PhillyPearlPhanatic
Member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2010
- Messages
- 3
Hi, I have seen a few postings on Ebay for tin cup style or pearl strands with clasps marked either 10K or 14K IWI, which can also be read as IMI -- which, I guess, can be interpreted as an M in brackets, such as [M]. Is this an indicator of Mikimoto?
I ask because people seem be go Gaga when they see this, and they bid up the auctions more. (Or, ok cynically, maybe the seller's buddies bid up the auctions more for them.
)
I used to own a necklace purchased at Best around 1995 or 1996, when they went out of business in Colorado. They were sold to me as Mikimotos, possibly from the Blue Lagoon line or other lower line, white 7mm to 7.5mm pearls of what I would call (in layman's terms) so-so quality and luster (medium luster and surface blemishes) but nice overtones (silver-greenish and pink), 23".
What had always bothered me was the clasp. Unlike the other Mikis at the store (30" 6mm pink pearls with the distinctive Miki clasp set with a pearl), mine was the bottom-of-the-barrel, small, 14K yellow gold filigree marquise shaped clasp with the markings 14K IWI (which also looked like IMI or MM depending on how you looked at it) -- in other words, very disappointing. Is and was this mark used by Mikimoto?
I ask because people seem be go Gaga when they see this, and they bid up the auctions more. (Or, ok cynically, maybe the seller's buddies bid up the auctions more for them.
)I used to own a necklace purchased at Best around 1995 or 1996, when they went out of business in Colorado. They were sold to me as Mikimotos, possibly from the Blue Lagoon line or other lower line, white 7mm to 7.5mm pearls of what I would call (in layman's terms) so-so quality and luster (medium luster and surface blemishes) but nice overtones (silver-greenish and pink), 23".
What had always bothered me was the clasp. Unlike the other Mikis at the store (30" 6mm pink pearls with the distinctive Miki clasp set with a pearl), mine was the bottom-of-the-barrel, small, 14K yellow gold filigree marquise shaped clasp with the markings 14K IWI (which also looked like IMI or MM depending on how you looked at it) -- in other words, very disappointing. Is and was this mark used by Mikimoto?
