Mikimoto Estate Akoya Pearl Abalone Cufflinks Sterling Silver
View Similar Items
Mikimoto Estate Akoya Pearl Abalone Cufflinks Sterling Silver
About the Item
- Creator:
- Metal:Sterling Silver
- Stone:Pearl
- Stone Cut:Round Cut
- Place of Origin:Japan
- Period:1990-1999
- Date of Manufacture:1995
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Brooklyn, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: M1881stDibs: LU1729213104202
Mikimoto
Born to a noodle-shop owner, Japanese jeweler Kokichi Mikimoto (1858–1954) worked in the seafood business before shifting his focus to pearl cultivation. In 1893, he successfully developed the world’s first cultured pearls with a semispherical specimen. His further experimentation would include black and white South Sea pearls. This development gave Mikimoto a supply of what had once been a notoriously rare natural element and earned him the nickname “The Pearl King.” As he once said, “My dream is to adorn the necks of all women around the world with pearls.”
In 1899 in Tokyo’s Ginza district, Mikimoto opened his first, eponymous store in a white-stone building reminiscent of the color of pearls. He quickly earned a reputation for dazzling designs that blended Japanese craftsmanship and European influence. Mikimoto sent his jewelers to Europe to study the latest trends in jewelry and design; they brought back knowledge of Art Deco and Art Nouveau styles, which were incorporated into designs featuring Mikimoto’s pearls.
But Mikimoto’s creations were not met with enthusiasm by all. In 1921, a London newspaper called the designer’s jewelry “only imitations of real pearls” and claimed the company was “misleading” its customers. It developed into a lawsuit in the French courts, which ruled in Mikimoto’s favor, and raised the jeweler’s global profile. He also brought his work international acclaim through exhibitions and world’s fairs, including the 1926 Sesquicentennial Exposition in Philadelphia where he unveiled a replica of the Liberty Bell covered with pearls. In 1927, Mikimoto met with Thomas Edison, who gave the jeweler’s invention probably its best compliment: “It is one of the wonders of the world that you were able to culture pearls. . . . This isn’t a cultured pearl, it’s a real pearl.”
Following World War II, Mikimoto opened stores around the world, with locations now in Paris, New York City, Los Angeles and Shanghai. Though its founder died in 1954, the Mikimoto company has continued to build on the legacy he established, producing collections of pearl necklaces and other pearl-centric jewelry that span a wide range of styles. In 2017, the brand reopened its flagship Tokyo store, tapping architect Hiroshi Naito to design a new glittering facade whose 40,000 tiny glass plates are meant to evoke the movement of the ocean as they catch the light. The place where Mikimoto had his legendary success over a century ago is now known as Mikimoto Pearl Island and includes a museum on his life and pearls. A highlight is the “Boss’s Necklace,” which was the first made by Mikimoto and is the model for all the brand’s classic strands that have followed.
Find Mikimoto pendant necklaces, choker necklaces and a range of other jewelry on 1stDibs.
