Mikimoto Pearls Circa WWII

[MorganSantos]

My Great Aunt and Uncle gave me this string of pearls for my 16th birthday. My Great Uncle purchased them for my Great Aunt when he was stationed in Okinawa during WWII. I've since worn them for my wedding and they hold more sentimental value since my Great Uncle has passed away.

My knowledge of pearls is limited to a little bit of google research this afternoon. I know they're Mikimoto's because the back of the clasp is stamped with the signature M and Oyster. I still have the original box and everything it came with, as you can see below. Please excuse the poor lighting in my house. There isn't a certificate of authenticity. Should I be concerned about that? I'm thinking about taking it to get appraised for insurance if the monetary value is anything like the sentimental value. Any feedback you might have on what they might be worth, the clasp and anything else would be appreciated!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Hi MorganSantos, welcome to Pearl-Guide!

They are lovely pearls and of course they mean a great deal to you! I think If I were in your shoes I would send them to Mikimoto to be restrung and find out what it would cost to replace them if they were to be lost. You could decide whether the replacement cost they quote to you is worth the cost of insuring them.

I really want to urge you strongly to get them restrung, whether or not you send them to Mikimoto-- and whether or not you decide to insure them. This is to prevent your losing them if the thread breaks. Silk become weakened over time from exposure to skin oils, grime, wetness etc. It's time to restring when the thread looks dirty or there are gaps between the pearls, and optimally once per year if the pearls are being worn.

Many of us restring our own pearls, so if you want to do that, there are tutorials on the Lowly Beaders Forum here on P-G.

 

[BWeaves]

And wear them!!! Pearls yellow if they are kept in a box all the time. They glow when worn. I wear mine with denim, shorts, T-shirts, etc. all the time. I think pearls look better with casual clothes than with fancy clothes.

 

[MorganSantos]

Thank you! I definitely want to get them restrung. I've held off on wearing them much, with the exception of me wedding, since they haven't been restrung since I was 16. I'll have to look into how I can get them to a mikimoto store. Shipping them for the restring and appraisal makes me nervous.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

If it helps, this graduated Mikimoto strand that looks rather like yours sold for $370 on eBay recently:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MIKIMOTO-18...018025?hash=item4d6078e729:g:SfUAAOSwxxdZZksg

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MIKIMOTO-18...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Now that is resale value, which is less than replacement value, but it may give you an idea of how much to insure it for when shipping it. (Needless to say, sentimental value far exceeds both.)

However, if it were lost or stolen, would you actually try to replace it with an identical piece? Or would you get a different strand entirely, something new? It is hard to replace something whose value is primarily sentimental.

If shipping it makes you nervous, you could just have it restrung locally or do it yourself.

 

[parfaitelumiere]

I had a old cultured pearl necklace, I remember how thin the actual pearl layer was and the nucleus were visible throungh the pearl, some had reflections, probably the nucleus were pearl and not whitish material.
I remember I bought it on a fleamarket for a few euro, there were several lecklaces, the seller was joking telling maybe you will find real pearls, I bought two necklaces, and told him indeed he was right, I buy that one for the mechanism, because this one is broken, but this one is made from real pearl.
I think the necklace was pre WWII period, probable 30's or 40's

 

[Pearl Dreams]

parfaitelumiere, the beads used as nucleuses in cultured pearls are made of mother of pearl-- shell-- from U.S. freshwater river mussels that have exceptionally thick shells. There are iridescent areas in the beads-- that may be what you saw.

 

[parfaitelumiere]

yes, this is what I saw, meaning a very thin pearl layer!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Nacre being soft, it can wear away gradually if the pearls are worn regularly. Skin secretions are mildly acidic. After wearing pearls I like to wipe them with a damp hand and dry them before putting them away, to remove sweat/skin oils.

 

[GemGeek]

MorganSantos, what a treasure! You've received some excellent advice. Think about learning to do your own stringing some day in the future. You might have fun!