Mikimoto: 125 Years in Pearls

In 1893 Kokichi Mikimoto created the first cultivated pearl, initiating an adventure that has left its mark on the evolution of contemporary jewelry


  • Kokichi Mikimoto

    Kokichi Mikimoto

The birth of a pearl is an accidental event that has something miraculous about it. Even a simple grain of sand can trigger that fascinating mechanism that allows an oyster to conceive such a precious item. Merit for successfully replacing this divine act with human genius goes to Kokichi Mikimoto, founder of the homonymous brand. In 1893, Kokichi, the son of a noodle producer on Honshu Island, managed to obtain the first cultivated pearl, placing Japanese jewelry under the global limelight. At that time, the pearl trade was dominated by England, while in Japan, their collection was entrusted to ‘Ama’ - sherwomen dressed in white who dived as far down as 15 meters to look for them - but the yields were never enough to be competitive. Kokichi Mikimoto had just one vision: «to adorn the necks of all women in the world with Japanese pearls». The idea of cultivating them arose from this. It took years of perseverance and hard work before he managed to achieve the right method and then, one day, it happened. Kokichi and his wife Ume were going through the few remaining baskets of an oyster cultivation that had been destroyed by an invasion of a lethal seaweed for mollusks when they found their oyster farm’s very first pearl: a specimen that, due to its semispherical shape, was still imperfect. It took another decade before Kokichi was able to produce a perfectly round pearl, becoming famous the world over as the inventor of cultivated pearls.

  • Different covers of the 'Pearl' magazine throughout the decades

    Different covers of the 'Pearl' magazine throughout the decades

In a letter dated 6th December 1928 Thomas Edison, one of the most important inventors of all time, expressed his great respect for Kokichi. The two men had met the year before in New York. Admiring the Mikimoto pearl that Kokichi gave him, Edison wrote: «This isn’t a cultured pearl, it’s a real pearl. There are two things which couldn’t be made at my laboratory: diamonds and pearls. It is one of the wonders of the world that you were able to culture pearls. It is something which is supposed to be biologically impossible». The event was reported in the New York Times, consecrating Mikimoto’s link with these iridescent gems. Now, to mark the 125th anniversary since the creation of the first cultivated pearl, the Japanese company is celebrating the genius of its founder by reinterpreting a vintage item presented at the 1937 International Exhibition in Paris: the Yaguruma Sash Clip, a multi-functional accessory in Art Déco style, adorned with Akoya cultivated pearls and precious stones which could be worn in a variety of ways. The new Yaguruma collection proposes a series of items in which the beauty of Akoya cultivated pearls is enhanced by diamonds, mother-of-pearl and quartz: a sublime union of tradition and innovation and an example of how a brand with such a long and important history can continue to contribute in the evolution of contemporary jewelry.

  • Earrings with Japanese Akoya cultured pearls set with white gold and diamonds

    Earrings with Japanese Akoya cultured pearls set with white gold and diamonds

  • Bracelet with Akoya cultured pearls, quartz and mother of pearl

    Bracelet with Akoya cultured pearls, quartz and mother of pearl

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