Mikimoto, or not? Please advise!

[pearl-man]

Hello . My company has dealt with M.........valuation for 40 years. I feel its not the clasp just like it isn't the three pointed symbol on
a Mercedes. Quality of the pearls that count. The same vendor who sells to M......... also sells to others, altho' on a different level.
Some folks buy cheap strands attached to a M...........clasp on Ebay and reattach to something nicer to deceive . So buy the pearls not
the clasp.

 

[BWeaves]

I have a strand of Blue Lagoon pearls, which is a less expensive brand of Mikimoto, and they are stunning. Not as stunning as my mother's Mikimoto AA strands, but much nicer than some of my early purchases (30 years ago). I see no imperfections in my Blue Lagoon strand.

I think having Mikimoto look at them is still an excellent idea.

I'm sure the pearls are real pearls. The question is, are they real Mikimoto pearls?

Does Posh have a good return policy?

 

[gandkbenson]

Yes, they have a good return policy. They are packaged up and ready to send off to M tomorrow, but it is quite expensive to have them evaluate the strand. They are very pretty, just not perfect. I am super Duper picky though. I will try to post pictures tomorrow. As I walked around with them today, they feel high quality. I just don't know what to expect I guess!

 

[gandkbenson]

An update for you guys: I took the strand to be checked by a local jeweler who sells Imperial pearls. He measured them at 7.5mm, felt that the clasp was authentic, and the pearls the real deal. I'm so skeptical because of the flaws I see, but they are now en route to Mikimoto in NY. Thank you all again for your input. I'll keep you posted. Here are some pictures I took, including blemishes .

 

[Pearl Dreams]

By "the real deal" I assume he verified that they are cultured akoya pearls. I don't see how he could know they are Mikimoto pearls specifically.

But then I don't think Mikimoto can know whether they are Mikimoto pearls either. I would think the only thing they could certify is the clasp.

However if the clasp proves to be fake, then I would assume the pearls are also not Miki brand pearls.

 

[gandkbenson]

I know, it's a conundrum! Real deal meaning good quality cultured pearls.. I'm having the strand restrung and appraised with Miki so I'm anxious to see how they're graded, etc. This has been a very good lesson for me, and I would never go about it without paperwork, etc., again. Experience is the best teacher, right?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I've heard it said that Experience is a hard teacher-- it gives the test first, and teaches the lesson afterward.

 

[gandkbenson]

Indeed. �� Oh and by the way everyone, Posh would not let me return these. Another hard lesson. They would not listen to my concerns, though they did tell me to let them know what Mikimoto says.

 

[Katbran]

Well this has been interesting and thank you so much for keeping us all posted ! Too often we hear the beginning of a story only to never find out how it ends. We do appreciate your efforts in letting us follow your journey ! Either way you have a lovely strand of pearls . Whether or not they are Miki quality time will tell. And NO returns ! Even if misrepresented? Hmmmmm

 

[kalmen22]

Do let us know how it goes. What was the reason stated as no return? That is frustrating.

 

[BWeaves]

The shot of the pearls in the box makes them look pretty good.

However, I'm very suspicious of those divots in that close up shot. I do not believe you would see that sort of blemish on a Mikimoto pearl. Even the pearls in my Blue Lagoon strand are pretty perfect looking.

Mikimoto won't be able to say for certain if they are Mikimoto pearls, but I think they'll be able to tell you if they are not. They can compare them to their grades of pearls, and they'll be able to authenticate the clasp. Keep us informed, please.

It's a shame Posh won't let you return them if they are misrepresented.

 

[amti]

That's crazy Posh won't let you return something that is sold as a counterfeit. I would be a bit miffed if that is truly the case. That means they support the selling of fakes and will turn the other cheek to it. Even Ebay will side with you if you are sold a fake.

I'm with BW on the blemished pearl. Both my mom's mikis have no pearls with pits like that. That clasp is the one used on the real Mikimoto brand pearls, not those of their other brands. Of course, there's no telling if those marks were damages made after the purchase. The pit you showed is a serious one for akoyas since there are quite a few akoyas to pick from in that size. The pearls do look like they are of good quality though. And if the clasp is real but the pearls prove not to be, I have seen the 18k clasps go for at least a couple hundred or more.

