For those of us that have a passion for thrifting and antiques, we know how hard it can be to find a hidden treasure. After all, families do not tend to let go of heirlooms and those who do prefer to pawn them instead of donating them. But sometimes we get lucky and can find a one of a kind piece that has slipped through the cracks which allows us to keep hoping and going to the antique shops. That is what happened to A.J., a regular buyer of vintage items, who on a thrifting day in Minnesota, managed to find an antique Mikimoto brooch with Akoya pearls.
As one can infer from the name, Mikimoto is a Japanese jewelry company that has a very peculiar claim to fame, they are the first company in the world to have figured out how to create cultured pearls. Their story goes back to 1893, when the founder Kokichi Mikimoto managed to accomplish this feat, and they have spent the past 130 odd years creating marvelous high end jewelry.
The Akoya pearls are also special on their own right, and they are one of the brand’s pride and joy, as they are particularly round and shiny, which gives them the same appearance as real pearls and makes them quite valuable despite being cultured. The high quality of this product is what sets this brooch apart.
The Mikimoto brooch that appeared out of nowhere
With that background out of the way, we can see why our intrepid shopper was astonished when, in the middle of a holiday weekend activity visiting several secondhand stores in Minnesota, he came across what is essentially a treasure, which he himself described as a once-in-a-lifetime gem.
The brooch in question was found in a small red leather jewelry box, which A.J identified as being in rough shape, but expensive in its heyday. When he curiously opened it, nothing could have prepared him to find the platinum brooch from the renowned Japanese brand Mikimoto, shaped like a leaf and adorned with five Akoya saltwater pearls
Luckily A.J knew what he was looking at and did not dismiss the piece as fake or costume jewelry, as someone in the past clearly had, as it was not in a display cabinet worthy of its price and value. As he explained in an interview with Newsweek, “It’s a leaf design dating to at least the 1960s. I originally paid $10 for it, and I was floored. I’m getting it officially tested soon. Platinum brooches from that era are rare, but around $2,000 and the price goes up if there are gems, bigger pearls, and a lot of weight.”
He did not pay fair price for the brooch, as it was not properly assessed, but that does not mean that he is not aware of the treasure he has found. That is why he is not just planning to keep the piece, but keep it intact, potentially wearing it a pendant on a pearl chain. That will allow him to still show it off without altering the original piece or damaging the clasp further because of additional wear and tear.
These pieces are meant to be worn and admired, as they are too pretty to be kept in a box forever. A.J is not just willing to provide a new, better home for this brooch, but he is also willing to let others like family and friends admire it. And this piece has also done something else, reignited his passion for thrifting and antiquing. As he gushed “It was a once-in-a-lifetime find, and I can’t describe the pure joy I get from finding treasures buried away in shop, just collecting dust.”