Diamonds and pearls are what Mikimoto does best

The story of how Mikimoto came to be a global byword for pearl jewellery is widely known. The Japanese business was founded in 1893, when Kokichi Mikimoto – a man later nicknamed the Pearl King – crafted the world’s first cultured pearl. His first successful attempt resulted in a creamy-hued, semi-spherical pearl; Mikimoto later experimented with other specimens, including black pearls. In the meantime, his team of makers was dispatched across Europe to pick up innovative ways of making jewellery and delve deeper into new stylistic themes forged abroad, such as Art Deco.

It was during one of these excursions that the team gathered the tools and skills to make what would later become another calling card for Mikimoto: jewellery set with diamonds. ‘In 1911, he sent his most skilled artisans to Antwerp, Belgium, to study advanced gemstone processing techniques,’ says a spokesperson for the brand. ‘They returned with closely guarded innovations, diamond-polishing machinery and platinum craftsmanship that had never reached Japan before.’ Their trip proved pivotal. ‘By embracing European technology ahead of its time, Mikimoto helped shape the future of diamond jewellery in Japan.’

Launched recently, two designs combine diamonds with pearls as part of Mikimoto’s Les Pétales collection of nature-inspired fine jewellery. A pair of white gold earrings is set with 7.73 carats of white diamonds and white South Sea cultured pearls; a matching white gold brooch frames a white South Sea pearl with white gold and diamond-set petals arranged in a wreath-like circle.