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The name Mikimoto is not just synonymous with pearls but the utmost highest quality of the most perfectly spherical pearls and exquisite pearl jewelry. Using a method of pearl cultivation and harvestation (inserting a shell fragment in the shape of a round bead), Kokichi Mikimoto discovered his first cultured pearl on July 11, 1893 after raising the bamboo oyster basket out of the ocean with his wife and partner, Ume. Many years of continued dedicated research were spent in further understanding and cultivating pearls including black lipped pearls and silver lipped pearls. The Mikimoto pearl empire experienced rapid growth and international fame when he expanded black pearl cultivation sites on the Ishigaki Island in Okinawa and the South Pacific Island of Palau and when he promoted his pearls in Europe and the USA. Mikimoto jewelry is a combination of his sense of contemporary fashion with Western style using highest quality of cultivated pearls.
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