A visit to Mikimoto NYC... And musings...

[MakingTheGrade]

It is spectacular. I love that it’s double sided, how brilliant!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

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I cannot tell you how much I love this!!!

 

[hathalove]

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Oh wow this is so beautiful. Love these blossoms. Delicate and lovely!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

OHMIGOD I need one! SUPER gorgeous! I LOL at you "forgetting" you bought it. I would be obsessing waiting for it!

cheers--Sharon

 

[Ann]

Sooo pretty! I can't believe you forgot you bought it!

 

[yssie]

@Daisys and Diamonds, @lissyflo, @bling_dream19, @Lisa Loves Shiny, @MakingTheGrade, @diamondseeker2006, @hathalove, @canuk-gal, @Ann - Thank you all so much!!

Last couple of weeks have been rather challenging - I bought this as a pick-me-up and
I think it’s starting to work, I felt quite picked-up wearing it around the house today


@lissyflo I love this line!! The station necklace is something else. I really really like these earrings, too. If only I wasn’t on an earrings ban, and if only the dang money tree would hurry up and sprout…

https://www.mikimotoamerica.com/us_en/cherry-blossom-earrings-12mm

@MakingTheGrade Yes!! All photos online show two pave blossoms, and I had actually wondered what the backs might look like - I expected the usual polished lattice. But then, Japanese culture is traditionally so painstaking and meticulous, I should have guessed that Mikimoto would have a much more elegant solution!! I like the plain side just as much as the pave

@canuk-gal You do need one!! It’s such a beautiful interpretation of the usual station bracelet. And you’ve got the critters, you need more flora to sustain them

@diamondseeker2006 Some metal comparisons for you Mikimoto’s rose gold is a perfect match to Tiffany RG, to my eyes - it’s slightly more yellow than my WF 18k and VCA RG. And the cherry blossom motifs are a hair under 8mm end to end - very delicate

 

[yssie]

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Those photos look catalogue worthy !

 

[OdetteOdile]

Those photos look catalogue worthy !

Totally agree. These photos are What a seriously elegant and delightful bracelet! I'm so glad you got yourself a little pick-me-up @yssie! I hope the upcoming weeks are less challenging for you.

 

[katbran]

Yssie - OMG I had to laugh. One day it's 'Im lusting after this' Ten days later it shows up and you'd already forgotten you'd bought it . How on earth could you forget this stunning bracelet. I LOVE IT ! Granted I'm on a bit of a flower craze at the moment - but this is a beauty !

 

[yssie]

So... Since I’ve already been using this thread as a catchall for my various Mikimoto musings... In May (2021) I decided I wanted some tippy top WSS studs and I went to Miki again to take a look. Thank you to @RunningwithScissors for the reminder to update this thread!!

I’m going to run out of picture loads to one post so I’ll split this one up

 

[yssie]

Mikimoto sizes WSS by integer mm. So “10mm” will be [10mm-11mm), “11mm” will be [11mm-12mm), etc. And all Miki WSS are graded A+ - there’s no delineation by quality the way that there is for akoya.

I asked my SA to pull some 11mm and 12mm WSS pairs for me, and this was the first set of options that she sent. The small pair on top are 9.25mm akoya - included only for size reference (these aren’t mine!)
Bottom row L-R:
11mm #1, 11mm #2, 12mm #1.



I didn’t love either 11mm pair but I thought the 12mm might have potential.

I asked for a few more options, if available, and she sent this next photo:
Bottom row L-R:
11mm #1, 11mm #3, 12mm #1, 12mm #2.



I asked her to nix the "X" and put the other three pairs on hold for me to look at in-person.

 

[yssie]

Mikimoto NYC lighting is... Bizarre.

It makes pearls look beautiful, no question. But it’s also unfathomably unflattering with regard to matching. I mentioned this back in the akoya hunt days - the store lighting highlights every teeny tiny nuance of disparity between two pearls.

Yup, Miki's showroom lighting actually exaggerates differences between pearls. But simultaneously makes all of them look beautiful. Whackadoo.

The two not-blurry pairs below are separate pics of my Pearl Paradise 11.9mm WSS. That colour difference? I literally never see that in any normal lighting! If I look closely, yes, I can see what I consider negligible differentiation... But these two photos - both taken at Mikimoto - makes them look flat out unmatched. Here’s another thread with some real world photos of this :
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/colourplay-in-white-south-seas.265319/

So this helps put the rest of my pics into perspective...



