I thought they were Mikimotos but...

[Roxie]

Hello all,
I received a string of Pearls from my mother in 1987. They came in a grey Mikimoto velvet box, which, of course, I can't find right now. It is somewhere in my house. However the clasp has no "M" or oyster shell on it. It is a simple shell design.
The pearls do feel rough when rubbed against my teeth.
I believe the pearls cost about $600.
The clasp ..um.. hook.. says 14K and the letters B L on it. Please see pictures for details.
They are .5ml.
Was my mom cheated? I hope not!
Thanks for any help you can be.

Roxie

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Hi Roxie and welcome to Pearl-Guide.

Were these pearls that used to belong to your Mom, or did she buy them specifically for you?

If they were originally hers, did she have more pearls? Perhaps she put another strand into the Miki box, just to have a box to give them to you in.
They look like they have been worn a lot, judging from the knots. They will look much better after restringing.

Absent paperwork showing these are Mikimoto pearls, and absent a Miki clasp, I don't think you could know they aren't just another, non-Miki strand of pearls.

 

[Roxie]

Hi Roxie and welcome to Pearl-Guide.

Were these pearls that used to belong to your Mom, or did she buy them specifically for you?

If they were originally hers, did she have more pearls? Perhaps she put another strand into the Miki box, just to have a box to give them to you in.
They look like they have been worn a lot, judging from the knots. They will look much better after restringing.

Absent paperwork showing these are Mikimoto pearls, and absent a Miki clasp, I don't think you could know they aren't just another, non-Miki strand of pearls.

Hello and thanks for the lightning quick response. They were bought for me. And... I just remembered that the receipt is in my safe deposit box!!! (Amazing how those neurons fire every once in a while.) I will zip over there and take a look and possibly post again. Thanks again!!!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Another thought: Could they be Sea Magic (a lower-end Mikimoto brand)? I am not familiar with Sea Magic clasps but they would look different from Mikimoto clasps.

 

[linda.wald]

B.L.? Blue Lagoon? In pictures I can find of Blue Lagoon pearls, the clasps say BL in a box. Could you post a picture of the markings? Blue Lagoon is Mikimoto's second line of pearls.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Good catch, Linda. I bet that's it.

 

[Roxie]

Actually, another neuron fired and I remembered that I took pictures of my safe deposit box items and I have an apprasal. They are Sakura Pearls by Mikimoto. Can you tell me anything about them and that brand name please?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Better and better! I don't know the Sakura brand but now I'm curious, too. I guess we'll all be Googling now.

 

[Roxie]

So, I am sorry to waste your time but It took your website to fire those neurons to remember I actually had the info in my deposit box. I was pretty distressed that there was no M on my strand of pearls. I can now research the rest. Thanks again for being so nice!!!

Big

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I wonder if the receipt just shows the logos of brands sold by the store where these were bought? Mikimoto is listed side by side with Sakura, which seems to be a company:
http://www.sakura-pearl.com/en/

I also just learned that sakura means "cherry blossom".

Edit: But then I found this: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/263953228131210392/
The original link back to to Mikimoto no longer works but those south sea pearls are identified as "Mikimoto Sakura."

 

[Roxie]

P.S. To bad it doesn't have a beautiful clasp. And I will have them restrung.

 

[Roxie]

OH!!! That could be! I will have to get my hands on that velvet box, which I am pretty sure says mikimoto.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Speaking of restringing....

Many of us restring our own necklaces. It saves quite a bit of money and you don't have to take the risk of your pearls being lost in the mail etc.
All you need is a flexible wire needle, some French wire (gimp), some thread and the will to learn.

See tutorials on our Lowly Beaders Club:
https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?19-The-Lowly-Beaders-Club

We've been cross posting. I saw on Pinterest a reference by mikimotoamerica.com to "Mikimoto Sakura". See post #10. So yes, your box probably does say Mikimoto.

 

[Roxie]

Thanks for that info too!!!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Also...if you restring them (or have them restrung for you) you can choose a different clasp. Rio Grande, Bellas Findings and other sources have nice clasps.

 

[Roxie]

I will!!! With something beautiful, since I don't have to worry about the "M".

 

[BWeaves]

Wasn't somebody else on this forum asking about "Sakura" brand pearls, and we couldn't find anything about them.

Your clasp looks a lot like the Blue Lagoon pearls I have from my Aunt Love. Blue Lagoon was Mikimoto's less expensive brand of pearls. But they often came in a Mikimoto box. They just didn't have the Miki clasp.

Here's my Aunt Love's clasp:



Even Miki's second string (if you'll pardon the pun) pearls are nicer than most mall store's best pearls. Yours look lovely. They just need a restringing and a cleaning and they'll look much more expensive.

 

[Roxie]

And... I finally found the box. In the end they are Blue Lagoon Mikimoto pearls sold by partner retailers of Mikimoto but not in Mikimoto stores. Once I found that, I saw the exact same pearls as mine, with the same clasp, for sale on ebay. So... my final question is, if I restring the pearls, and change the clasp to something beautiful, will that decrease the value in the pearls, since they would not have the BL on the (boaring) clasp that is on there now? Thanks!!!!

 

[BWeaves]

Save the clasp. If you ever want to sell them, just restring them with the original clasp.

But feel free to change the clasp to something you truly love. I do that all the time. I feel a pretty clasp ups the value of the pearls, in my eyes at least.

 

[BWeaves]

Save the Blue Lagoon clasp and keep it in the original box so you know where to find it. If you ever want to sell the necklace, just restring them with the original clasp.

But feel free to change the clasp to something you truly love. I do that all the time. I feel a pretty clasp ups the value of the pearls, in my eyes at least.