MIKIMOTO Design

From the earliest days of his company, Kokichi Mikimoto recognized the importance of jewelry design. Researchers were dispatched to the U.S. and Europe to study design and manufacturing techniques. The reference materials and actual pieces they brought back to Japan were used to train jewelry designers in cutting-edge Western design and manufacturing skills, laying the foundation for modern jewelry production in Japan. Kokichi Mikimoto spent decades developing new interpretations of traditional Japanese motifs for aesthetically pleasing pearl jewelry, skillfully blending traditional Japanese metalworking craftsmanship and European manufacturing techniques to create the distinctive MIKIMOTO style.
Conveying the Essence of MIKIMOTO

Yaguruma sash clip; property of Pearl Museum
Yaguruma Sash Clip

Exhibited at the 1937 World Exposition in Paris, this multifunctional sash clip could be used in 12 different configurations. Intricately decorated with calibre settings and finished with millegrain beading, the refined design and exquisite craftsmanship of this unique piece was the ultimate example of the distinctive MIKIMOTO style of the 1930s.