used in Mikimoto’s entry level pearl necklace. It’s a simple bow shape claps, no fancy diamond, no brand name M dangling charm. Very simple necklace in Tasaki but the tone of each pearl is very close in color and tone.
Too bad, I can’t show you the photo as photos are not allowed in Tasaki and the ones taken in Mikimoto are too large to upload.

Is Tasaki famous brand for pearls?

 

[Pearlescence]

So...change the clasp. Whether the brand is famous or not really does not matter. If you are buying as an investment, do not buy pearls. Really.

 

[love_pearls]

So...change the clasp. Whether the brand is famous or not really does not matter. If you are buying as an investment, do not buy pearls. Really.

I don’t think I buy in order to sell later but it’s good to know things that you own really is as good as it’s advertised. A brand is like famous people’s net worth. The higher the net worth, the higher the price.

 

[icy_jade]

Tasaki famous brand for pearls

Yes, but not as famous as Mikimoto. Tasaki tends to have edgier, more modern pearl designs, while Mikimoto is classic.

If you have that doubt, then wait for the right Mikimoto strand to come along. Also, can you ask to see other Mikimoto strands in Tokyo? I can’t imagine that they only have one.

 

[dk168]

I would not pay through the nose for Miki pearls, sorry!

Each to their own, if I could get the same quality Akoya pearls for less money than what they charge at Miki, I would!

DK

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

Brand is not always synonymous with the best quality. If you're buying for brand recognition, then buy the brand. If you're buying the best pearls, then buy the pearls. It's what matters more to you. Is this about pearls or brand recognition? Look at it like that, and the questions answer themselves.

 

[love_pearls]

Yes, but not as famous as Mikimoto. Tasaki tends to have edgier, more modern pearl designs, while Mikimoto is classic.

If you have that doubt, then wait for the right Mikimoto strand to come along. Also, can you ask to see other Mikimoto strands in Tokyo? I can’t imagine that they only have one.

It’s true that the SA couldn’t pull out another strand with same grade same size pearls.
When I look at the Tasaki one, I really like it. I also liked the store atmosphere of Tasaki.

I was in Kyoto busy sight-seeing for 5 days, should have visited the Mikimoto store in Kyoto to see if they have one.

 

[yssie]

Yeah, I guess but I worry that the quality is not as high as those in Mikimoto.

Most of the big brands are buying their pearls from the same places!! Few still have their own farms. Mikimoto and Tasaki don’t have their own farms any more.

On average there might be one brand that usually gets higher quality because they normally get first choice, but averages don’t speak to individual outcomes - it is 100% possible for a smaller brand to have one or two specimens that are as high quality as you’d get from a bigger, better-known brand.

The thing is I believe that the quality of AAA in mikimoto varies as well.

100%. More than I thought myself at first!!

Also, the claps is not as fancy as the one in Mikimoto. The claps in Tasaki looks like the one used in Mikimoto’s entry level pearl necklace. It’s a simple bow shape claps, no fancy diamond, no brand name M dangling charm. Very simple necklace in Tasaki but the tone of each pearl is very close in color and tone.
Too bad, I can’t show you the photo as photos are not allowed in Tasaki and the ones taken in Mikimoto are too large to upload.

Is Tasaki famous brand for pearls?

In terms of future resale - Mikimoto the brand has more gravitas than Tasaki in the western world, yes. But
1. I don’t know if that’s true in Asia, and
2. Pearl resale value is ouchey anyway, unless you’re buying a unique design (vs. just a strand even with a unique clasp), so… It’s not like the well-known brand is an ironclad money-back guarantee. Sadly.

For me, if you like the Tasaki pearls better, and they match your studs well, and the strand costs less than comparable at Mikimoto… I would be very tempted to go for it, unless only Mikimoto is a mind-clean brand for you. You don’t have other Mikimoto strands you’re trying to match clasps with right? So could start a Tasaki “strand set” instead of Mikimoto. *But* if you know you’ll always wish it was a Mikimoto strand, to match the brand of your studs, or to pass on, or for whatever reasons - then wait. Mind-clean is a #Thing, for sure.

