Another Mikimoto vs. Tiffany question

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PorscheGirl

PorscheGirl

O.G.
May 2, 2007
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#1
I'm looking at golden South Sea pearl studs. I have a golden South Sea pearl pendant necklace from Mikimoto. It's simple and perfect.
Now looking at studs. Online, Tiffany has 9-10 mm. Haven't yet been to the store. Online, Mikimoto has 11mm studs. Also haven't seen them in person. I'm in NYC so easy to visit them.
The price of the Mikimoto pearls is 5X the price of the Tiffany. Without seeing then in person, and assuming they're both amazing, is Mikimoto worth it?
I have to add that my personal preference, (personality defect?) is to buy the best always, and I've been happy that I have.
So please help me out here.
TIA
Here's my MM necklace.
1690769660092.png
 
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#3
Miki are brilliant for akoya pearls but I’ve read elsewhere that there are better vendors for SSP. Likewise I personally would not buy pearls from Tiffany, they are not experts in this area. Explore Takahashi or Andrew Moline (they can be contacted via Instagram). Or even Pearl Paradise. You will get super quality pearls for a better price, they just won’t have the “brand” name. Honestly, pearls are organic material, the branding doesn’t matter.
 
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#5
PorscheGirl said:
I'm looking at golden South Sea pearl studs. I have a golden South Sea pearl pendant necklace from Mikimoto. It's simple and perfect.
Now looking at studs. Online, Tiffany has 9-10 mm. Haven't yet been to the store. Online, Mikimoto has 11mm studs. Also haven't seen them in person. I'm in NYC so easy to visit them.
The price of the Mikimoto pearls is 5X the price of the Tiffany. Without seeing then in person, and assuming they're both amazing, is Mikimoto worth it?
I have to add that my personal preference, (personality defect?) is to buy the best always, and I've been happy that I have.
So please help me out here.
TIA
Here's my MM necklace.
View attachment 5832663
Click to expand...

I have been meaning to buy SSP studs for quite some time. I am not an impulse buyer and I usually do extensive research when buying any luxury item. I, too, was considering buying them from Tiffany just because the price point was so tempting! However, a big fat no! They looked so flimsy and the lustre wasn't great either. I also checked out Tasaki and I felt the same. The Mikimoto ones are truly stunning! Just a tip, because SSP pearls studs are hard to find, check out the Mikimoto boutique in Las Vegas Wynn. The SA there is phenomenal and they have a huge selections of SSP. Better than UK, or France. I haven't purchased it yet as I'm waiting to buy a Rolex this year (fingers crossed!). Good luck and i hope i find this post helpful.
 
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#7
war_bunny15 said:
I have been meaning to buy SSP studs for quite some time. I am not an impulse buyer and I usually do extensive research when buying any luxury item. I, too, was considering buying them from Tiffany just because the price point was so tempting! However, a big fat no! They looked so flimsy and the lustre wasn't great either. I also checked out Tasaki and I felt the same. The Mikimoto ones are truly stunning! Just a tip, because SSP pearls studs are hard to find, check out the Mikimoto boutique in Las Vegas Wynn. The SA there is phenomenal and they have a huge selections of SSP. Better than UK, or France. I haven't purchased it yet as I'm waiting to buy a Rolex this year (fingers crossed!). Good luck and i hope i find this post helpful.
Click to expand...
This is so helpfu! Thank you!
 
#8
Hi! I am a huge pearl fan, and I only buy Mikimoto. Yes, Mikimoto is pricey, but to me, they are the best. There is no comparison with Tiffany. I am also a Tiffany fan, so I am not biased against Tiffany. I love Tiffany too, but not for pearls.

If Mikimoto does not have the gold hue that matches your pendant, you can do custom orders at Mikimoto. I have done several custom requests, and it's easy. They are very accommodating. I would think earrings are pretty simple to match as there are just pearls, not an entire strand.

