The Mikimoto brand of pearls was introduced by Mikimoto Kokichi, who was also one of the pioneers of cultured pearl production. The efforts he had put into formulating the technique of producing commercially viable pearls is praise worthy. It has a long history of struggle, often facing bankruptcy and severe opposition from folks dealing with natural pearls.
Venturing into cultured pearls was an effort on the part of Mikimoto to stop excess harvesting of pearl oysters for their pearls. It is understood that he first came across pearls when he sold vegetables at the docks as a teenager; he noticed divers bringing in the pearls from their diving expeditions.
His attempt in cultivating oysters as part of pearl cultivation had huge setbacks. Though for the setbacks he managed to produce cultured hemispherical pearls and which he introduced in
It was only prior to his buying the rights for the patented Mise-Nishikawa method of cultured spherical pearl production that he was able to produce spherical pearls in a commercially viable way. He too had formulated a technique of his own to produce spherical pearls, but, the technique was not commercially viable.
These techniques of spherical pearl production continue to this day. Mikimoto had streamlined the procedures for production of the topmost quality of pearls. The Mikimoto pearls continue to set standards amongst the cultured pearls in the markets.
The pearls are used in various jewelry settings including necklaces, rings, earrings, bracelets, etc. Mikimoto did pursue the dream of adorning women folk world wide with the Mikimoto pearls. Necklaces made of the Mikimoto pearls come in various lengths, they are known by the terms, choker, princess, matinee, opera and rope.
The names refer to the sizes the necklaces come in. Choker is 16 inches in length and suits adornment in occasions which are formal or casual. The princess is 18 inches in length and is a lengthier version of the choker. Matinee is 22 inches in length and is used for wear during the daytime.
The opera is up to 30 to 32 inches in length and best suits for wearing in occasions which are formal. The opera could have two strands. The rope is the lengthiest version and could be almost 40 inches in length. The rope also comes in strands of twos and threes and also in knots.
The Mikimoto brand of pearls is graded through the Mikimoto grading system which surpasses the requirements of international pearl grading standards too. The Mikimoto pearls are graded either as an AAA, AA, A+ and A. These grades further have sub-grades AAA1, AA1, A+1 and A1. The 1 sub-grade is indicative of surface blemishes within the respective grades. The surface reflection of the various grades AAA, AA, A+ and A are exceptionally reflective, superb, very good and good respectively. The AAA1 sub-grade indicates that the pearl matches the AAA grade but its surface is slightly blemished.
Hence only the best of the pearls could have the Mikimoto label, the grading system thus ensures that the Mikimoto pearls you buy are the superior of all the cultured pearls found in the market.