MIKIMOTO - The name that is synonymous with the finest Japanese Akoyah pearl necklace strands sold in the world. One will also discover that Mikimoto offers the most magnificent white and golden South Sea pearls as well as incredible Tahitian Black pearls. If you are looking for elegant pearl jewelry crafted with diamonds in 18karat white and yellow gold, Mikimoto should also be at the top of your shopping list.

The name Mikimoto, along with the name of the gem, "pearl", is as analogous as the name DeBeers is with diamonds or the name Ford with the automobile. In the late 1800's it was the son of a noodle maker who dreamed of and discovered the process for cultivating oysters and implanting an object within the mussel to begin the natural process of growing a pearl. Today, the product of this process is called a "cultured pearl".

In 1888, Kokichi Mikimoto established the first pearl farm by immersing bamboo baskets containing oysters, implanted with foreign objects, in Shinmei Inlet in Ago Bay and at Toba at what is now called Pearl Island in Japan. In April 1890, Mikimoto met an authority on marine biology, Professor Kakichi Mitsukuri of Tokyo University. Mikimoto learned a great deal talking with Professor Mitsukuri, all of which helped to stimulate his interest in continuing his pearl project. After two years of hardship, with no positive results, the red tide of November 1892 proved to be the supreme test for Mikimoto. Red tide is the result of an abnormal increase in plankton, which actually turns the sea red. Bottom dwelling marine creatures, like oysters, are the most vulnerable to red tide. The oysters cultivated by Mikimoto in the Shinmei Inlet were exterminated by the tide. The oysters at Toba were all that remained and Toba was where the Mikimotos would make their final stand. Determined to recover from this disaster Mikimoto and his wife, Ume, worked harder than ever. On July 11, 1893, Ume pulled up a bamboo basket for a routine inspection and opened the shells. To her wonderful surprise the shell in her hand contained a semi-spherical pearl. Even though it was off-round it was a pearl nonetheless. This was the day that Kokichi Mikimoto opened the way for what was to become a very important industry. Thanks to his hard work, painstaking determination, and numerous sacrifices Kokichi Mikimoto was successful in developing the first pearl derived from an implant and is recognized today as the father of the cultured pearl.   Mikimoto website

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