AILYN AGONIA

DOHA GIVEN Qatar’s history of pearl diving, it’s no surprise that the Japanese brand and originator of the cultured pearl, Mikimoto, has established a strong clientele among the Qatari women.

At the ongoing 9th annual Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition being held at the Doha Exhibition Centre, Mikimoto is one of the soughtafter brands, dazzling the lovers of pearls here with the finest collection they have put together specially for the local market.

Mikimoto, located at the Ali Bin Ali pavilion, takes pride in catering to the distinct taste of Arab women despite originating from the Far East.

“When Kokichi Mikomoto started doing jewelleries his vision at that time was to become a global company. He realised he had to make jewellery not just for the Japanese women but for women around the world. His vision, sort of mission statement, was to adorn all the women in the world with pearls,” Jeremy Burbanks, Mikimoto’s European & Middle East sales manager told Qatar Tribune on Wednesday.

The brand is showcasing at the exhibition exclusive pieces from the ‘Mikimoto Grand Display’ highlighting beautiful pieces of jewellery combining the brand’s design expertise and unique craftsmanship.

The sets on display include the Diamond Tassel Collection.

Burbanks said that with the growing popularity of their products in the local market, the next logical step for them was to establish their own stall in Qatar. “We are a retail company and not a supplier so we will look into having our own stall here in Qatar as well as in Saudi Arabia, particularly in Jeddah, a market which can also appreciate pearls,” he said.

Talking further about the luxury market of Qatar, Burbanks said the country’s openness to try something new makes it an ideal market for businesses like them. “Here in the region, including Qatar, people are willing to accept new things.

They appreciate new stones and new colours of pearls,” he added.

Mikimoto, founded in 1893 by the very inventor of cultured pearls Kokichi Mikomoto, is known for its exquisite range of pearls. This include the most popular of all pearl types Akoya (produced by Japan’s Akoya oysters), Black South Sea (naturally black pearls produced by black-lipped oysters in the waters off Tahiti and Okinawa), White South Sea (white pearls), and the Golden South Sea (palette ranges from light champagne to a very rare, deep gold).

“We can offer different collections to our diverse clients because Mikimoto is growing and it is evolving through times,” Burbanks concluded.