Vintage Mikimoto???

[lowlightbw]

Hi all,
I am currently looking to purchase a pearl necklace for my wife for Valentines day. She really likes vintage items. I found this strand of pearls in a mikimoto box at an estate auction. I have several reservations. The auctioneer informed me that the original owner purchased the pearls in Tokyo in 1954. However the images do not seem to show a stamped "M" anywhere on the clasp. The clasp also does not seem to be similar to any other mikimoto clasp I have researched. The diamonds have been verified as real. The threading? between the pearls also seems to be too thick. I plan on going to check out the pearls in person tomorrow and will try and get better images. Any help would be appreciated. I have attached several images.

 

[jshepherd]

Well, the knotting isn't original. They are too tight for the age of the strand, and the method differs from what was used 50 years ago. That doesn't mean that the pearls aren't what they are purported to be, they may have just been restrung. A different clasp may have been added as well. It doesn't look like any Mikimoto clasp I have ever seen before.

I was recently asked via PM about an 'estate' piece from a seller on eBay. It had an elaborate story and a very vintage-looking box. A quick check of the seller's feedback showed she did a lot of buying as well as selling - mostly vintage jewelry boxes. Buried within the closed auctions we found both the necklace and box, with the seller listed as the auction winner.

Just food for thought. The box doesn't always guarantee provenance.

 

[lowlightbw]

Well, the knotting isn't original. They are too tight for the age of the strand, and the method differs from what was used 50 years ago. That doesn't mean that the pearls aren't what they are purported to be, they may have just been restrung. A different clasp may have been added as well. It doesn't look like any Mikimoto clasp I have ever seen before.

I was recently asked via PM about an 'estate' piece from a seller on eBay. It had an elaborate story and a very vintage-looking box. A quick check of the seller's feedback showed she did a lot of buying as well as selling - mostly vintage jewelry boxes. Buried within the closed auctions we found both the necklace and box, with the seller listed as the auction winner.

Just food for thought. The box doesn't always guarantee provenance.

Thanks so much for the fast reply. I am going tomorrow to check them out in person and I will try to get better photos. Is anyone able to take a look at the photos and tell me if the pearls are real cultured pearls?

-Ben

 

[GemGeek]

Actually, the clasp looks terrific. A fine diamond clasp can be worth a lot more than the pearl strand. Unfortunately, there isn't any provenance for Mikimoto with just a box.

 

[thoseriches]

That is a nice clasp, if they are real pearls, you could have them restrung on that clasp and it would still be a very lovely gift. Without the Miki mark, you are probabaly not going to prove that they are Miki. Actually even if the quality of the pearls is no good, buy it for the clasp and get a new strand of pearls for it.

 

[lowlightbw]

That is a nice clasp, if they are real pearls, you could have them restrung on that clasp and it would still be a very lovely gift. Without the Miki mark, you are probabaly not going to prove that they are Miki. Actually even if the quality of the pearls is no good, buy it for the clasp and get a new strand of pearls for it.

Thanks for the input! There is a mikimoto dealer here in Savannah. Would they be able to restring the pearls? Or would I have to ship the pearls somewhere?
-Ben