Hello,
I have a vintage double-strand Mikimoto necklace from the 50s, I believe. I'm a pearl novice in the extreme, but looking at the pearls, I can easily point out a few that are distinctly more yellow than the others. Would Miki have strung such mis-matched pearls, or can they age over time? Some also seem quite bumpy to me. I can still see myself in the reflection, though not with detail. Any ideas? I have the box but not the papers, so no help to be had there. I can trace their ownership, so I know there was no switching out the Mikimoto clasp or anything.
Would restringing the necklace without the dodgily-coloured pearls affect its value much? I have a matching pair of twist-back earrings--would converting them to posts be advisable for similar reasons?
To have this set appraised, would you recommend going to the local Mikimoto authorized dealer? The pearls range in size from 3.5mm-7mm. Any ballpark figures over or under which I could be certain the person appraising them didn't know what they were talking about/having me on?
While I'm thinking of it, did Mikimoto ever sell rings or earrings from that time without the specific M in a clamshell stamp?
Photos follow, the second one being made with a flash.
Any help gratefully received.
I have a vintage double-strand Mikimoto necklace from the 50s, I believe. I'm a pearl novice in the extreme, but looking at the pearls, I can easily point out a few that are distinctly more yellow than the others. Would Miki have strung such mis-matched pearls, or can they age over time? Some also seem quite bumpy to me. I can still see myself in the reflection, though not with detail. Any ideas? I have the box but not the papers, so no help to be had there. I can trace their ownership, so I know there was no switching out the Mikimoto clasp or anything.
Would restringing the necklace without the dodgily-coloured pearls affect its value much? I have a matching pair of twist-back earrings--would converting them to posts be advisable for similar reasons?
To have this set appraised, would you recommend going to the local Mikimoto authorized dealer? The pearls range in size from 3.5mm-7mm. Any ballpark figures over or under which I could be certain the person appraising them didn't know what they were talking about/having me on?
While I'm thinking of it, did Mikimoto ever sell rings or earrings from that time without the specific M in a clamshell stamp?
Photos follow, the second one being made with a flash.
Any help gratefully received.