Below L-R:
Miki 11mm #3, Miki 12mm #2, Pearl Paradise, Miki 12mm #1.



I took these photos - five separate photos in different parts of the showroom that I mashed together into a stripe collage - with a camera (a Canon G7X II). My SA took the original photos with a phone. I think her photos really (really really really) exaggerated the overtones, which is a ubiquitous and ubiquitously unfortunate phone camera optimization. Which isn’t a problem if the plan is to actually buy in-person, like I would have, but if you’re buying online... Okay, well, I won’t again rant here.

So now we’ve got my text #Truth, a camera phone #Truth, and a camera #Truth. Having fun yet?

 

[yssie]

Below are a couple of pics of the Miki 11mm #3 pair and the Miki 12mm #2 pair. I strongly preferred 12mm #2.

But the 11mm pair is interesting...



... So in that pic you can see that there's a diff between each pearl of each pair. Neither pair is 100% matched. This is true to what I saw IRL, and what ultimately made me decline all these Miki WSS pairs.

Of the 11mm pair, one pearl looks darker than the other in my pics. The one closer to fingertip in this photo. In-person that "darkness" translated directly to "metallicness" - the "darker" pearl in these pics was the more metallic by far in-person. This wasn’t really any surprise though - “metallicness” seems to correspond directly to both strength of overtone and higher contrast. What was especially interesting about this 11mm pair was the overtone colour.

The 12mm pair has actual coloured overtones - pink and teal (neither green nor blue, really, teal is the best I can come up with). The darker 11mm pearl has what I think is a “neutral” overtone. More metallic, and definitely iridescent, but the metallicity isn't coming from coloured iridescence, just a halo of the exact same colour as the body. I’ve never seen this before!!

The other 11mm pearl, the one closer to palm, that pearl might read whiter and brighter in photos but in-person it was dull and non-metallic. Plastic-ey.

 

[CMN]

Mikimoto NYC lighting is... Bizarre.

It makes pearls look beautiful, no question. But it’s also unfathomably unflattering with regard to matching. I mentioned this back in the akoya hunt days - the store lighting highlights every teeny tiny nuance of disparity between two pearls.

Yup, Miki's showroom lighting actually exaggerates differences between pearls. But simultaneously makes all of them look beautiful. Whackadoo.

The two not-blurry pairs below are separate pics of my Pearl Paradise 11.9mm WSS. That colour difference? I literally never see that in any normal lighting! If I look closely, yes, I can see what I consider negligible differentiation... But these two photos - both taken at Mikimoto - makes them look flat out unmatched. Here’s another thread with some real world photos of this :
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/colourplay-in-white-south-seas.265319/

So this helps put the rest of my pics into perspective...



Below L-R:
Miki 11mm #3, Miki 12mm #2, Pearl Paradise, Miki 12mm #1.



I took these photos - five separate photos in different parts of the showroom that I mashed together into a stripe collage - with a camera (a Canon G7X II). My SA took the original photos with a phone. I think her photos really (really really really) exaggerated the overtones, which is a ubiquitous and ubiquitously unfortunate phone camera optimization. Which isn’t a problem if the plan is to actually buy in-person, like I would have, but if you’re buying online... Okay, well, I won’t again rant here.

So now we’ve got my text #Truth, a camera phone #Truth, and a camera #Truth. Having fun yet?

@yssie so Glad you included this further post with regard to colour matching. I was looking at you previous photo thinking ‘none of the pairs look the same colour except maybe the one on the far right - I can’t believe yssie finds the others acceptable for further consideration!’

 

[yssie]

Here are the two 12mm pairs. In my SA's original photo the 12mm #1 pair looked silvery-blue. Cool-toned and pretty. In person it looked like plastic. I’m going to overuse the word plastic, fair warning folks.



One of the other SAs called #1 “chalky”, but that’s not really the description I would use - it was actually more lustrous than #2, if we define “luster” as “how sharp are the reflections” and exclude any discussion of contrastiness! And #1 was 100% matched in every way, even in this super unforgiving showroom lighting. @CMN dead on!!! Too bad the pearls looked like plastic coated with high-gloss lacquer. A friend said that #2 “has more depth”, and that’s about the best I can do in terms of describing the difference. Depth and life?

