From February 6th to 12th, a special Mikimoto event was held at The Stage on the first floor of Isetan Shinjuku. It was titled "Mikimoto Pearl Invention 120th Anniversary NECKLACE + NECKLACE: Sparkle Forever. Seven Necklace Stories." This was Mikimoto's first attempt at a virtual fitting system using Kinect, a gesture and voice recognition sensor found in Xbox games. This sensor automatically identifies body parts and displays jewelry in the desired position on the screen. A service was also provided to print images of the jewelry being worn. The finished product can be picked up at the Mikimoto shop in Isetan Shinjuku at a later date. This project, launched last summer with the goal of attracting new customers, will see the virtual fitting event take place at various Mikimoto stores. This year marks the 120th anniversary of Mikimoto's founding in 1893, when founder Kokichi Mikimoto became the first in the world to successfully cultivate semicircular pearls. In commemoration of this, a 42mm diameter spherical necklace (21 million yen) featuring 120 white South Sea pearls, each approximately 12mm in size, and diamonds is also on special display.
In addition, a necklace commemorating the 120th anniversary of the invention of pearls (178,500 yen) will be available as an "Only MI" product, available exclusively at Isetan Mitsukoshi. The necklace features Akoya pearls of different sizes, each with a ribbon-motif clasp. Also available exclusively at Isetan are a pendant-top pin brooch (52,500 yen) that embodies the meaning of "DREAM," a cherry blossom pin brooch with pink sapphires and diamonds on the petals (346,500 yen), and the "Étrenne "Ensemble"" three-piece set (661,500 yen) consisting of a pearl necklace, earrings, and ring. On February 10th, Inubashiri Hisano, a stylist active in magazines such as "Precious," will also be giving advice on jewelry coordination.
[Event Information]
Mikimoto Pearl Invention 120th Anniversary NECKLACE + NECKLACE Sparkle Forever. Seven Necklace Stories
Dates: February 6th to 12th, 2013
Location: Isetan Shinjuku Main Building, 1st Floor = The Stage
