JEWELLERY Edit

What do you do with the pearls you reject? Do you sell them on to other companies?

In Japan and in the US we have secondary brands of classical collections using a slightly lower quality pearl, but it’s still 10-15%. Anything lower than that is moved to our cosmetics division. It’s huge in Japan as some of the beauty sections use the ‘acre’ derived from the pearl in their face creams. Pearls are perceived as a classical opulence. Is it hard to balance traditional pearls into these modern designs? Sometimes people think pearls are for older ladies, however it’s also often the first gift you get as well such as for graduation. We still have classical pieces like the simple stud earrings but we pretty much have something for everyone, including cutting-edge designs. We have recently launched a collaboration with Comme des Garçons, exclusively available in Tokyo, London, Paris and New York at Dover Street Market.

Tell us more about Mikimotos presence in Japan.

Ginza is the downtown main shopping area of Tokyo. Our main store is 12 floors and is designed to an aquatic aesthetic which shines like the ocean on an evening. It truly is beautiful and I would say it’s the largest jewellery store in the world. 50% of our business in Japan is actually non-pearl, it’s engagement rings. We have two floors exclusively showcasing engagement rings as we are iconic in that segment. We also have a bridal suite, restaurant, bar etc and it’s pink! So yeah, it’s quite a company. There is a lot going on at Mikimoto!

Tell us what is in the pipeline for Mikimoto and your passion for the brand.

We have a concept twice a year that we call ‘Grand Display’ in Japan which was revered so we have been invited to exhibit alongside all the couture shows. We’ve actually been invited to join the federation which covers the whole couture week as the first non-fashion company to be asked.

Twice a year we show our one-of-a-kind pieces through this concept and then we are lucky enough to bring some of these pieces to Doha. Our customers in Qatar want to see new materials, new designs and they are fascinated by the intricacies of the pieces and luckily our designers in Japan are able to incorporate a little bit of local taste into the collections. You don’t want to lose your DNA or the ‘Japanese-ness’ of the brand, but they are able to make things that would appeal to the local audience here.

I’ve been here for 25 years, which speaks for itself! It’s got to be something really interesting to not have worn off by now, but the combination of the product, the design and what they come out with each year you can’t fail to be inspired by it.

Mikimoto collections are available at Ali Bin Ali.

@official_mikimoto Alibinali.com @alibinali_luxury