“No good poem, however confessional is may be, is just a self-expression. Who on earth would claim that the pearl expresses the oyster?" Robert Cecil Day Lewis
The brand name of Mikimoto is synonymous with the highest quality of cultivated pearls. What Chanel is to perfume, Mikimoto is to pearls.
Most Americans may not know the history of Mikimoto. Rest assured that every Japanese schoolchild knows Mikimoto’s life story as every American knows the story of George Washington or Thomas Alva Edison.
Born in 1858, Mikimoto was the first-born (favored) son of a humble udon shop owner in Toba, Shima Province (present-day Mie). The family was impoverished and Mikimoto had to leave school at the age of thirteen to sell vegetables to support his family. Mikimoto upon seeing the pearl divers of Ise unloading their treasures at the shore near his home started his fascination with pearls. Mikimoto’s observations lead him to dream of the possibility of a better life. That better life did not come quickly.
In 1888, Mikimoto, then thirty years old obtained a loan to start his first pearl oyster farm at the Shinmei inlet on Ago Bay in Mie, together with his wife and partner Ume. They toiled for five years and in 1893, after many failures, destitution and near bankruptcy, after many unsuccessful attempts he was finally able to create a nearly perfect hemispherical cultured pearl. Another five years later, Mikimoto introduced these “mabes” at a marine products exposition in Norwayin 1897, and began a modest export business. However, it took him another twelve years to create completely spherical pearls that were indistinguishable from the highest quality natural pearls, and commercially viable harvests were not obtained until the 1920’s.
In 1899, the first Mikimoto pearl shop opened in the fashionable Ginza district of Tokyo selling natural seed pearls, and half round pearls. The Mikimoto business expanded internationally, opening stores in London (1913).
After forty years of perseverance, Mikimoto’s success was met with a surprising twist of fate. Mikimoto did not know that a Japanese government biologist named Tokishi Nishikawa, and a carpenter, Tatsuhei Mise, had each spent time in Australia, and learned the secret to spherical pearl production from expatriate British marine biologist William Saville-Kent, and that by inserting a piece of oyster epithelial membrane (the lip of mantle tissue) with a nucleus of shell or metal into an oyster's body or mantle causes the tissue to form a “pearl sack“. This sack produces “nacre“, which coats the nucleus, thus creating a pearl. Mise had already received a 1907 patent for his grafting needle. When Nishikawa applied in the same year, he realized that Mise had already secured a patent. In a compromise, the pair agreed to cooperate, calling their discovery the "Mise-Nishikawa method". An extraordinary partnership was forged. Mikimoto had previously received a patent in 1896 for producing hemispherical pearls, or mabes, and a 1908 he received a patent for culturing in mantle tissue, but he could not use the Mise-Nishikawa method without invalidating his own patents. Mikimoto then altered his patent application to cover a technique to make round pearls in mantle tissue, which was granted in 1916. However, this method was not commercially viable. Mikimoto finally made arrangements to use Nishikawa's methods after 1916, and its then that Mikimoto's business began to expand rapidly.
Like the argument of “nature vs. nurture” a similar paradigm exists for cultivated vs. cultured”. Mikimoto had to constantly fight allegations that his pearls were only “imitations” of real pearls, despite scientific reports to the contrary. Consumers still could not grasp the concept that cultured pearls were every bit as real as naturally cultivated pearls. Mikimoto took advantage of every opportunity to personally promote his pearls, and took part in the 1926 Philadelphia World Exposition in which he displayed a kind of marketing genius with his clever replica of the "Liberty Bell" covered with pearls.
