Mikimoto fake or weird transitional era clasp?

J

JMichaels

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My mother gave me a pearl necklace in a brown-suede Mikimoto case. 5.5-6mm akoya pearls, straight strand. Desperately needs restringing.

The clasp does acid test as 18k, it’s fairly substantial, and the marks look right to my admittedly untrained eye. But… there is no pearl. Or diamond.

Another thread mentioned that there are fake Mikimoto clasps out there.

I didn’t think much of it because I’ve seen weird clasps in the 80s-90s brown suede cases (including one what was in a modern style but made of silver, and a Mikimoto/JKa cobranded 18k diamond clasp), which makes me wonder if this was a sign of a cheaper line, or if it was something they made while they were developing the modern clasp… or if it’s a weird fake.

What do you think?

Thank you for your time and patience


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Hopefully Pattye can help...she dealt with Mikimoto's in the 80's and might have seen a time when the clasp was more plain. My other suggestion is do a google lens search...it will often find hidden things similar. But would your mother have purchased a Mikimoto with 18k new? Did she go to estate sales? When my sweet hubby was young, he bought a number of fake things accidentally (military tend to be targets for that) all were very obviously fake...he just did not know that there even were fakes. But he would never have bought Mikimoto pearls with an 18k clasp either, he would have gone with no-name in 14k.
 
A Breaker said:
Hopefully Pattye can help...she dealt with Mikimoto's in the 80's and might have seen a time when the clasp was more plain. My other suggestion is do a google lens search...it will often find hidden things similar. But would your mother have purchased a Mikimoto with 18k new? Did she go to estate sales? When my sweet hubby was young, he bought a number of fake things accidentally (military tend to be targets for that) all were very obviously fake...he just did not know that there even were fakes. But he would never have bought Mikimoto pearls with an 18k clasp either, he would have gone with no-name in 14k.
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Sadly, Google Lens just brought up all the Miki clasps.

My mother did buy mostly designer items at the time, (she was in a hnw client facing job, so she focused on the obvious key pieces - bag, pen, jewelry, shoes and one good suit.) but this was a gift from an ex-boyfriend. He could easily have afforded Mikimoto. But, he was also a … piece of work.
 
JMichaels said:
Sadly, Google Lens just brought up all the Miki clasps.

My mother did buy mostly designer items at the time, (she was in a hnw client facing job, so she focused on the obvious key pieces - bag, pen, jewelry, shoes and one good suit.) but this was a gift from an ex-boyfriend. He could easily have afforded Mikimoto. But, he was also a … piece of work.
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Then it is going have to be Pattye! Or someone else. I have called Mikimoto and gotten a general answer...you might ask if they ever, ever made 18k clasps without diamonds or pearls...you will get lots of "we would have to see..." But I was able to get a general answer (I was asking the average size of pearls on the clasp= ~4mm and color matched.) And if no one here can help...you could at least rule it a fake if the never ever made plain clasps.
 
How interesting, JMichaels, and a mystery ~ here's my thought after looking at the enlarged photo of the clasp. The marking on the back is authentic to my eye. Examining the front, I conclude there once was a small pearl on a post. The pearl was lost and your Mother decided to have the cup and post removed and the area smoothed over. If you look closely you can see a slight ridge around a not completely smooth area when magnified. Design-wise I doubt Miki would leave a completely blank "spot" in the center of the fancy clasp. Your thoughts??

I hope you'll be restringing these soon!
 
pattye said:
Examining the front, I conclude there once was a small pearl on a post. The pearl was lost and your Mother decided to have the cup and post removed and the area smoothed over. If you look closely you can see a slight ridge around a not completely smooth area when magnified.
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I completely agree, Pattye. It doesn't make much sense why anyone would replicate a gold Miki clasp in the first place. The price of gold being what it is, there would be no added value. Even if it were created to add value to other pearls, a silver clasp could have been used to that end instead.
 
pattye said:
How interesting, JMichaels, and a mystery ~ here's my thought after looking at the enlarged photo of the clasp. The marking on the back is authentic to my eye. Examining the front, I conclude there once was a small pearl on a post. The pearl was lost and your Mother decided to have the cup and post removed and the area smoothed over. If you look closely you can see a slight ridge around a not completely smooth area when magnified. Design-wise I doubt Miki would leave a completely blank "spot" in the center of the fancy clasp. Your thoughts??

I hope you'll be restringing these soon!
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Thank you so much.

I could see my mother having the pearl post removed if the pearl had fallen off or caught her hair - sadly, the necklace has been stored for at least 35 years, and she doesn’t remember

I bought your stringing kit, and that’s my goal for tomorrow!
 
Lagoon Island Pearls said:
I completely agree, Pattye. It doesn't make much sense why anyone would replicate a gold Miki clasp in the first place. The price of gold being what it is, there would be no added value. Even if it were created to add value to other pearls, a silver clasp could have been used to that end instead.
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Gold was once much cheaper. I think in the 1990s it was around $400/oz, and silver was $3. Gold can create more intricate designs.

Back to the OP, the clasp is very pretty even without the pearl.
 
ennui said:
Gold was once much cheaper. I think in the 1990s it was around $400/oz, and silver was $3. Gold can create more intricate designs.
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In the 90s, 400/oz was still a lot of money. Clasps have different parts which need to be fit for assembly. A run of gold findings commissioned by Mikimoto seem much more likely than a one-off to merely copy a Miki clasp.

Being good quality gold, the post may been to thin/soft and bent or broke, but entangled hair seems plausible too.
 
So, it’s bad when you clean the strand and are surprised to find out that it’s been pinked, right?

Also, I swear they aren’t potatoes. That’s just weird shadows interacting with the luster.

We need a follow-up to Pearls as One - maybe call it Pearls as Art - and it’s all about how to take a semi decent picture of pearls.

Thank you, all for all your time and patience with me. Without further ado…
 

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JMichaels said:
So, it’s bad when you clean the strand and are surprised to find out that it’s been pinked, right?

Also, I swear they aren’t potatoes. That’s just weird shadows interacting with the luster.

We need a follow-up to Pearls as One - maybe call it Pearls as Art - and it’s all about how to take a semi decent picture of pearls.

Thank you, all for all your time and patience with me. Without further ado…
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JMichaels, Excellent work cleaning and restringing these gorgeous pearls! I struggle with pearl photos, even after all these years.
 
I have a Mikimoto bought second hand with that brown suede travel pouch. My clasp is different too but it has the Mikimoto marking.

I’ve also seen ur clasp on eBay listings before.

Also the clasp with a diamond instead of the pearl.

Ur necklace is beautiful. What do you plan to do with it? Restringing is fun!
 
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