Hi there! I inherited these pearls from my MIL who traveled extensively in Europe. My husband says he remembers her having for at least the last 50 years. I think by the class theyre Mikimoto? Not sure though and wondering how to determine the value?
Inherited pearls ? Miki
- Thread starter Cwieland
- Start date
Pearl Dreams
Pearl Enthusiast
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2007
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- 9,714
Hi Cwieland,
There are several ideas to unpack here.
1st. Are they Miki?
2nd. What quality are they? which in turn influences...
3rd. Value
So tackling these one by one:
1. Whether they are Mikimoto.
• Are there any marks on the back of the clasp? If so please photograph it close up.
• I gather there is no paperwork or box to indicate they are Mikimotos?
Remember that clasps can also be changed.
2. Quality
• Pearls should always be evaluated against a white background-- it's the best way to see luster., color etc.
Please take some more photos against a white background, including some close ups, especially of any blemishes, so we an get a better idea about this. Even Mikimoto sells better and lesser quality pearls. Their best ones have diamond clasps, rather than pearl clasps.
3. There are different kinds of value.
• Replacement value is the highest, and is a factor for items you plan to insure. However, these pearls probably do not need to be insured. Still, you may wish to get an idea of their replacement value by looking online to see what new, similar necklaces cost, but that is not so easy since small graduated akoya strands are not much in vogue at present.
• Resale value is always lower. Unfortunately, used pearls don't hold value well, although if they are Mikimoto then they will probably command a higher price than pearls lacking name recognition.
If you are thinking of selling them and are wondering what you might get for them, we often recommend to people that they see what similar items recently sold for. If you search eBay, for example, look for already-sold listings of similar necklaces.
• Sentimental value or family value, you can't put a price on. These belonged to your MIL; are they sentimental for you? If not, might they be for any of her granddaughters or nieces?
There are several ideas to unpack here.
1st. Are they Miki?
2nd. What quality are they? which in turn influences...
3rd. Value
So tackling these one by one:
1. Whether they are Mikimoto.
• Are there any marks on the back of the clasp? If so please photograph it close up.
• I gather there is no paperwork or box to indicate they are Mikimotos?
Remember that clasps can also be changed.
2. Quality
• Pearls should always be evaluated against a white background-- it's the best way to see luster., color etc.
Please take some more photos against a white background, including some close ups, especially of any blemishes, so we an get a better idea about this. Even Mikimoto sells better and lesser quality pearls. Their best ones have diamond clasps, rather than pearl clasps.
3. There are different kinds of value.
• Replacement value is the highest, and is a factor for items you plan to insure. However, these pearls probably do not need to be insured. Still, you may wish to get an idea of their replacement value by looking online to see what new, similar necklaces cost, but that is not so easy since small graduated akoya strands are not much in vogue at present.
• Resale value is always lower. Unfortunately, used pearls don't hold value well, although if they are Mikimoto then they will probably command a higher price than pearls lacking name recognition.
If you are thinking of selling them and are wondering what you might get for them, we often recommend to people that they see what similar items recently sold for. If you search eBay, for example, look for already-sold listings of similar necklaces.
• Sentimental value or family value, you can't put a price on. These belonged to your MIL; are they sentimental for you? If not, might they be for any of her granddaughters or nieces?
Last edited:
.
I’ve attached Additional photos. I guess I’m trying to have an idea of their value as we divvy up all of the jewelry. We picked these over several other pieces because i’d like them. And I have two daughters I can pass them down to .
Attachments
Pearl Dreams
Pearl Enthusiast
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2007
- Messages
- 9,714
On the back of the clasp, I see the typical "M in the shell" mark of Mikimoto pearls. Given that this is a strand you know belonged to your MIL for many years, I think we can assume it's Mikimoto, even without the documentation or the box.
(If this were a strand you bought on eBay, you'd have to consider that a) there are fake Miki clasps out there, and that b. ) real Miki clasps can be strung onto non-Miki pearls, so the lack of documentation would be more concerning.)
They look nice enough...but given that it's a sterling/ pearl clasp (as opposed to a gold clasp /diamond clasp), these are not Miki's highest grade. They are still very nice.
They really need to be restrung. Silk gets old and grimy and then it's weakened and can break, and the necklace be lost. The necklace seems to be knotted only at the end few pearls, not unusual for this sort of graduated strand, so it's not hard to restring them-- only a few knots to do! You can easily do it yourself at low cost (see tutorials on the Lowly Beaders Club forum.)
Whether you do it yourself or take them to a jeweler to restring, I'd factor the cost of restringing into the value of the pearls, as they are not safe to wear until they are restrung. You can call a local jeweler to ask what they would charge for restringing; $3/inch is not unusual.
As to value, IMO all the jewelry should probably be valued at resale value -- based on actual sales prices achieved. Check out eBay and other venues (Ruby Lane, Etsy, etc.) for what similar items sold for.
For example, here are the current eBay search results for sold Mikimoto graduated pearls that are not double strand and don't have gold or diamond clasps; I notice items with original box and documentation, and sets that include earrings, seem to sell at a higher price:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...nd+-double+-gold+-18K&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1
(If this were a strand you bought on eBay, you'd have to consider that a) there are fake Miki clasps out there, and that b. ) real Miki clasps can be strung onto non-Miki pearls, so the lack of documentation would be more concerning.)
They look nice enough...but given that it's a sterling/ pearl clasp (as opposed to a gold clasp /diamond clasp), these are not Miki's highest grade. They are still very nice.
They really need to be restrung. Silk gets old and grimy and then it's weakened and can break, and the necklace be lost. The necklace seems to be knotted only at the end few pearls, not unusual for this sort of graduated strand, so it's not hard to restring them-- only a few knots to do! You can easily do it yourself at low cost (see tutorials on the Lowly Beaders Club forum.)
Whether you do it yourself or take them to a jeweler to restring, I'd factor the cost of restringing into the value of the pearls, as they are not safe to wear until they are restrung. You can call a local jeweler to ask what they would charge for restringing; $3/inch is not unusual.
As to value, IMO all the jewelry should probably be valued at resale value -- based on actual sales prices achieved. Check out eBay and other venues (Ruby Lane, Etsy, etc.) for what similar items sold for.
For example, here are the current eBay search results for sold Mikimoto graduated pearls that are not double strand and don't have gold or diamond clasps; I notice items with original box and documentation, and sets that include earrings, seem to sell at a higher price:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...nd+-double+-gold+-18K&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1
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