Saltwater pearl prices seem to be rising still. (I don’t know about FW.) I assume a mix of increasing scarcity and rising popularity. I just bought two more strands (non-branded) and I’m quite glad I bought now rather than later, they’re both already more than I’d have paid even a year ago.

 

[love_pearls]

All the big brands are buying their pearls from the same places!! None of them have their own farms any more.

On average there might be one brand that usually gets higher quality because they normally get first choice, but averages don’t speak to individual outcomes - it is 100% possible for a smaller brand to have one or two specimens that are as high quality as you’d get from a bigger, better-known brand.


100%. More than I thought myself at first!!


In terms of future resale - Mikimoto the brand has more gravitas than Tasaki in the western world, yes. But
1. I don’t know if that’s true in Asia, and
2. Pearl resale value is ouchey anyway, unless you’re buying a unique design (vs. just a strand even with a unique clasp), so… It’s not like the well-known brand is an ironclad money-back guarantee. Sadly.

For me, if you like the Tasaki pearls better, and they match your studs well, and the strand costs less than comparable at Mikimoto… I would be very tempted to go for it, unless only Mikimoto is a mind-clean brand for you. You don’t have other Mikimoto strands you’re trying to match clasps with right? So could start a Tasaki “strand set” instead of Mikimoto. *But* if you know you’ll always wish it was a Mikimoto strand, to match the brand of your studs, or to pass on, or for whatever reasons - then wait. Mind-clean is a #Thing, for sure.

Saltwater pearl prices seem to be rising still. (I don’t know about FW.) I assume a mix of increasing scarcity and rising popularity. I just bought two more strands (non-branded) and I’m quite glad I bought now rather than later, they’re both already more than I’d have paid even a year ago.

Not sure if it’s the lighting in store or what, the Mikimoto pearl strands in my city look better than the one in Tokyo flagship store , but the 8.00 mm or up AAA in flagship in Tokyo is super nice. I guess they might not care about small business or clients like me.

Talking about price increases, Tasaki will have a price increase on 31 Jan , right now the strand is about USD 1500 less than the mikimoto one.

 

[yssie]

I could totally see that. Different inventory being funneled to different boutiques. Or maybe tourists buy out all of Tokyo’s more affordable options really quickly!?

Price increase mania But I have heard from several other pearls vendors that everything salty is more expensive this year. Like, more expensive than even they expected. Raw materials and processing and wholesale costs...

Or maybe go hog wild and skip the pearl strand and get your Alhambra MOP this year!?

 

[icy_jade]

It’s true that the SA couldn’t pull out another strand with same grade same size pearls.
When I look at the Tasaki one, I really like it. I also liked the store atmosphere of Tasaki.

I was in Kyoto busy sight-seeing for 5 days, should have visited the Mikimoto store in Kyoto to see if they have one.

After so many years, personally I now think that if I have some doubt at that moment, then don’t buy. Or to put another way, if I see something that immediately makes my heart skip a beat, and I think I will terribly regret if I don’t buy, then go for it.

Is it the former or latter feeling for the Tasaki strand for you? From what you described, the Mikimoto strand falls into the former so it’s a no go imho.

 

[love_pearls]

For sure I won’t go for miki one because I didn’t think it’s the one that I like.
Just not sure if I should go for Tasaki one.

 

[love_pearls]

I could totally see that. Different inventory being funneled to different boutiques. Or maybe tourists buy out all of Tokyo’s more affordable options really quickly!?

Price increase mania But I have heard from several other pearls vendors that everything salty is more expensive this year. Like, more expensive than even they expected. Raw materials and processing and wholesale costs...

Or maybe go hog wild and skip the pearl strand and get your Alhambra MOP this year!?

Yes. Probably that’s why the 7mm and 7.5 mm are out of stock. They said they only had one in 7.5 mm.
As for vca, won’t consider now because I don’t think I like it for the long term.

 

[chere]

Just not sure if I should go for Tasaki one.

Don’t buy it. It will be expensive to send back if you want to return it when you get home.

Another Mikimoto strand will come along and you'll have a reason to visit Japan again.

