? about changing clasp

[pearlgurl]

I purchased a 1940/1950's Mikimoto necklace with silver clasp. The pearls are really pretty and I got them for a great price. How do I go about having a gold clasp put on? Thanks!!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

It may be a good idea to have it restrung, at which time a new clasp could be put on.

Do you already have a clasp you wish to use? If not, ask your jeweler to let you look at some catalogues so you can pick out one you like.

 

[pearlescence]

Much of the value of a Mikimoto strand of pearls is in the branded clasp, I understand. In which case upgrading the clasp to gold would diminish the value drastically.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

If the silver clasp is the original Miki clasp, Wendy is correct! I didn't realize Mikimoto used silver for clasps.

I will say this, however: if you are going to wear them and just don't like the clasp, change it to something you want to wear, but keep the original clasp so you can have it restrung with the original if you decide to sell it someday. Jewelry is meant to be worn and resale value is not the only consideration.

 

[Caitlin]

I think the silver clasp tradition started during WWII when gold was diverted to the war effort. I don't know if they still do the silver clasps, but maybe inquire at the closest Miki store and ask about a gold clasp from them. I have no idea what they do about inquiries like that.

 

[willeyi]

I purchased a 1940/1950's Mikimoto necklace with silver clasp. The pearls are really pretty and I got them for a great price. How do I go about having a gold clasp put on? Thanks!!

Hi, you can send them in to Mikimoto and have them restrung with a new clasp put on. I have several strands of Mikimoto and restring them regularly. I have also changed the color clasp. To change a clasp, Mikimoto will KEEP you current clasp. They will not give it back to you. This is to avoid the black market in reselling the clasps. The clasp is $310.00 for either 18K White or Yellow gold. Also, current Mikimoto strands come with a "M" charm. The charm is priced separately and it is $110.00. By the way, the pricing is as of last year... I haven't had anything done this year, so prices may have changed slightly.

Restringing is $4.00 per inch, and an appraisal is $50.00. It takes about 2-3 weeks. You should mail your pearls directly to the New York store.
I hope this was helpful.

 

[Caitlin]

willyi
Thank you for posting this info. It is always good to have some Mikimoto pearl enthusiasts posting here. I hope to see photos of some of your collection and more information posts as the above is.

Many of us here prefer to find Miki quality at better prices, thus forgoing the brand name, but we do appreciate that there are many people who must have the brand.

 

[willeyi]

willyi
Thank you for posting this info. It is always good to have some Mikimoto pearl enthusiasts posting here. I hope to see photos of some of your collection and more information posts as the above is.

Many of us here prefer to find Miki quality at better prices, thus forgoing the brand name, but we do appreciate that there are many people who must have the brand.

Hi, I hope I am posting this photo correctly. Here are examples of two of my strands, one with a yellow gold clasp and charm and the other with a white gold clasp and charm.

 

[willeyi]

Hi... ok. I think I posted the photo correctly as I can see it. Yes, I am a big Mikimoto fan, but I noticed this forum doesn't seem to be which is ok. I would like to add two more pieces of information to the original poster...

Pearlgurl,
I want to also let you know you can "swap" clasps at no extra charge. I should have included that in my earlier post. For example, if you already have a strand of Mikimoto pearls with a yellow gold clasp, you can send both strands into Mikimoto and have them swap the clasps. Of course, they will charge you for the restringing, but you will not have to buy a clasp and charm. You can time it for when your strand needs restringing so as not to "waste" a restring.

I recently did that with some bracelets. For rings, I wear platinum, so when I wear my pearl bracelets, I prefer the clasp to be white gold. Long story short, I had Miki take a white gold clasp from one of my necklaces and put it on a bracelet. So now when I wear my bracelets, they are all white gold. I really don't care about the gold color on necklaces, but for bracelets, since you can see the clasp and charm, I thought it looked a bit uncoordinated to have white gold and yellow gold for the bracelets. But some folks I am sure don't care of prefer the mix of metals.

Finally, you will see in the photo, the charm is after the 3rd pearl. Older strands (about pre-2005) had the charm after the 1st pearl. If you restring, the default is to have the charm in the 3rd position. If you want the charm in a different position, or the earlier 1st position, you have to specify.

I hope this info helps.

 

[Caitlin]

I am a fan of the pearls you just posted!

I am not able to afford the Mikimoto price, so I look for quality without the brand. But it is a delight to see your gorgeous necklaces!

And your information is valuable, too.

 

[willeyi]

I am a fan of the pearls you just posted!

I am not able to afford the Mikimoto price, so I look for quality without the brand. But it is a delight to see your gorgeous necklaces!

And your information is valuable, too.

Thank you for the compliment on the pearls...I hope the picture was helpful as I took it with my iPhone so it's a bit fuzzy. If you ever need to know any additional info on the pearls, I'd be happy to share and help if I can. I am certainly no expert, but I can share what I know based on my experiences with Mikimoto and their pearls.

 

[Caitlin]

Keep an eye out for the Miki questions. We get them every so often.