A signed Mikimoto Akoya strand is worth a clear multiple of an unbranded cultured necklace of the same size. We read the clasp signature and hallmark, grade the lustre and matching, and value the piece as the Mikimoto it is.
Mikimoto made the cultured pearl possible, and the name still carries a strong premium. Sent to a weight-based buyer, a fine strand is treated as generic pearls; we identify the signature and price the quality that goes with it. Free insured postage. Written valuation. Paid in 72 hours.
Fair Vintage is an independent buyer of second-hand and vintage pearl jewellery. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an authorised representative of Mikimoto. We identify and buy pieces bearing the maker's marks on the open market.
Mikimoto is the name behind the cultured pearl itself. Kokichi Mikimoto produced the first cultured pearls from Akoya oysters in Japan in 1893, achieved the first fully round cultured pearl in 1905, and opened his Ginza store in Tokyo in 1899. More than a century later the house is still, in its own words, the originator of the cultured pearl — and that heritage, combined with famously exacting selection and matching, is exactly why a Mikimoto strand is valued so differently from an ordinary cultured necklace.
This is the crucial point when you come to sell. A Mikimoto Akoya strand is a cultured pearl necklace, not a rare natural one — so its value does not come from natural-pearl rarity. It comes from the maker, the quality of the pearls and the completeness of the piece. Read the clasp, grade the pearls, and you have the value. If instead you have an untested antique strand that might contain natural pearls, that is a different assessment entirely — our main sell pearl jewellery guide explains the natural-versus-cultured question in full.
We buy Mikimoto pearl jewellery of every kind and period, single pieces or suites:
Larger South Sea and Tahitian Mikimoto pearls, and gold-set pieces, are welcome too — we value the pearls and the gold together. If your Mikimoto piece is part of a wider jewellery clearance, our selling jewellery guide covers how the rest is assessed.
Identification starts at the clasp and works outward to the pearls themselves.
No single feature is proof on its own — signatures can be worn and boxes can be mismatched — so we read the clasp signature, the hallmark and the quality of the pearls together before confirming a piece. If you are unsure, a clear photograph of the clasp is usually enough for us to give you a first read.
Once a piece is confirmed as Mikimoto, its value turns on the quality of the pearls and the completeness of the piece. The factors that move the figure most are:
It is tempting to swap a tired Mikimoto clasp for a new one before selling — but the signed clasp is a key part of the identification and the value. If the original clasp is worn but present, leave it in place; a jeweller's replacement clasp can actually make a genuine strand harder to authenticate. The same caution applies to over-cleaning, which can dull the lustre the strand depends on.
Every strand is set out individually in your written valuation, so you can see how the lustre, size, matching and completeness each fed into the figure. If you would like a considered number before deciding, request a free pearl valuation.
The clasp signature and hallmark tell us the most. Photograph the clasp clearly along with the full strand and any original box or certificate, then request your free postage label.
Lay the strand flat in tissue so the pearls do not knock, and pack in a small sturdy box. Your parcel is insured to £5,000 from the moment the courier scans it.
We email a unique parcel code and your opening time. Your parcel is opened on camera and photographed before a specialist reads the clasp.
Signature confirmed, lustre and matching graded, condition assessed. Accept what you want to sell — return the rest free. Payment within 72 hours of the opening, or we add 3%.
If your question isn't here, call us on 01234 815116 or email support@fairvintage.co.uk. We respond within one working day.
Get your free label →The clasp is the place to look. Genuine Mikimoto pieces are normally signed on the clasp — the Mikimoto name or an M mark — with the metal standard (such as a gold or silver mark) stamped alongside. Many pieces also come in the original box with matching paperwork. The pearls themselves are cultured Akoya of consistently high lustre and close matching. None of these on its own is proof, so we read the clasp signature, the hallmark and the pearls together. Email a clear photo of the clasp and we will tell you what we see at no cost.
Cultured. Mikimoto is the house that made the cultured pearl commercially possible — Kokichi Mikimoto produced the first cultured pearls from Akoya oysters in 1893 and the first fully round cultured pearl in 1905. So a Mikimoto strand is not a rare natural pearl necklace; its value comes instead from the maker, the quality of the Akoya pearls and the consistency of matching. If you have an untested pre-1920 strand that might be natural, that is a different question — see our main pearl guide.
Mikimoto selects and matches pearls to a consistently high standard of lustre, surface and roundness, and the name carries a strong premium in the secondary market. A signed Mikimoto Akoya strand in good order, ideally with its box, typically sells for a clear multiple of an unbranded cultured strand of similar size. We grade the lustre and matching, confirm the signature, and value the strand as a Mikimoto piece rather than weighing it in as generic cultured pearls.
No — the jewellery is valued on the piece itself and a signed strand is saleable without its packaging. That said, the original box and any certificate do add to a Mikimoto piece, because buyers value complete provenance, so include them if you still have them. Where a strand has no box, the clasp signature and the quality of the pearls carry the identification.
Yes. Pearls loosen and silk stretches with age, and a strand that needs restringing is perfectly saleable — the restringing cost is simply factored into the offer. A worn or replaced clasp matters more, because the signed clasp is part of the identification, so if the original clasp is present but tired, leave it in place rather than replacing it. Send the strand as it is and we will assess it fairly.
Request your free label today. Clasp signature and hallmark read, lustre and matching graded, original box noted. Written valuation. Paid within 72 hours — or we add 3%.
Also see: Sell pearl jewellery · Selling jewellery — the main guide