Mikimoto graduated 9x7mm pearl necklace - unsure what description of pearl size means

[bertrande]

Hi, this is my maiden post on this board. I'm a complete newbie to pearls, having only developed an interest in them in the last few months or so. I recently purchased a pearl necklace by Mikimoto bearing the description of a graduated 9x7mm A1 necklace. I'm unsure what 9x7mm means - does it mean the necklace has 9 7mm pearls and these pearls are the biggest in the entire strand? The sales assistant (we had bought the necklace onboard a cruise ship) was quite clueless (although since we were equally clueless, we bought into everything he said!) - he told us that A1 pearls are between A and A+ pearls in the Mikimoto universe and that 9x7mm means the largest pearl in the entire diamond strand is 9mm, which the rest of the pearls between 7-9mm. We totally believed him until I went to the Mikimoto website after our holiday and saw that a 7-7.5mm A1 necklace (US$3750) was retailing for more than the 9x7mm necklace (US$3500), which triggered off alarm bells. I love my necklace but would be grateful for insight as to what I actually bought; I tried trusty google but it yielded nothing helpful and we don't live near a mikimoto boutique (we are not in the USA). Thank you very much!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Hi and welcome to Pearl-Guide.

As I understand it, 9x7 means basically what he said-- that the pearls will range between 7mm and 9mm, with the largest in the center-- that is, it's graduated.

But A1 is a lower grade than A, not the grade between A and A+. Their A1 is their lowest grade. See the chart at the bottom of this page:
http://www.mikimoto.co.uk/blog/pearls/understanding-pearl-grade-and-pearl-value

See my post #4 below regarding the prices.

 

[pattye]

Can you please post a photo?

 

[bertrande]

Hi and welcome to Pearl-Guide.

As I understand it, 9x7 means basically what he said-- that the pearls will range between 7mm and 9mm, with the largest in the center-- that is, it's graduated.

But A1 is a lower grade than A, not the grade between A and A+. Their A1 is their lowest grade. See the chart at the bottom of this page:
http://www.mikimoto.co.uk/blog/pearls/understanding-pearl-grade-and-pearl-value

Maybe you got a special cruise price? The Miki website is going to have their highest prices, I would think.
The other possibility is that you bought one of the lesser brands made by Mikimoto (but not sold as Mikimoto), like Sea Magic or Blue Lagoon. What do the box and paperwork say?

I wish I got a special cruise price lol - the price I paid is the same as the corresponding necklace found on mikimotoamerica.com (US$3500) - the box is hotstamped Mikimoto and the necklace is identical in structure (and clasp used) as that which appears on the Mikimoto website. I was just puzzled why the graduated necklace (9x7mm) would cost less than the the non-graduated necklace (7.5x7mm) with pearls of the same grade (A1) - did not seem logical to me!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Okay, I went on the Miki site and see where the 9x7mm A1 is $3500 and the 7-7.5mm A1 18" is $3750.

A strand of matched pearls all in the same size range may be harder to make than a graduated strand.
Or perhaps there is just more demand for the more uniform strand, and that allows it to be priced higher?

 

[bertrande]

Pattye, here you go. The bottom right pic is just something I took this morning comparing the miki (bottom row) with a cheap choker of 8-8.5mm pearls which I had bought 4 years ago. I have also just placed an order with PP for some hanadama pearls and can't wait for it to arrive!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

That's very pretty! They have nice luster. Seems to me you don't need to worry.

 

[bertrande]

That's very pretty! They have nice luster. Seems to me you don't need to worry.

Thank you! I really like them too - as a complete newbie, these were what made me totally change my mind about pearls. However I have since done as much research as I can, which leads me to be very excited about my PP hanadama natural white necklace and earrings; even opted for the more expensive but faster international shipping option! Lynsey from PP e-mailed me photos of the actual strand and earrings that they were going to use and the lustre is simply amazing.

 

[GemGeek]

You ordered the natural white hanadamas? Boy, are you going to be one happy camper! They are amazing.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I'd love to see side by side photos of the Mikis with the natural white Hanadamas, when they arrive.

 

[bertrande]

Yes I ordered the unbleached natural white hanadamas in a 8.5-9mm necklace and in a set of 7-7.5mm earrings. The pictures I have seen on this forum were TDF. The forum also gave me the idea to email PP asking for advance pictures of the pearls (I had never thought of doing that!) and Lynsey very kindly did so before the order was processed. I will certainly take comparison photos once they arrive - they should ship this afternoon so I'm expecting them some time next week.

 

[LitGeek]

Oh you are going to love your natural white hanadamas! They are really something special!!! Enjoy and wear them in perfect health. Looking forward to your photos.

 

[bertrande]

Oh you are going to love your natural white hanadamas! They are really something special!!! Enjoy and wear them in perfect health. Looking forward to your photos.

They have arrived and are indeed gorgeous! I had them sent to my office so I will take comparison pictures when I get home. The box in which the necklace came in had a lot of white lint specks though, and the earrings box cannot close properly so I would say PP was let down by poor packaging, although the product was very nice.

 

[GemGeek]

Congratulations! I can't wait to see some photos. I love mine and I know you will enjoy yours.

 

[MSC]

Those mikis are really pretty!

 

[LitGeek]

They have arrived and are indeed gorgeous! I had them sent to my office so I will take comparison pictures when I get home. The box in which the necklace came in had a lot of white lint specks though, and the earrings box cannot close properly so I would say PP was let down by poor packaging, although the product was very nice.

Happy to hear your pearls are gorgeous!

 

[bertrande]

Here are some pics which I took in the room this evening. Under this lighting it looks like there is very little difference between the Hanadama and the A+ mikimoto pearls. In real life, the Hanadama is a tad more lustrous but not as much as what I was hoping for, considering the A+ is the lowest grade mikimoto sells. I'm hoping a more discernible difference will be seen tomorrow under a different light.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Here are some pics which I took in the room this evening. Under this lighting it looks like there is very little difference between the Hanadama and the A+ mikimoto pearls. In real life, the Hanadama is a tad more lustrous but not as much as what I was hoping for, considering the A+ is the lowest grade mikimoto sells. I'm hoping a more discernible difference will be seen tomorrow under a different light.

From the above photos I'd say you now have 2 beautiful strands of pearls!

Even so, pearl luster and overtones are best seen against a white background. When it's daylight, could you please photograph both strands on a paper towel, or some other non-reflective white surface?

Luster is part of the Hanadama grading, of course, but also nacre thickness (which influences luster but is not the same thing), quality of surface, etc. -- see your certificate for details about your specific strand.
By the way, did you mean A1 for the Mikis? (Your earlier post said A1, not A+).

 

[bertrande]

By the way, did you mean A1 for the Mikis? (Your earlier post said A1, not A+).

Yes I meant A1, sorry for the confusion! The nacre thickness on the hanadama necklace is 0.55mm and that of the earrings is 0.4mm. And here are pictures taken indoors with natural sunlight streaming in. I'm very happy with both strands of pearls and the hanadama still exhibits slightly higher lustre than the mikimoto A1 but again, it's not so much of a difference.

 

[BAS]

bertrande -- Enjoy your spectacular white akoyas! They are both gorgeous. Wear them in health!