 

[love_pearls]

Don’t buy it. It will be expensive to send back if you want to return it when you get home.

Another Mikimoto strand will come along and you'll have a reason to visit Japan again.

I have decided not to buy it. I might just ignore the tax free and buy it in my city. My SA from mikimoto in my city told me they have a few strands of both 7mm and 7.5 mm for me to choose from . Maybe just ignore the tax free temptation.

Or I will just skip the necklace and travel to Holland instead. My passion for travel has come back and now the boarder has loosen the pandemic restrictions. Travelling is so worth it.

 

[mamong]

For sure I won’t go for miki one because I didn’t think it’s the one that I like.
Just not sure if I should go for Tasaki one.

Only personal opinion, if you like the pearls you can change the clasp later. At least you can start enjoying to wear the pearls that you like. However if you dislike the Tasaki clasp so much that you can’t see yourself wearing it even temporarily, then you may wan to wait until you find the best necklace that you absolutely like.
Also, in Tokyo, have you checked other Mikimoto stores and outlets at dept stores like Takashimaya, Isetan Shinjuku, Daimaru,…?

 

[love_pearls]

Only personal opinion, if you like the pearls you can change the clasp later. At least you can start enjoying to wear the pearls that you like. However if you dislike the Tasaki clasp so much that you can’t see yourself wearing it even temporarily, then you may wan to wait until you find the best necklace that you absolutely like.
Also, in Tokyo, have you checked other Mikimoto stores and outlets at dept stores like Takashimaya, Isetan Shinjuku, Daimaru,…?

I haven’t had time to check other department counters. I don’t want to go everywhere in Tokyo just to find a necklace to buy. I think I will just go to some places to explore and if I come across a Mikimoto counter, I will have a look.

Thank you for reminding me to check other department stores.

The Tasaki clasp is fine for me, easy to open and close. It’s just not as detailed as the mikimoto clasp.

 

[love_pearls]

This afternoon I went to the mikimoto in my local city to look at many strands of 7mm and 7.5 mm pearl necklaces. I felt that the pink tone ones are too pink and the only one that look nice was not having the uniform tone.

The strange thing is that I remember feeling happy after putting on the Tasaki one, do you think that’s the one ? Now I look back and probably the necklace that makes you feel happy is the one you like.

I think the only thing that was stopping me was the brand recognition.

I think it’s not too late to ask Tasaki to reserve that for me. Or ask them if they can ship it after payment.

 

[lambskin]

Does Takahashi have a store in Tokyo?

 

[love_pearls]

Does Takahashi have a store in Tokyo?

Tasaki is different from Takahashi but I think that they share the same farm because Tasaki’s pearls are processed in Kobe and Takahashi is based in Kobe.

 

[love_pearls]

Does Takahashi have a store in Tokyo?

I don’t think Takahashi has a physical store in Tokyo.

 

[love_pearls]

Found this one in mikimoto in my own city
What do you think?

I feel that this one truly has both pink and green tones but no tax free offer for me.

Too bad Tasaki didn’t let me take photos now I can’t compare and if tasaki has a similar one, I might go to Tasaki instead.





The last photo shows the one from Mikimoto flag ship store from Tokyo.

 

[mamong]

Found this one in mikimoto in my own city
What do you think?

I feel that this one truly has both pink and green tones but no tax free offer for me.

Too bad Tasaki didn’t let me take photos now I can’t compare and if tasaki has a similar one, I might go to Tasaki instead.





The last photo shows the one from Mikimoto flag ship store from Tokyo.

Difficult to compare with different lighting but to my eyes the strand from the flagship store in Tokyo looks more lustrous. From the tag it looks that the pearl are using the best of the best Mikimoto quality. Both strands look exquisite . Which pearl grade is your city Mikimoto strand?
Although the last strand looks more lustrous, I prefer the more satiny look of the strand from your city

 

[love_pearls]

Difficult to compare with different lighting but to my eyes the strand from the flagship store in Tokyo looks more lustrous. From the tag it looks that the pearl are using the best of the best Mikimoto quality. Both strands look exquisite . Which pearl grade is your city Mikimoto strand?
Although the last strand looks more lustrous, I prefer the more satiny look of the strand from your city

All 3 photos show the best of the best strands.
I was a bit disappointed with the lighting in the Tokyo flagship store. No matter how I switched the place, the tone was not shown in the flagship store.

