Mikimoto "Pearls in Motion" video

[MistofCassiopeia]

I had a chance to examine quite a few of the Mikimoto pearls recently and saw something I thought was pretty ingenius. A small ring about 4/8" of an inch across which doubles as a hidden clasp is hung from one end of a chain. A pearl at the other end of the chain (a pearl with a cuff/bezel) was inserted through and had a gold piece stopper at the opposite end of the chain.

I love the chain idea, it was pretty smart. The only problem is, I didn't see any Mikimoto pearls that I actually liked. The chain (18 k & about 19" long) and pearl I saw (about 10-11mm) went for $1,850.00 CDN dollars (close enough to US dollars).

I would like to know if I can just get the chain? It would appear that it is proprietary to Mikimoto. Here is a link to the Youtube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oReFViIcok4

let me know what you think...

 

[Reiah]

Very neat! I like it too. I wonder how the chain keeps the pearls in place?

 

[aggiep]

If you watch the video there are inserts in the pearls that look like metal sleeves. Next those spacer beads must have some friction internals. Most likely it is like clutch ends you have on stick pins. They have a bit of rubbery like material in the center of them that securely holds it in place when shoved on the end of the stick pin. It looks neat but not propritary.

 

[waimeamomi]

There's an earlier thread on the forum about these as well. You can Google "Smart pearls" for less expensive alternatives, but I can't find any finding parts listed to make these. Looking at the other pics, I think Aggie is right on with her break down of the mechanics of the necklace.

 

[Miriam Reed]

Very interesting concept. I hadn't seen it before.

 

[Nathan Reed]

Anybody know if the mechanics of "smart pearls" are in any way inferior to the movable parts of the Mikimoto strand? Or the reverse?