- Mikimoto Estate Akoya Pearl Mens Cufflinks Sterling SilverBy MikimotoLocated in Brooklyn, NYMikimoto Estate Akoya Pearl Mens Cufflinks 6 mm Sterling Silver M299 These elegant Authentic Mikimoto Estate Akoya pearl cufflinks are made of sterling sil...Category
1990s Japanese Cufflinks
MaterialsPearl, Sterling Silver
- Mikimoto Estate Akoya Pearl Mens Cufflinks 6.5 mm Sterling SilverBy MikimotoLocated in Brooklyn, NYMikimoto Estate Akoya Pearl Mens Cufflinks 6.5 mm Sterling Silver M311 These elegant Authentic Mikimoto Estate Akoya pearl cufflinks are made of sterling silver and have 2 Akoya Cul...Category
1990s Japanese Cufflinks
MaterialsPearl, Sterling Silver
$232 Sale Price20% OffFree Shipping - Mikimoto Estate Akoya Pearl Cufflinks 7.45 mm SilverBy MikimotoLocated in Brooklyn, NYMikimoto Estate Akoya Pearl Cufflinks 7.45 mm Silver M293 These elegant Authentic Mikimoto Estate Akoya pearl cufflinks are made of sterling silver and have 2 Akoya Cultured Pearls....Category
1990s Japanese Cufflinks
MaterialsPearl, Silver
$232 Sale Price20% Off - Mikimoto Estate Akoya Pearl Brooch Pin Sterling SilverBy MikimotoLocated in Brooklyn, NYAuthentic Mikimoto Estate Akoya Pearl Brooch Pin Sterling Silver 6.74 mm M303 This elegant Authentic Mikimoto Estate sterling silver brooch has 7 Saltwater Akoya Cultured Pearls 6.7...Category
1990s Japanese Brooches
MaterialsPearl, Sterling Silver
- Mikimoto Estate Akoya Pearl Brooch Pin Sterling SilverBy MikimotoLocated in Brooklyn, NYMikimoto Estate Akoya Pearl Brooch Pin Sterling Silver 6.5 mm M300 This elegant Authentic Mikimoto Estate sterling silver brooch pin has 5 Saltwater Akoya Cultured Pearls in of 6.5 ...Category
1990s Japanese Brooches
MaterialsPearl, Sterling Silver
$199 Sale Price20% Off - Mikimoto Estate Akoya Pearl Brooch Sterling Silver 5 mmBy MikimotoLocated in Brooklyn, NYAuthentic Mikimoto Estate Akoya Pearl Brooch Sterling Silver 5 mm M342 This elegant Authentic Mikimoto Estate Akoya pearl brooch pin is made of sterling silver and has 4 Akoya Cultu...Category
1990s Japanese Brooches
MaterialsPearl, Sterling Silver
$279 Sale Price20% Off
- Sterling Silver Pearl Hex Cube CufflinksBy TateossianLocated in Fulham business exchange, LondonSterling Silver Pearl Hex Cube Cufflinks A physical representation of the inscribed sphere problem, whereby a spheres largest size is calculated inside a polyhedron shape. Black fresh water pearls...Category
21st Century and Contemporary British Cufflinks
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Sterling Silver Torah Scroll Cufflinks From Rabbi's EstateLocated in Miami Beach, FLVintage mid 20th century sterling silver pierced torah scroll cufflinks from a Rabbi's estate. Marked sterling and Michaud. They have a "t" back so they are easy to put on and remove.Category
Mid-20th Century Cufflinks
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Sterling Silver Mother-of-Pearl Ruby Octagonal CufflinksBy Alex JonaLocated in Torino, ITAlex Jona design collection, hand crafted in Italy, sterling silver mother of pearl octagonal cufflinks, centering two white diamonds. Alex Jona cufflinks stand out, not only for the...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Cufflinks
MaterialsPearl, Ruby, Silver, Sterling Silver
- Sterling Silver Grey Mother-of-Pearl Button CufflinksBy Alex JonaLocated in Torino, ITAlex Jona design collection. Hand crafted in Italy. 925/°°° Rhodium Plated Sterling Silver Grey Mother of Pearl button cufflinks. Alex Jona cufflinks stand out, not only for their s...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Cufflinks
MaterialsPearl, Silver, Sterling Silver
- Sterling Silver White Diamond Mother-of-Pearl CufflinksBy Alex JonaLocated in Torino, ITAlex Jona design collection. Hand crafted in Italy, sterling silver Mother of Pearl cufflinks, centering a white diamond . Alex Jona cufflinks stand out, not only for their special d...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Cufflinks
MaterialsPearl, White Diamond, Silver, Sterling Silver
- Georg Jensen Modernist Sterling Silver Cufflinks Estate Fine JewelryBy Georg JensenLocated in Montreal, QCBeautiful expression of the Georg Jensen Silver legacy; these Cufflinks characterized by an eclectic and energetic style, combine traditional decorative expressions with edgy shapes ...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Modernist Cufflinks
MaterialsSterling Silver
$580 Sale Price31% OffFree Shipping