 

[yssie]

Found this one in mikimoto in my own city
What do you think?

I feel that this one truly has both pink and green tones but no tax free offer for me.

Too bad Tasaki didn’t let me take photos now I can’t compare and if tasaki has a similar one, I might go to Tasaki instead.





The last photo shows the one from Mikimoto flag ship store from Tokyo.

You have good pearl eyes. I see the colour diff as well - the flagship strand is very pink.

So, NO to the flagship strand. For this type of money you’ve got to love the pearls.

The Mikimoto strand in your city, that is BotB quality as well? (I’m going by the diamond clasp).

One small clarification, Takahashi is a supplier that processes pearls that they buy from farms. Tasaki is buying processed pearls from supplier(s) (that the supplier(s) bought from farms and processed). Very possible all those pearls came from the same farms originally!

I think you might need to see the Tasaki strand again, or another Tasaki strand.

You’re spending a lot of money. And like you said before, these companies all have range of quality even within a single grade. I think you’re being very smart about seeing lots of strands to find the right one for you. ❤️

 

[yssie]

Edit - just saw your update on BotB. So that is true in both Eastern and Western Mikimoto boutiques - the diamond clasp means top grade…

Regarding brand recognition. Do you prefer the Mikimoto brand because you value that brand more? Or do you mostly prefer the Mikimoto brand because others value that brand more (ie. Value of what you pass down to children?) Or maybe a mix?

 

[love_pearls]

You have good pearl eyes. I see the colour diff as well - the flagship strand is very pink.

So, NO to the flagship strand. For this type of money you’ve got to love the pearls.

The Mikimoto strand in your city, that is BotB quality as well? (I’m going by the diamond clasp).

One small clarification, Takahashi is a supplier that processes pearls that they buy from farms. Tasaki is buying processed pearls from supplier(s) (that the supplier(s) bought from farms and processed). Very possible all those pearls came from the same farms originally!

I think you might need to see the Tasaki strand again, or another Tasaki strand.

You’re spending a lot of money. And like you said before, these companies all have range of quality even within a single grade. I think you’re being very smart about seeing lots of strands to find the right one for you. ❤️

When I looked at the strand in real life in Tokyo store, I was not feeling the joy, there’s something I didn’t like about that strand, I was not able to point out what I didn’t like.

Yesterday my SA in my local Mikimoto store gathered all the 7mm and 7.5 mm AAA for me to look at and I could only choose this only one I like out of at least 8 or 10 strands of the same grade. Of course this one I picked got a few very pink ones but most of the pearls got the mixture of pink and green. My SA promised to hold this strand for me for a while.

About the Tasaki one, I saw the pink colour but it seemed that there’s tiny dots of green in the centre of the pearl as well. Too bad they didn’t allow me to take photos. I was happy when I was trying on the strand though. And I knew that they were sorting out the strands for me to look at when I visited their store without making appointment.

I might go to visit Tasaki in my local store but since I have never bought something from them, I am not sure if they would gather all strands for me to choose.

What I like about Mikimoto is that they put diamonds on the best of the best strands as the simple label to label the top grade while Tasaki got no label to label their top grade strands. Tasaki gives each strand an individual number though.

The price in my mikimoto local store is so deep that it’s a pity to give up the tax free privilege that the Japanese store offers.

 

[icy_jade]

When I looked at the strand in real life in Tokyo store, I was not feeling the joy, there’s something I didn’t like about that strand, I was not able to point out what I didn’t like.

Totally get what you mean. There are some items that just speaks to you when you see/hold them, and others that don’t. If I try to analyse objectively, there is usually some reason, e.g. for pearls, usually the fantastic luster or color that catches my eye or simply being more flattering against my skin. But it doesn’t matter if you can’t point out why. Just trust your instinct.

Does the Mikimoto strand spark joy in you the way the Tasaki one did?