Here’s the 12mm #1 pair solo - below:



And the 12mm #2 pair solo:

 

[yssie]

A couple comparisons - the 12mm #2 pair and the better ("dark", metallic, contrasty) 11mm pearl from the 11mm #3 pair:



And below is a closeup of the 12mm #2 pair. The difference between the two pearls was quite visible in the showroom lighting. It wasn't a hugely difference by any means, but it was definitely more of a difference than my 11.9mm Pearl Paradise pair shows. Difference in both strength of iridescence and sharpness of reflections and contrastiness.



Pearl Paradise 11.9mm pair on top, Miki 12mm #2 pair on the bottom:



And last pic in this post - 12mm #2 pair on top, Pearl Paradise 11.9mm pair in the middle, and my AAA 9.25mm akoya at the bottom

 

[yssie]

All four pairs again!



And a few of me trying the two 12mm pairs on, because, of course

 

[yssie]

Of all the 11mm and 12mm studs that the NYC boutique had available (at that time anyway!) only the 12mm #2 pair was of any real interest. I loved the size!!!! But I had concerns about the lack of precise matching, and for these prices... Yeah, let’s just say that I was extremely reluctant to compromise. I spent quite a bit of time chatting with my SA - she totally understood the dilemma, and agreed that a “yes but” pair wasn’t going to make me happy in the long run, and said she’d poke around more for me.

The Las Vegas boutique had one other possibility and she forwarded the photo that she’d received:



Looked potentially promising? Maybe? Right pearl looks more iridescent and more contrasty than left, left looks like it has a touch more pink than right... But who knows what lighting might be doing right?

But then she saw them herself. And. Nope. Exactly what we had expected. Lighting wasn’t doing anything. The new LV pair on the left and the old 12mm #2 pair on the right:

 

[yssie]

I decided to pass on both pairs - the 12mm #2 pair was clearly the superior, but my old Pearl Paradise pair was honestly just nicer than all of them. I felt terrible about having taken up so much of my wonderful SA’s time!! But she agreed that these weren’t right for me.

I think... Ultimately... Well. WSS oysters aren’t farmed in Japan. The best WSS come from Australia. I was trying to make Mikimoto my #EverythingPearl go-to but that’s not reality! Mikimoto’s specialty is akoya. And I love Miki’s design aesthetic. I will definitely be buying more akoya pieces This bracelet/necklace conversion is next on my list!!

Jeux de Rubans Akoya Cultured Pearl and Diamond Convertible Bracelet and Necklace

Ribbons put a little sparkle in your heart. They will enhance your beauty and lift your spirits. The fluid beauty of chance and certainty is spellbinding. Mikimoto's latest collection, Jeux de Rubans is inspired by ribbons that are loved all over.

www.mikimotoamerica.com

Any PSers who are looking for a NYC SA - let me know!! Mine really is a darling

And I do have an update to the WSS saga! But it’s a WIP still and I’m gonna be that person and save the deets for a new thread when everything’s all done, cause PSers are the only people in my life who would humour a super excited grand reveal

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

All four pairs again!



And a few of me trying the two 12mm pairs on, because, of course

OMG !
They look so great on you!
I love the size !
You seem to have your piercing in a very agreeable place to show off a large pearl in the best possible way
it doesn't overwhelm your ear
It just looks awsome !

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I can't wait for the big reveal
im so so SO SOOOO impressed!

 

[yssie]

OMG !
They look so great on you!
I love the size !
You seem to have your piercing in a very agreeable place to show off a large pearl in the best possible way
it doesn't overwhelm your ear
It just looks awsome !

You’re so sweet Daisy, thank you!! My piercings are pretty high on my lobes and I have pretty large lobes - I wish they were petite and dainty but being able to wear big pearls is an upside!!

I’ve definitely noticed my size tolerance going up, up, up. The 13.4mm WSS that I’ve got, those are just objectively too big for me as studs - they hurt. But I used to feel like a phony in 12-12.5, like a kid playing dressup, and nowadays I think they work just fine...

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

You’re so sweet Daisy, thank you!! My piercings are pretty high on my lobes and I have pretty large lobes - I wish they were petite and dainty but being able to wear big pearls is an upside!!