Mikimoto’s new technology enabled Japan's cultured pearl industry to quickly expand after 1916, and by 1935, there were over 350 pearl farms in Japan producing 10 million cultured pearls annually. By 1935, the Japanese pearl industry was facing oversupply issues and plummeting prices for Japanese cultured pearls. Coincidentally, Japan, which had become a highly prolific manufacturing nation, received a kind of reputation for producing “cheap goods”. To counteract this erroneous perception, Mikimoto a gifted promoter understood the value of press and PR, so he promoted Japanese pearls in Europe and the USA in an attempt to counteract falling prices. He publicly burnt tons of low quality pearls as a publicity stunt to establish a reputation that the Mikimoto Company only sold high quality cultured pearls. These advertising ploys established Mikimoto as the pre-eminent luxury pearl retailer.
Fate conspired against Mikimoto who had just secured a mediocrum of success just as the world went to war. Japan became an ally of the German and Italian Fascists, and all goods from Japan were embargoed. As soon as the war was over, Mikimoto became a sort of cultural ambassador, the aging and stately Mikimoto became an invaluable spokesperson not only for his company, but also for his country. After World War II Mikimoto opened a store in
Paris, New York, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Shanghai and Bombay, and was thus one of the first Japanese brands to attain an international presence and recognition.Just before his death, Mikimoto was awarded the Order of Merit (First Class) by the Japanese government. In 1954, Mikimoto Kōkichi died at the age of 96. He was posthumously awarded the Grand Cordon of the
Order of the Sacred Treasure, one of Japans highest honors.
That being said, I’ll digress, in the 1960’s and 1970’s popular shampoo manufacturer “Prell” (a clever play on words) extolled the luxuriousness of its viscous green cleanser by dropping a perfect pearl into the bottle. The substance was so thick that the pearl could only float to the center of the bottle. A doubting Thomas, to test this hypothesis I cut up my mother’s stand of pearls to try it for myself. Guess what “Prell” was telling the truth. Granted, mother was not amused!
We might think that the archaic belief that pearls have magic properties is as old fashioned as a farthingale, but in the 1980’s and 90’s actress Nancy Kwan sold a boatload of “Pearl Cream” which according to Kwan… “Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to tell how old most oriental women are? Since ancient times we’ve had a beauty secret just recently introduced to the Western world. Our secret is called Pearl Cream, and it’s made from real pearls…genuine precious pearls are pulverized into a lustrous powder. Special oriental ingredients are then added to make this incredible skin treatment….For centuries Pearl Cream was available only to the very rich, but in recent years the lowered costs of gathering pearl oysters has made it affordable to everyone. A thirty-day supply of oriental Pearl Cream is only 19.95. Try it for ten days. If you don’t look and feel years younger, if your friends don’t actually accuse you of having had a face-lift, simply return the unused portion for a full refund.”
Tiffany’s may be synonymous with diamonds, but let’s recall that Audrey Hepburn wears strands of pearls in the opening credits of “Breakfast At Tiffany’s”. Rest assured that Mikimoto pearls continue to invite envy. They are coveted. It is no wonder that “Sex & The City’s” Carrie Bradshaw chose a Mikimoto opera-length cultured pearl necklace to replace her signature nameplate necklace in the new "Sex & The City" movie. The 8.5mm Akoya cultured pearl necklace, 32-inches long, with Mikimoto's signature clasp in 18K gold retails for $11,900.00 (don’t feint, Mr. Big can afford it.) The beautiful strand is featured throughout the film, as Carrie's "no outfit is complete without it" accessory. Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, wears the strand while announcing her engagement to Chris Noth a.k.a "Mr. Big," while shopping in New York City, and even as she lounges in bed. The strand is prominently shown in the scene where, while seated at her computer pondering feelings about love, she twirls the strand around her fingertips as if it was a strand of Rosary beads and holds the answers to her endless questions. Since the film's release, news outlets have called Carrie's Mikimoto necklace the signature accessory in the film, and a major fashion trend.
For more info on Mikimoto pearls please visit www.mikimotoamerica.com
To purchase Mikimoto pearls from an independant GIA jeweler please go to http://store.jrdunn.com/category_s/473.htm
Return soon for the fourth and final installment
