THE MOTHER OF PEARLS

JENNY GUTTRIDGE DELVES INTO THE INTRICACIES OF MIKIMOTO WITH THEIR WHOLESALE DIRECTOR JEREMY BURBANKS TO DISCOVER THE BEAUTY OF THEIR CRAFTSMANSHIP.

Tell us about the brand history of Mikimoto and what it represents at Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition (DJWE)?

I think first of all Mikimoto, when you look at all of the brands here amidst the entire pavilion of this, none of them are Eastern. So, we have that uniqueness in a sense that we’re offering a product in a sector that’s very well represented. There are a lot of jewellers out there but the difference of being Japanese when it comes to design method manufacturing is impactful. I’m a trained jeweller and when I see how we make the pieces or how the workmen craft in the factory it’s fascinating because it’s different. Sometimes you think that really, you’re making life difficult for yourselves because it seems to take so much longer but then you see the final product and it’s ‘WOW’, just the attention-todetail. Talking about history, they haven’t changed these techniques or adopted modern practices, it’s a philosophy of ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it’ and they just carry on with the same masterful craftsmanship. Our handmade factory has crafted all of these big pieces that you can see in a district of Tokyo called Meguro, and that’s been there since about 1910. When you consider Mr Mikimoto himself, we’re still a family business, not part of a group, not publicly quoted, still a family business. He cultured the first pearl in 1893 and in 1899 he had his first store in Tokyo, to go from culturing the first pearl in 1893 to opening that first store is incredible.

The taste of the Japanese purchaser was recognised very differently from western taste so he sent his designers and craftsmen to Paris and London – the centres of jewellery production at the time – to learn and see what the ladies were wearing, learn how to make these pieces and design them and bring that information back to Japan. Then in 1910 he already started opening overseas offices; New York, London, Bombay and even Singapore. He is recognised as being this originator for cultured pearls and an icon of the pearling and jewellery industry, but really he was a genius businessman above all else. Imagine how long it would have taken to travel from Japan anywhere in the 1890’s, it would have taken you forever! I’d love to be able to go back in time to see it all and you know, still today we are known for that one core product. There are very few companies, certainly in our industry, who are known for one specific component. So, there’s a quick history of the company!

You said that it’s still family owned and independent, how is that beneficial for the success of the brand?
We have a very definite line of descendants from the original Mikimoto, the current matriarch of the company is Mrs Mikimoto and she’s the granddaughter of Mr Mikimoto, he died in 1954 in his 90’s, which again for that time is quite an age. The pearling industry is a really tough sector because people think that cultured pearls are easy because they are ‘manufactured’ whereas the reality is that it’s exactly the same process as natural pearls. All Mr Mikimoto recognised was that the natural pearl is formed by an irritant that the oyster doesn’t like which produces the natural pearl, however it’s simply chance for that to happen. What he wanted to do was induce the oyster to do the same thing by introducing an irritant which in this case what we use is a bead of shell, but that shell only comes from one source – a stretch of the Mississippi river in America. We’re growing the oysters to a particular size, implanting the nucleus, the nucleus is rejected by 50% of the oysters, but you don’t know so you’re still taking care of them to maturity (which can take up to two years), and then it can take up to two years after that point for the growth of the pearl. All of that labour and then there might be nothing there. Quite often there is nothing there. Once we have harvested said pearls we only use the top 5% for our jewellery production, we use a pyramid which is great, in some of our retail stores we have an actual pyramid of pearls in a huge frame, from worst to best for a visual representation of the difference. Triple A is the best.

Do you outsource the harvesting to oyster farmers?
We have our own pearl farms specifically; they have a laboratory attached and they do an awful lot of research into pearl production which we then educate small family businesses of each pearl farmer. For example, if you grow the oyster to a smaller size and put a smaller nucleus in you would harvest 5/5.5mm pearls, but, if you think of going slightly bigger then you’re growing them a little longer but there is more risk, the pearl in the oyster is going to be longer however your harvest is going to be smaller, but the price you get is of a higher amount as the pearl is bigger. There is always a continuous balance. At the end of the harvest season all the pearls are brought to an auction house, it’s sorted by a realm of factors including quality. Since we act as advisors to the industry we are provided preferential treatment as the number one purchaser. This is a true 360 approach as not only are we supporting the industry but it helps us because we are buying them at the end of the day.

Currently the industry is facing a challenge where pearl prices are going up – because the demand is going up – but production is going down. Global warming is not helping, the increase of water temperature means more production of algae that the oysters don’t like. They are very sensitive organisms, not to mention that there is an awful lot to think about and study to obtain matching pearls – it can take years.

“There are a lot of jewellers out there but the difference of being Japanese when it comes to design method manufacturing is impactful.”

What do you do with the pearls you reject? Do you sell them on to other companies?
In Japan and in the US we have secondary brands of classical collections using a slightly lower quality pearl, but it’s still 10-15%. Anything lower than that is moved to our cosmetics division. It’s huge in Japan as some of the beauty sections use the ‘acre’ derived from the pearl in their face creams.

Pearls are perceived as a classical opulence. Is it hard to balance traditional pearls into these modern designs?
Sometimes people think pearls are for older ladies, however it’s also often the first gift you get as well such as for graduation. We still have classical pieces like the simple stud earrings but we pretty much have something for everyone, including cutting-edge designs. We have recently launched a collaboration with Comme des Garçons, exclusively available in Tokyo, London, Paris and New York at Dover Street Market.

Tell us more about Mikimotos presence in Japan.
Ginza is the downtown main shopping area of Tokyo. Our main store is 12 floors and is designed to an aquatic aesthetic which shines like the ocean on an evening. It truly is beautiful and I would say it’s the largest jewellery store in the world. 50% of our business in Japan is actually non-pearl, it’s engagement rings. We have two floors exclusively showcasing engagement rings as we are iconic in that segment. We also have a bridal suite, restaurant, bar etc and it’s pink! So yeah, it’s quite a company. There is a lot going on at Mikimoto!

Tell us what is in the pipeline for Mikimoto and your passion for the brand.
We have a concept twice a year that we call ‘Grand Display’ in Japan which was revered so we have been invited to exhibit alongside all the couture shows. We’ve actually been invited to join the federation which covers the whole couture week as the first non-fashion company to be asked.
Twice a year we show our one-of-a-kind pieces through this concept and then we are lucky enough to bring some of these pieces to Doha. Our customers in Qatar want to see new materials, new designs and they are fascinated by the intricacies of the pieces and luckily our designers in Japan are able to incorporate a little bit of local taste into the collections. You don’t want to lose your DNA or the ‘Japanese-ness’ of the brand, but they are able to make things that would appeal to the local audience here.
I’ve been here for 25 years, which speaks for itself! It’s got to be something really interesting to not have worn off by now, but the combination of the product, the design and what they come out with each year you can’t fail to be inspired by it.

Mikimoto collections are available at Ali Bin Ali.
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