I’ve definitely noticed my size tolerance going up, up, up. The 13.4mm WSS that I’ve got, those are just objectively too big for me as studs - they hurt. But I used to feel like a phony in 12-12.5, like a kid playing dressup, and nowadays I think they work just fine...

Pearl wear must evolve as we age or something
Im always to happy to see the young girls of all ages wearing some quite large (and tastfully small) pearl studs around Wanganui
Maybe this current generation will be great lovers of pearls

You have pretty ears
i wouldn't mind bigger ears if the rest of me was more smaller

 

[yssie]

i wouldn't mind bigger ears if the rest of me was more smaller

Amen, girl

 

[Kim N]

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yssie, this piece just made it to the top of my wish list because of your photos. I have such a soft spot for floral pieces (as evidenced by the orchid ring ), and this one is so romantic and feminine. I think I'm starting to fall down the pearl rabbit hole. I'm going to quote LLJsmom: "I'm in trouble @yssie."

ETA: Does Mikimoto ever go on sale?

 

[yssie]

yssie, this piece just made it to the top of my wish list because of your photos. I have such a soft spot for floral pieces (as evidenced by the orchid ring ), and this one is so romantic and feminine. I think I'm starting to fall down the pearl rabbit hole. I'm going to quote LLJsmom: "I'm in trouble @yssie."

ETA: Does Mikimoto ever go on sale?

Wow. Oh my goodness that’s so flattering!!

We do seem to share a fondness for flowers @hathalove once said flat out to me “not everything has to be a flower!” and I definitely rely on her and @LLJsmom and @m-2-b and @diamondseeker2006 to stop me from turning my whole jewellery box into a nursery

Mikimoto doesn’t ever go on sale and the brand is always excluded from reseller sales, as far as I’ve seen But I think Miki pieces ARE sometimes eligible for those “buy X get a gift card worth Y” promos that Nordy’s/Saks/etc. have? Don’t quote me on that...

I do prefer to buy from a boutique, though, the boutiques get first pick at the goods and a trusted SA can pick out the one with the nicest pearls!! Shoot me a note off PS if you’re on the east coast and want a NYC rec, that’s the US flagship and my SA there is wonderful

 

[yssie]

Wow. Oh my goodness that’s so flattering!!

We do seem to share a fondness for flowers @hathalove once said flat out to me “not everything has to be a flower!” and I definitely rely on her and @LLJsmom and @m-2-b and @diamondseeker2006 to stop me from turning my whole jewellery box into a nursery

Mikimoto doesn’t ever go on sale and the brand is always excluded from reseller sales, as far as I’ve seen But I think Miki pieces ARE sometimes eligible for those “buy X get a gift card worth Y” promos that Nordy’s/Saks/etc. have? Don’t quote me on that...

I do prefer to buy from a boutique, though, the boutiques get first pick at the goods and a trusted SA can pick out the one with the nicest pearls!! Shoot me a note off PS if you’re on the east coast and want a NYC rec, that’s the US flagship and my SA there is wonderful

But I forgot to add to that first bit - this is such a beautiful and easy-wear bracelet, I reach for it a ton! And I don’t stack it when I wear it, it’s just by itself, so for me it’s delicate and subtle enough to not feel like “too much” flower even if I’ve got floral earrings on. I wear it with my VCA RG/MOP Cosmos studs a fair amount actually

 

[diamondseeker2006]

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It's so funny that I was thinking of this bracelet today! I think my younger daughter would LOVE it, but I honestly want one for myself!!! I have nothing else rose gold, but it is so pretty, I want it anyway! Add this to the list, @yssie! Maybe I should get it now to go with my new studs!!!!!

 

[DorotheaBrooke]

But I forgot to add to that first bit - this is such a beautiful and easy-wear bracelet, I reach for it a ton! And I don’t stack it when I wear it, it’s just by itself, so for me it’s delicate and subtle enough to not feel like “too much” flower even if I’ve got floral earrings on. I wear it with my VCA RG/MOP Cosmos studs a fair amount actually

Okay, I'm down the pearl rabbit hole now with your posts! I'm gonna need some pink akoyas soon. And this bracelet is gorgeous! How delicate are these pearls? Any worry wearing the bracelet while typing and would it be a bad idea to stack with my infinity bangle?

Thank you so so so much for this amazing information!