Mikimoto in London is located in the Mayfair area, on New Bond Street.
It is a fabulous jewellery shop, specializing in pearls of every shape, size, and colour available.
Kokichi Mikimoto was the first to culture a pearl successfully, way back in 1893.
He had been working on this problem for decades, trying to get conditions just right for the seeded oyster to produce a perfect round cultured pearl.
For years, natural pearls were highly prized rarities, and the oysters that produced them were becoming dangerously over fished as a result.
His dream was to develop a system of culturing pearls that would make them more commonly available so that every woman could enjoy them.
In 1906, Mikimoto opened his first pearl store in the Ginza area of Tokyo and began to introduce his magnificent pearls to an eager public.
Today Mikimoto is a worldwide enterprise, offering fine diamond jewellery in addition to its signature pearls.
There are pearls available for almost every budget, ranging from simple strands to unique custom made Mikimoto exclusives.
Mikimoto pearls are referred to as hanadama, or “flower pearls”, denoting they are of the highest quality available.
They come in varieties like Akoya Pearls which come from the Akoya oysters in Japan and come in a range of colours such as white, cream, gold, green, and silver; South Sea Pearls which are rather larger, 10mm and more, and come in white and gold shades; Black South Sea Pearls which come from the Black Lipped Oyster and range in colour from blue-green to violet, with the most popular shade being a peacock green.
It can take up to a dozen years to collect enough black pearls of the same shape and shade to make one single strand.
Mikimoto is known for their amazing one off pearl creations which are collected by wealthy pearl lovers from all over the world, but they also carry a range of simpler pearl strands and studs for those on more limited budgets.
Mikimoto in London still strives to make pearl jewellery accessible to women everywhere.
Visiting Mikimoto
179 New Bond Street, Mayfair, W1S 4RL
Telephone: 020 7629 5300
Photo courtesy: bbaunach
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