Super interesting & tragic Mikimoto

[A Breaker]

I never ever see local pearls...but this is a tragic story!!! The guy has the strand with the wax seal & paper tags...even the receipt...but lost the clasp, if they get strung they will no longer be Mikimoto!!! Makes me want to cry! Unworn, unloved....

 

[Cuon]

Perhaps I am far too uneducated in the ways of brand importance but first of all: still having all the original paperwork and certificates for an item except for the clasp and said item suddenly loosing all brand value because of that loss is beyond stupid. That is all.

However, would it not be possible to source a Mikimoto clasp from the same time period and restring them using that? Or are they truly worthless brand-wise without that original clasp?

 

[A Breaker]

Perhaps I am far too uneducated in the ways of brand importance but first of all: still having all the original paperwork and certificates for an item except for the clasp and said item suddenly loosing all brand value because of that loss is beyond stupid. That is all.

However, would it not be possible to source a Mikimoto clasp from the same time period and restring them using that? Or are they truly worthless brand-wise without that original clasp?

Maybe in Japan there might be loose Sterling Mikimoto clasps? But in the USA...very doubtful! The only way to tell that they were Mikmotos on a replacement clasp, would be for the paperwork to say " Mikimoto strand" & amount of pearls, size, quality etc...on it. It doesn't. So there is no way of knowing what brand the receipt was for, if the paper tags are removed. I am not picky about brands..I am picky about pearls.

Pearls get moved from box to box, so do receipts. I have some very vintage fun tags from faux pearls..Since the faux pearls only had paper tags...no one knows what brand of faux pearls they have. That would be the same for MIkimoto, if strung on a generic clasp. (Just for fun, I occasionally I look up Mikimoto on eBay...a number of non-Mikimoto pearls in a Mikimoto box turn up...great if you just want pearls...Not so great if you wanted authentic Mikimotos!) I am not picky about brands..I am picky about pearls. I hope that explains the problem??

 

[JMichaels]

Perhaps I am far too uneducated in the ways of brand importance but first of all: still having all the original paperwork and certificates for an item except for the clasp and said item suddenly loosing all brand value because of that loss is beyond stupid. That is all.

However, would it not be possible to source a Mikimoto clasp from the same time period and restring them using that? Or are they truly worthless brand-wise without that original clasp?

So, fun fact. In the 1940s, the US tariffs on cultured pearls was 200% for finished strands - and 10% on unfinished strands. So jewelry stores on military bases would sell pearls, and then sell the clasps separately. But the clasps couldn’t be stored in the box when it went through customs. So the owner of this 3.5 momme strand still might find a little paper bag, or blue and clear plastic pouch with a Mikimoto clasp in it

One of the biggest problems in the pearl market is that the average person has no idea what a pearl is, and the value of it. Even the average jeweler or gemologist struggles know the difference between a $1k strand and a $11k. Mikimoto has gotten around this by having consistent clasps, and the clasp is considered to be a guarantee of standards. Of course, that means that there is a market just for Mikimoto clasps. And for Mikimoto boxes.

Which brings us to the crux of the issue.

The market for 3.5 momme strands has grown tremendously in the last decade. Bless GenZ and their thrifty, dainty, retro-loving hearts. But “grown tremendously” is a relative term. Ten years ago, a 3.5 on a silver clasp sold for about $10-20. Even Miki was $50 to 125. Today, a generic 3.5 momme is about $75 to $200, and a Mikimoto is $300-600. A loose undamaged midcentury Mikimoto clasp is currently averaging about $150 to $400.

Collectors and historians love paperwork and provenance, so the seal, and the stamp, and the receipt and box means that this will sell on the upper end of generic ($200-350ish) but someone who wants to wear it (and cares about the paperwork) will want the matching clasp, and the future buyer does need to think about that.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

That is still a very cool strand of pearls, @A Breaker, clasp or no clasp.

 

[ennui]

In the 1940s, the US tariffs on cultured pearls was 200% for finished strands - and 10% on unfinished strands.

That's what I was thinking, that this strand never had a clasp, not that the clasp is lost. They are not knotted, and need to be strung.
With all that paperwork, I'm sure someone will be interested. Where did you see this?

 

[Mary-Contrary]

Just grab a vintage Mikimoto clasp on eBay! They’re around

 

[Cuon]

Maybe in Japan there might be loose Sterling Mikimoto clasps? But in the USA...very doubtful! The only way to tell that they were Mikmotos on a replacement clasp, would be for the paperwork to say " Mikimoto strand" & amount of pearls, size, quality etc...on it. It doesn't. So there is no way of knowing what brand the receipt was for, if the paper tags are removed. I am not picky about brands..I am picky about pearls.

Pearls get moved from box to box, so do receipts. I have some very vintage fun tags from faux pearls..Since the faux pearls only had paper tags...no one knows what brand of faux pearls they have. That would be the same for MIkimoto, if strung on a generic clasp. (Just for fun, I occasionally I look up Mikimoto on eBay...a number of non-Mikimoto pearls in a Mikimoto box turn up...great if you just want pearls...Not so great if you wanted authentic Mikimotos!) I am not picky about brands..I am picky about pearls. I hope that explains the problem??

So, fun fact. In the 1940s, the US tariffs on cultured pearls was 200% for finished strands - and 10% on unfinished strands. So jewelry stores on military bases would sell pearls, and then sell the clasps separately. But the clasps couldn’t be stored in the box when it went through customs. So the owner of this 3.5 momme strand still might find a little paper bag, or blue and clear plastic pouch with a Mikimoto clasp in it

One of the biggest problems in the pearl market is that the average person has no idea what a pearl is, and the value of it. Even the average jeweler or gemologist struggles know the difference between a $1k strand and a $11k. Mikimoto has gotten around this by having consistent clasps, and the clasp is considered to be a guarantee of standards. Of course, that means that there is a market just for Mikimoto clasps. And for Mikimoto boxes.

Which brings us to the crux of the issue.

The market for 3.5 momme strands has grown tremendously in the last decade. Bless GenZ and their thrifty, dainty, retro-loving hearts. But “grown tremendously” is a relative term. Ten years ago, a 3.5 on a silver clasp sold for about $10-20. Even Miki was $50 to 125. Today, a generic 3.5 momme is about $75 to $200, and a Mikimoto is $300-600. A loose undamaged midcentury Mikimoto clasp is currently averaging about $150 to $400.

Collectors and historians love paperwork and provenance, so the seal, and the stamp, and the receipt and box means that this will sell on the upper end of generic ($200-350ish) but someone who wants to wear it (and cares about the paperwork) will want the matching clasp, and the future buyer does need to think about that.

Thank you both for the information! So basically, it still does retain some brand value and it’s intrinsic value as high quality pearls, and historical value as well with the papers and wax seals. It’s the fact that some people, especially the non pearl educated general public, don’t want the added hassle and expense of sourcing a clasp and stringing that makes this a pain for the seller.
Did I get that right?

 

[BWeaves]

Talk to Mikimoto America. I've had them fix pearls I bought from them. If this strand still has all the seals on the strand, they could restring with a proper Miki clasp for you. It might be a bit expensive, but it will be infinitely cheaper than buying a new strand of Mikis.