You can take your pendant in to the NYC boutique, tell them you want match the earrings. If it is not in stock, they will get them for you. If you do not live near NYC, try calling the boutique to let them know what you want. You may be able to get matched earrings with just a few photos to the SA.

By the way, if you love all pearls, check out their akoya strands. Their akoyas glow like no other; it's like glass reflecting back.

Good luck! Your pendant is beautiful, and yes... stay with the best!
 
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#9
By the way, I want to add that with pearls, each 0.5mm increase makes a different in price, so you are not comparing apples to apples with Tiffany and Mikimoto. The Mikimoto 11m pearls will be more expensive for sure than the Tiffany 9-10mm. The 11 is also much much bigger than a 9mm. Huge difference, and it will be a huge difference on the ear.

A 11m pearl is going to cost a lot more than a 9mm pearl. Just FYI. The only way to compare apples to apples is the same size and quality grade (in cases where this is applicable).

Also, pearls are measured in 0.5mm increments. If you were buying say an akoya strand, it would be something like 9.0-9.5mm, with the pearl sizes within that 0.5mm range (every pearl is unique hence the 0.5mm variance).

For akoyas, there is a huge price difference even from a 8.0-8.5mm strand to a 9.0-9.5mm strand.

I am not sure what size of you pearl pendant, but if cost is an issue, you could get a smaller size pearl on the earrings.
The best though in my mind is the exact size because yes, over time, you will see the difference, and it may bug you. It bugs me, so I have different pearl size studs to match my strands.

Hope this helps.
 
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#10
BigAkoya said:
By the way, I want to add that with pearls, each 0.5mm increase makes a different in price, so you are not comparing apples to apples with Tiffany and Mikimoto. The Mikimoto 11m pearls will be more expensive for sure than the Tiffany 9-10mm. The 11 is also much much bigger than a 9mm. Huge difference, and it will be a huge difference on the ear.

A 11m pearl is going to cost a lot more than a 9mm pearl. Just FYI. The only way to compare apples to apples is the same size and quality grade (in cases where this is applicable).

Also, pearls are measured in 0.5mm increments. If you were buying say an akoya strand, it would be something like 9.0-9.5mm, with the pearl sizes within that 0.5mm range (every pearl is unique hence the 0.5mm variance).

For akoyas, there is a huge price difference even from a 8.0-8.5mm strand to a 9.0-9.5mm strand.

I am not sure what size of you pearl pendant, but if cost is an issue, you could get a smaller size pearl on the earrings.
The best though in my mind is the exact size because yes, over time, you will see the difference, and it may bug you. It bugs me, so I have different pearl size studs to match my strands.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Thanks for all the info. My pearl pendant is 10 mm.
 
#12
Yes, it was bound to happen. Pearl prices have been stable for a while, but not recently.

Very fine pearl prices have gone through the roof. Top quality pearls increased 30% to as high as 60%. This is due to demand plus reduced production from the pearl farms (environmental problems causing growth issues).

Sincw your pendant is 10mm, for me, I would get 10mm earrings to make the perfect set.

In the absence of perfection, I would get 9mm, not 11mm.

The 11mm will be bigger than your pendant, and the two 11mm pearls will compete with your pendant, making your pendant look smaller.

Just my two cents, but jewelry is 100% preference.
 
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#13
BigAkoya said:
Yes, it was bound to happen. Pearl prices have been stable for a while, but not recently.

Very fine pearl prices have gone through the roof. Top quality pearls increased 30% to as high as 60%. This is due to demand plus reduced production from the pearl farms (environmental problems causing growth issues).

Sincw your pendant is 10mm, for me, I would get 10mm earrings to make the perfect set.

In the absence of perfection, I would get 9mm, not 11mm.

The 11mm will be bigger than your pendant, and the two 11mm pearls will compete with your pendant, making your pendant look smaller.

Just my two cents, but jewelry is 100% preference.
Click to expand...
It sounds like good advice!
 
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