When it comes to pearls, the name Mikimoto stands apart as one of the most historic and celebrated in the industry. And now, one of the maison’s renowned Art Deco designs, once worn by the late Princess Margaret, is being revived for a new generation of pearl lovers.
Founded by Kokichi Mikimoto as an oyster farm in 1888, Mikimoto was the first company to successfully cultivate a semi-spherical pearl in 1893, for which Mikimoto received a patent in 1896. This was followed by the arrival of the first spherical cultured pearl in 1905, and the opening of Mikimoto’s debut international boutique in London in 1913. The company’s pearls gained a worldwide reputation for excellence, embellished by appearances at events like the 1926 World Exposition in Philadelphia, and by its dazzling, Art Deco-infused designs.
One such piece was a refined, double-row pearl bracelet with brilliant-cut diamonds and a geometric diamond clasp subtly shaped like an ‘M’ – after Mikimoto’s own initial and also as a tribute ‘margarita’, the Latin word for ‘pearl’. The piece featured in the 1936 issue of Mikimoto’s catalogue, Pearl.
Conveniently, ‘M’ also came to stand for the most famous and regal of Mikimoto’s admirers, Princess Margaret, who owned one of the double-row Art Deco bracelets. The jewel is thought to have been a 19th birthday gift from the princess’s grandmother, Queen Mary, and can be seen in Margaret’s official birthday portrait by Cecil Beaton. After the princess’s death in 2002, the piece was auctioned at Christie’s – part of a sale of Margaret’s personal effects that raised almost £10 million. The bracelet itself sold for £72,000.
Two decades later, in 2021, the bracelet came up for auction again, this time at Dix Noonan Webb, where it fetched £396,800 after a ferocious bidding war by telephone and online.
Now, a century after the Art Deco movement forever changed the world’s of art, design and architecture, Mikimoto is reviving its famous double-stranded bracelet, crafted in cultured pearls, diamonds and 18k white gold. Alongside this, the maker is also bringing back a sparkling jewellery pearl and diamond jewellery watch from the same era. Both are POA, so expect them to come with a suitably regal price tag.
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