YOUTH CORPS

Mikimoto flexes its design muscles to reach a younger demographic

Pearl jewellery are for the young too

To see how a successful a brand is, just look at how closely consumers relate its name to its product. Think Mcdonald’s to fast food and Ferrari to fast cars. Mikimoto is another stellar example. Mention its name and everyone thinks of beautiful pearl jewellery.

But to cater to modern tastes, the Japanese jeweller has been re-inventing itself and creating pieces that break out of the box. They look vastly different but retain the brand’s core values of elegance and sophistication.

Take the newly launched M Collection, for instance. Instead of ornate pearl creations, Mikimoto went for simplicity. Whether it’s a ring, pendant or a pair of earrings, an M-shaped structure holds a single white South Sea cultured pearl. The “M” initial is a tribute to the surname of brand founder Kokichi Mikimoto. The clean, unobstructed M-frame allows the lustre of the pearls to shine through prominently and its elegance is enhanced when set with diamonds. Pearls of three sizes—11.5mm, 12mm and 12.5mm in diameter—are specially chosen for this collection.

While pearl jewellery has always been associated with formalwear, the M Collection defies all norms as it’s clearly designed for daily wear. Its aesthetics are simple and pieces dainty, making the collection highly wearable.

Another new range with the same design aesthetics as the M Collection is the Coral Collection. Simple elegance is the central theme that courses throughout the range. Inspired by coral branches, the pieces are crafted out of white or pink gold and shaped to look like the sea creature. Akoya pearls and/or diamonds are then embedded between the gold “branches” in a random order. The Coral Collection consists of mostly pendants with a pair of earrings, a bracelet and a brooch rounding it off.

The collection’s pink gold bracelet is one of the more interesting creations—a simple coral motif serves as a clasp, while seven luminous pearls of varying sizes are scattered along a fine pink gold chain. Clean, simple and elegant, it once again makes for easy wearing.

Both collections are clearly the Japanese marque’s attempt at appealing to the younger set. By going simple and basic, it sheds the preconceived notion of pearls being fuddy-duddy and old school. Pearl jewellery, when designed well, can also be part of a woman’s daily fashion ensemble.

Hungarian super model Eniko Mihalik is featured in the new Mikimoto advertising campaign, wearing the classic Akoya cultured pearl necklace and M Collection earrings.