Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Pearl, White Gold, 18k Gold
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
1970s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, 14k Gold
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Sterling Silver
1990s Asian Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Yellow Gold
1950s Japanese Retro Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Chalcedony, Silver
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Yellow Gold
1960s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Yellow Gold
1960s Retro Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Cultured Pearl, Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Gold
1960s Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, 14k Gold
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Gold
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Gold
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, 14k Gold
1990s Retro Mikimoto Necklace
South Sea Pearl, Diamond, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold
1990s American Modern Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Copper
People Also Browsed
2010s American Contemporary Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Silver
1990s American Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Diamond, Pearl, White Gold
2010s American Modern Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, 14k Gold
20th Century Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Mid-20th Century Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Australian Contemporary Retro Mikimoto Necklace
South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold
2010s Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Sterling Silver
1950s American Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Coral, 14k Gold
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Silver
2010s North American Artisan Retro Mikimoto Necklace
South Sea Pearl, 14k Gold
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Silver
Early 2000s French Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Recent Sales
1990s Japanese Modern Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Artisan Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Cultured Pearl, Silver
Late 20th Century Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
White Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Silver
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Silver
1990s Modern Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Natural Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Cultured Pearl, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century Japanese Contemporary Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Sterling Silver
1950s Japanese Retro Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl
Late 20th Century Italian Contemporary Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, White Gold, 18k Gold
1990s Contemporary Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Cultured Pearl, Platinum
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
1990s Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Cultured Pearl, Diamond, 18k Gold
1960s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Cultured Pearl, Diamond, 9k Gold
Late 20th Century Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
1960s Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s American Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Contemporary Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Retro Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Cultured Pearl, Sterling Silver
1990s Contemporary Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s Contemporary Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Cultured Pearl, Silver
1990s Contemporary Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Contemporary Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Diamond, White Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Unknown Modern Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold
1990s Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold, Enamel
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Black Pearl, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Contemporary Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Gold
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Gold
1990s Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Diamond, 18k Gold
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Gold
Late 20th Century Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Diamond, Ruby, White Gold
Late 20th Century Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s Japanese Modern Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Silver
Late 20th Century Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s American Renaissance Revival Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Diamond, White Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
1980s French Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Coral, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold
1990s American Modern Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, 14k Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Crystal, Cultured Pearl, 14k Gold
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Silver
1990s Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Japanese Modern Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, 18k Gold
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Oriental Pearl
Late 20th Century Japanese Modern Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Cultured Pearl, 14k Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Japanese Contemporary Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Japanese Modern Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Silver
1950s Japanese Modern Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, 18k Gold
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
1990s Japanese Retro Mikimoto Necklace
Pearl, Gold
Retro Mikimoto Necklace For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Retro Mikimoto Necklace?
Mikimoto for sale on 1stDibs
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.
Finding the Right necklaces for You
We are fortunate to know much of the world’s long and dazzling history of necklaces, as this type of jewelry was so treasured that it was frequently buried with its owners.
Lapis lazuli beads adorned necklaces unearthed from the royal graves at the ancient Iraqi civilization of Sumer, while the excavation of King Tut’s burial chamber revealed a sense of style that led to a frenzy of Art Deco designs, with artisans of the 1920s seeking to emulate the elegant work crafted by Ancient Egypt’s goldsmiths and jewelry makers.
In ancient times, pendant necklaces worn by royalty and nobles conferred wealth and prestige. Today, wearing jewelry is about personal expression: Luxury diamond necklaces exude confidence and can symbolize the celebratory nature of a deep romantic relationship, while paper-clip chain-link necklaces designed by the likes of goldsmith Faye Kim are firmly planted in the past as well as the present. Kim works exclusively with eco-friendly gold, and these fashionable, fun accessories owe to the design of 19th-century watch fobs.
For some, necklaces are thought of as being a solely feminine piece, but this widely loved accessory has been gender-neutral for eons. In fact, just as women rarely took to wearing a single necklace during the Renaissance, men of the era layered chains and valuable pendants atop their bejeweled clothing. In modern times, the free-spirited hippie and counterculture movements of the 1960s saw costume-jewelry designers celebrating self-expression through colorful multistrand necklaces and no shortage of beads, which were worn by anyone and everyone.
Even after all of these years, the necklace remains an irrefutable staple of any complete outfit. Although new trends in jewelry are constantly emerging, the glamour and beauty of the past continue to inform modern styles and designs. In a way, the cyclical history of the necklace differs little from its familiar looped form: The celebrated French jewelry house Van Cleef & Arpels found much inspiration in King Tut, and, now, their Alhambra collection is a go-to for modern royals. Vintage necklaces designed by David Webb — whose work landed him on the cover of Vogue in 1950, two years after opening his Manhattan shop — were likely inspired by the ornamental styles of ancient Greece, Mesopotamia and Egypt.
On 1stDibs, browse top designers like Cartier, Tiffany & Co. and Bulgari, or shop by your favorite style, from eye-catching choker necklaces to understated links to pearl necklaces and more.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Yes, Mikimoto pearls tend to at least hold their value over time. In some cases, the value of the brand's pearl jewelry increases over time due to demand and the effects of inflation. Keep in mind that the value of any piece of jewelry depends on its condition. Properly storing and caring for your pieces can help to ensure that they retain their value for years to come. On 1stDibs, shop a selection of Mikimoto pearl jewelry.
- 1stDibs ExpertOctober 12, 2021How much a Mikimoto pearl necklace is worth will depend on the size of the strand, the number of pearls used and the design. It could range from $920 to $21,000, with a wide variety of price points in between. From pendant and choker to multi-strand and rope versions, find Mikimoto pearl necklaces on 1stDibs.
- Are Mikimoto pearls Akoya?2 Answers1stDibs ExpertAugust 17, 2021No, not all Mikimoto pearls are Akoya. Mikimoto also uses Black South Sea cultured pearls, White South Sea cultured pearls, Golden South Sea cultured pearls, and Conch pearls to create their jewelry. Shop Mikimoto Akoya pearl jewelry on 1stDibs.1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Yes, Mikimoto pearls are Akoya, meaning they come from Akoya oysters. The brand largely pioneered the production of cultured pearls, which are genuine pearls developed with human assistance. Mikimoto creates Akoya pearl necklaces, pendants, earrings, bracelets, rings and brooches. On 1stDibs, shop a variety of Mikimoto pearl jewelry.