Mums Mikimotos?

[NZerKeith]

Hi all I imagine this has been done a million times before, we lost mum rather quickly and all her gold and jewels have been distributed between us siblings and to be kept and cherished, but.... Although mum loved jewellery anything gold and sparkling she also loves pearls but always stated she wasn't an old enough lady to wear them even at the age of 79, her perception of pearls was reserved for the elite and upper class or the glamorous older lady. So we decided the family that the pearl items she has collected don't hold the same sentimental value as the rest and we've decided to hopefully sell them on with the takens going towards paying for her send off. Don't really know any history about them, but she once told a grandchild not to touch as they were very expensive and she had already had them fixed once. So please any info would be much appreciated, any idea on value and any interest? Thank you.

Keith from New Zealand

 

[SteveM]

Keith,

Nice of you to share your treasures here. You'll no doubt get informative responses regarding your mother's Mikimoto strands.

I've jumped in here just to comment that from a liquidity standpoint the "gold and sparkling" would be more marketable. Pearls normally comprise the more sentimental portion of such a collection, given their intensely individual appeal.

 

[NZerKeith]

Keith,

Nice of you to share your treasures here. You'll no doubt get informative responses regarding your mother's Mikimoto strands.

I've jumped in here just to comment that from a liquidity standpoint the "gold and sparkling" would be more marketable. Pearls normally comprise the more sentimental portion of such a collection, given their intensely individual appeal.

Oh, yes. We weren't really sure what we were in for, wish we knew more about them. Thanks all the same

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I'm sorry for your loss!

Unfortunately I think all of the pearls are imitations.
• Certainly the double strand looks fake.
• The very grimy pearls in the Mikimoto box are also imitations. There is obvious peeling of the imitation coating. (Remember, any pearls can be placed in any box.)
* The smallest strand with the white metal fish hook clasp is also, I think, imitation. There are 3 pearls that look like they have the same sort of peeling coating-- see where I circled.

What makes this last one a bit unusual is that it is finished the way a better necklace is usually finished, with French wire near the clasp. But I have some imitation strands with French wire.

Do check the clasp for any metal mark. Ususally imitation strands are not finished with gold clasps, but I have 2 fake strands with 18K gold clasps, so it's not impossible, and worth checking. Is that a stone I see in the clasp? If the clasp is gold, I'd have the stone tested.

 

[NZerKeith]

I'm sorry for your loss!

Unfortunately I think all of the pearls are imitations.
• Certainly the double strand looks fake.
• The very grimy pearls in the Mikimoto box are also imitations. There is obvious peeling of the imitation coating. (Remember, any pearls can be placed in any box.)
* The smallest strand with the white metal fish hook clasp is also, I think, imitation. There are 3 pearls that look like they have the same sort of peeling coating-- see where I circled.

View attachment 474843
View attachment 474842

What makes this last one a bit unusual is that it is finished the way a better necklace is usually finished, with French wire near the clasp. But I have some imitation strands with French wire.

Do check the clasp for any metal mark. Ususally imitation strands are not finished with gold clasps, but I have 2 fake strands with 18K gold clasps, so it's not impossible, and worth checking. Is that a stone I see in the clasp? If the clasp is gold, I'd have the stone tested.

Thank you for your response, yes the single rope are showing chipping or delamination but I was told that this does occur with items that havnt been that well looked after and would possibly match up to the fact that Mikimoto are in fact cultured, I have no idea what thickness the coating are meant to be of course. As for the clasp it looks as though there may have been another pearl or possibly stone set in place and I can't find any markings on anything. The dual string of reducing size pearls was what we think she had repaired once or possibly was going to buy didn't die to cost and the fact she never wore them. She had some very rare, vintage and very expensive items amongst her jewellery collection but she also had some cheap junk market bought stuff. So who's knows with mum lol. Thanks again

 

[Pearl Dreams]

The nacre of a fine strand, Mikimoto or other brands, would be at least 0.4mm thick, often thicker, which is much thicker than an imitation coating, and would not look that way even if the pearls were old and in bad shape. Also that is not like any Mikimoto clasp I have ever seen, and given that it lacks the Mikimoto mark, or any metal mark, it is likely base metal. I stand by my assessment that they are imitation.

That generation often wore imitation pearls and some ladies even thought their pearls were real. Both my late mother and my late mother in law had pearl strands they thought were real-- but they were not real.

By the way, First Lady Jackie Kennedy's famous 3 strand pearls were fake, as were First Lady Barbara Bush's pearls. Fakes made by Kenneth Jay Lane.

 

[NZerKeith]

The nacre of a fine strand, Mikimoto or other brands, would be at least 0.4mm thick, often thicker, which is much thicker than an imitation coating, and would not look that way even if the pearls were old and in bad shape. Also that is not like any Mikimoto clasp I have ever seen, and given that it lacks the Mikimoto mark, or any metal mark, it is likely base metal. I stand by my assessment that they are imitation.

That generation often wore imitation pearls and some ladies even thought their pearls were real. Both my late mother and my late mother in law had pearl strands they thought were real-- but they were not real.

By the way, First Lady Jackie Kennedy's famous 3 strand pearls were fake, as were First Lady Barbara Bush's pearls. Fakes made by Kenneth Jay Lane.

Wow, all makes sense I guess. Thank you.