Hello, my wife was gifted these many years ago and we have no idea what they are. I rubbed them together and they do feel gritty and not smooth. I tried my best with my camera but my phone is quite old and this was the best it could do. I can try and borrow a better camera if necessary. The necklace, earrings, and single pearl are all about .290-.300 (7.5mm?) and the bracelet is .250 (6.35mm). The bracelet clasp says 585 and then a box that maybe has the letters "B" and "L" in it, but it's... Read more ..read more

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We spent a bit of time with Mr. Yoneguchi yesterday, the last remaining pearl farmer on Lake Kasumi ga Ura. It's incredible how he manages the entire operation on his own ..read more

Hi all, i am getting a mikimoto Pearl necklace in the size 7.5mm in grade AA (Q2 equivalent in Japan) and I would like to understand what I should look out for as this will be my first Pearl jewellery. 1. I would like a necklace that is more white (than pink overtone), but I read somewhere that the more pink/green the pearl is, the more reflective/lustre it is? I haven’t been able to make much comparison due to limited stock options I have, so I can’t tell if this is accurate. 2. I have... Read more ..read more

I have a very neglected lapis strand with huge 16mm beads that I want to re-work into something I will actually wear. Because the beads are so large it makes the necklace too short for me to wear comfortably, so I'm looking for ways to lengthen it - probably using gold spacer beads. And of course I also want to incorporate pearls somehow. I have a few inspiration pictures from etsy that incorporate either a toggle clasp or big spring ring clasp at the front that has a large baroque pearl... Read more ..read more

I am thinking of buying a pearl drill. I am talking about the horizontal kind with the holder. I have seen some on ebay for as low as $150. Some by a brand that I can't remember off the top of my head (LOWE, maybe?) sells for over $800. What's the difference? longevity? method of operation? quality of the hole drilled? Thanks ..read more

Good Morning. I am looking to make a bracelet and a choker for my wife. My choice is to make the bracelet with Tahitian Black Pearls and the Choker with White Cultured Pearls. Is there any place where I can get a pendant to go along with the 3 string choker? I prefer to have the pendant with crystals and sterling silver. I can get the connectors from Etsy, but am looking for a nice big pendant to which the choker can be connected. Appreciate all your help ..read more

There are quite a few fake Mikimoto strands being sold by Chinese sellers. They don't mention anything about the brand but it is pretty obvious they are selling counterfeits with that swirly ribbon clasp. Please don't fall for their scam. There are several different sellers (who are most likely the same company but using different names) with the same pictures... some clasps are said to be yellow gold, others are said to be white gold, but we all know the truth. Mikimoto does not make this... Read more ..read more

This is from a batch of cheap FWP. I knew they were cheap, I knew what that meant, and I got what I paid for- which to be fair included quite a few pearls that are quite nice and lustrous, interesting colors which will make a nice piece. This is one of the lesser ones. What I’m wondering about is that sharp transition from one color to another- it almost looks like the lighter color was there and then the golden tone was layered over it and then partially flaked off- but the line is just the... Read more ..read more

recently I purchased two Mikimoto necklaces. One of them is pretty modern and the previous owner got it back in 2013 from the boutique store (modern packaging too and she took a picture of her comparing different strands back in the store), and for the other one, I do not know about the year but the previous owner said they got it from an auction while they were studying in Japan. The clasp is the bowtie clasp that is identical to the 750 series ones, but they are silver in color and they... Read more ..read more