 

[amti]

Quality of the pearls that count. The same vendor who sells to M......... also sells to others, altho' on a different level.

This is interesting. My mom has been telling me that my older strand of pearls that I bought from my grandmother might be Mikimoto pearls. Back in the mid 70s, my jeweler grandmother came to visit us in Japan and wanted to go to Mikimoto. She purchased some strands of pearls there. Not sure what she did with them but I later asked her to find me some pearls and she made me a double strand and bracelet using three strands. I don't know if they are miki pearls but doubt it. They are very pink and creamy though. They are more sentimental than anything. This is a pic I took of them when I was learning to restring them.

 

[gandkbenson]

Posh would not let me return, because they believe them to be real and as described. I told them about different scenarios that could be, including a real clasp on a different strand of pearls, and they said to let them know once I hear back from Miki. They wanted to release the funds to the seller, which in part, I can understand. She says they were a wedding gift from her mother. Who knows, I am very anxious to hear back. I'm curious if that pit is a natural blemish, or damage. The other main place of concern is definitely damage. I thought I saw more than those two, but as I tried to photograph them, I got overwhelmed and just packed them away and sent them off. I'll let you guys know what I find out!

 

[Sea Urchin]

Ah, okay. Apparently, it's a consignment shop and they soon pass the original seller's payment on to them. I pasted part of the return policy below.

I'm wondering if it's even possible to verify more than the clasp as being authentic Mikimoto, especially without the original papers.

I know no one wants to buy Mikimoto and find out it's not actually that. But even if it comes to that and you can't get a refund, at least it's still a lovely necklace.

Let us know how it turns out!
****************
Refund Policy

When you make a purchase on Poshmark, we don't release payment to the seller until you tell us you've received your order as described. You have 3 days after delivery to inform us if the item has been misrepresented by reporting the problem in the Poshmark app or website with supporting photos. If we verify your claim, we'll send you a label to return the order to the seller and refund your payment. All returns must be shipped back within 5 days of approval to be eligible for a refund.


What is covered

If any of the following pertain to your order, please report the problem in the Poshmark app or website immediately:
•Undisclosed damage
•Incorrect or missing item
•Item not as described
•Item is not authentic

If no claim is made within 3 days of delivery, payment will be automatically released to the seller. Once payment has been released, all sales are final and no refunds will be provided.
**************************

 

[Pearl Dreams]

"Undisclosed damage" is a valid reason listed for a return.

Did the seller disclose the damaged pearl(s)?

 

[Sea Urchin]

Even though they're selling on consignment, I'm surprised they aren't more careful with their wording. If they hadn't listed them as "Mikimoto Pearls" but said they "appear" to be Mikimoto or some such, they wouldn't have a possible very unhappy customer. I could see someone paying that price with the full understanding that they may not be authentic but being happy that they appear to be authentic. But then I guess it wouldn't grab notice as much in the first place...

Also, it looks like the buyer is supposed to verify that all is in order or state that it's not within three days of receiving them (which it looks like she did).

P.S. From the discussion under the listing, it looks like the pearls are not the size they were listed as, either.

I dunno, I would think repeat business would be important to them.

 

[gandkbenson]

I don't know if I've mentioned this or not, but I think the seller believes they are real. I have had good luck with Posh otherwise, but I think pearls should perhaps be the exception to their luxury policy since they cannot be proven one way or another. Maybe if they only allowed them to be sold with paperwork? I don't know, but I can tell you I would not buy something like this from a site like that ever again without it. Lesson learned! I'm still hoping that I got an amazing deal and these turn out to be a couple of damaged gems on a strand, and not a non Miki strand entirely.

 

[Katbran]

The only way I can imagine Miki being able to identify the pearls is whether or not they are of a lower standard than they would ever sell.

I was looking at the Akoya pearls at the booth of a Japanese seller in HK...he had beautiful perfect looking Akoya that had a very nice sharp luster. I got the price out of curiosity and smiled and said... " Much better price than Mikimoto !" He laughed and shook his head " they don't sell this low quality' . Heck..I thought they looked really good ! So...Miki might look and say...'not ours..we don't sell this quality' .

 

[gandkbenson]

Yes, if that's the case, I'm hoping since Posh told me to let them know they'll work out a refund for me.