Would love to know the history of the world-renowned pearl jewelry brand "MIKIMOTO"!
Kokichi Mikimoto, the founder of MIKIMOTO, devoted his life to pearls and was called the Pearl King. He succeeded in cultivating pearls for the first time in the world in 1893, a feat that had never been accomplished before, and he has left his mark on history.
Until then, natural pearls were extremely rare and expensive, with only one pearl per 1,000 shells. However, Kokichi decided to create pearls that were loved by everyone in the world with his own hands. In 1893, he succeeded in cultivating semicircular pearls for the first time in the world. Later, in addition to cultivating pearls, he also cultivated black and white butterfly pearls.
Early on, Kokichi turned his attention to overseas expansion, exhibiting his products at the 1893 Columbian Exposition and other expositions, and in 1913, he opened a branch in London and opened stores in New York and Paris. In 1937, he exhibited his "Arrow Wheel" obi-dome at the 1937 Paris World's Fair, which was so highly praised that he opened a store in the Place Vendôme in Paris, where only world-renowned jewelers were allowed to open their shops.
This led to the creation of "Mikimoto Style," a style that fused European manufacturing techniques with traditional Japanese techniques. In this way, MIKIMOTO was not only an originator of cultured pearls, but also opened the door to modern Japanese jewelry history.
As Mikimoto expanded overseas, a campaign against cultured pearls was launched in Paris, claiming that they were fakes, but it was theorized that there was no difference between cultured pearls and natural pearls, and cultured pearls spread around the world.
Kokichi's dream of "adorning all the women of the world with pearls" was carried on for more than a century, and MIKIMOTO has been recognized as a leading jeweler that has attracted worldwide attention.
Until then, natural pearls were extremely rare and expensive, with only one pearl per 1,000 shells. However, Kokichi decided to create pearls that were loved by everyone in the world with his own hands. In 1893, he succeeded in cultivating semicircular pearls for the first time in the world. Later, in addition to cultivating pearls, he also cultivated black and white butterfly pearls.
Early on, Kokichi turned his attention to overseas expansion, exhibiting his products at the 1893 Columbian Exposition and other expositions, and in 1913, he opened a branch in London and opened stores in New York and Paris. In 1937, he exhibited his "Arrow Wheel" obi-dome at the 1937 Paris World's Fair, which was so highly praised that he opened a store in the Place Vendôme in Paris, where only world-renowned jewelers were allowed to open their shops.
This led to the creation of "Mikimoto Style," a style that fused European manufacturing techniques with traditional Japanese techniques. In this way, MIKIMOTO was not only an originator of cultured pearls, but also opened the door to modern Japanese jewelry history.
As Mikimoto expanded overseas, a campaign against cultured pearls was launched in Paris, claiming that they were fakes, but it was theorized that there was no difference between cultured pearls and natural pearls, and cultured pearls spread around the world.
Kokichi's dream of "adorning all the women of the world with pearls" was carried on for more than a century, and MIKIMOTO has been recognized as a leading jeweler that has attracted worldwide attention.