You guys are always so helpful, thank you very much! Does anyone else prefer the brooch that StarryPearl mentioned in post #5?
I fear I am in over my head, I suspect I bought a fake Miki pendant already (pearls arranged in a circle, but the craftsmanship is not good). I also picked up a pair of Mikimoto earrings secondhand (4 tiny pearls arranged in a square, set in sterling silver) that took my breath away when I saw them in person, and I have never doubted that they are real. I think they are probably fakes if they don't do that.
Anyway, I kind of haunt the eBay listings, but with rapidly increasing skepticism after the non-returnable pendant incident. I may go with StarryPearl's brooch because there seems to be less of a question about its authenticity. (I want to stay with a sterling silver setting and not make the price jump to gold, am on a strict budget which is why I'm on eBay in the first place.) Thanks again