Haute Couture Week 2025: The Gentle Flutter of Mikimoto Les Pétales High Jewellery

An indulgent dose of pearls is exactly what one needs to perk up a busy week of rushing around Paris in the sweltering heat! The most recent Haute Couture Week provided the ideal platform for Japanese brand Mikimoto to launch its new Les Pétales High Jewellery collection, which evokes the delicacy of a rose petal swept away on a light summer breeze. The beautiful presentation of 40 creations included indulgent pearl necklaces, rings, cuffs and a sensational headpiece, all of which have a romantic palette of creamy white, soft gold, deep red, and pink hues. Let’s take a closer look at some of the aristocratic highlights of this latest Mikimoto offering… 

Although Mikimoto is anchored by its long history with pearls, it never fails to innovate and inspire with its high jewellery creations, which have frequently included large coloured gemstones in recent years. In 2023, the brand took us to the depths of the ocean with its ‘Praise to the Sea’ collection, set with chalcedony, sapphire, tourmaline, morganite and tanzanite. Then, in 2024, it reinvented the classic bow with its aptly named ‘The Bows’ High Jewellery collection, complete with Akoya pearls, juicy cabochons, and a particularly alluring 53.17-carat sea-green tourmaline. 

Now, Mikimoto is exploring its ultra-feminine side with Les Pétales – a selection of 40 pieces, notably statement necklaces, with asymmetrical arrays of hollow petals caught in an imaginary, fluttering breeze. If you recognise the ‘Les Pétales’ name, you may be thinking of the Les Pétales Place Vendôme collection or perhaps the Les Pétales de Ginza line, both of which are part of the brand’s fine jewellery offering. 

The same organically shaped petal design is present among the high jewellery newness, albeit in a far more adventurous and grandiose way. They are clearly strategically placed, and yet they feel haphazard and beautifully accidental, like they’ve landed in the perfect spot. This scattered approach creates a natural and lively effect that’s accentuated with some clever techniques of craftsmanship, like pearls being ‘hidden’ in complex, three-dimensional settings to create dimension. This also has the effect of making pieces unique from each viewing angle… not all pearls are visible in any one glance. 

This new high jewellery project is fronted by Mikimoto’s global brand ambassador, Dilraba Dilmurat, a Chinese actress and singer who personifies the delicate womanly charm of the collection. She has been supporting the brand since 2021 and appears especially whimsical in the latest powder pink campaign images. Personally, I prefer the slightly edgier aesthetic of the Les Pétales campaign imagery, incorporating male and female models against a deep berry-red background. In these shots, you get a real sense of the size and scale of the pieces, which are adventurous but not over the top. 

Necklaces are the cornerstones of this collection, and none are diminutive. The first has eight swags of Akoya cultured pearls, which are said to embody the “ebb and flow of the wind”, dusted with diamond-set petals that wrap over the shoulders and collarbones. Accents come in the form of pink morganites, including a large gem nestled into the blooms on one side of the piece. A pair of earrings with white South Sea cultured pearls and diamonds, also in 18k white gold, complete the set. 

A second necklace feels like something out of the pages of a fairytale with 12 strands of Akoya cultured pearls that serve as the base for an unfurling flower, set with 71.96 carats of diamonds and a 31.29-carat morganite, plus garnets and sapphires. According to Mikimoto, this creation “pays homage to the transformative beauty of nature”, presumably the flower’s ability to grow in bud form, explode into bloom, and then slowly strip away petals on the wind. The poetry continues in a pair of matching earrings with Akoya cultured pearls, sapphires and diamonds, also in 18k white gold. 

Chokers had a big presence at this year’s Haute Couture Week, including at Mikimoto. The brand presented a particularly fabulous example with nine layers of Akoya cultured pearls, graduating in size from small to large, with 49.94 carats of diamond-set rose petals surrounding a raspberry-hued 24.17-carat tourmaline set in 18k white gold. Speaking of tourmalines, it would be remiss of us to forget the Les Pétales head jewel (a tiara of sorts), with a large deep red rubellite, diamonds, and Akoya cultured pearls in a delicate framework of 18k white gold. 

Although these pieces are undeniably beautiful, there were two categories of Mikimoto creations that I found myself drawn to in Paris. The first is a matching set – a necklace and a pair of cuff bracelets – crafted in graduating rows of Akoya cultured pearls with diamond-set petals in pink gold. The contrast between the lustrous white pearls and the rosy-hued gold gives these creations a subtle vintage aesthetic, which Mikimoto describes as a “stream of sophistication” on a current of lace. 

Finally, there are some conch pearl creations to explore, including a ring with natural conch pearls in two shades of pink, surrounded by diamond petals in 18k white gold, and a showstopping brooch. The latter is formed in two parts – an upper and a lower rose – each one shaped slightly differently in the spirit of asymmetry. According to Mikimoto: “This brooch expresses the instant that two roses delicately release their petals. The living, breathing serenity of nature captured in a single moment.” At the heart of each flower is an oval-shaped natural conch pearl surrounded by diamonds, cultured pearls, and pink sapphires in 18k white gold. There is no suit in the world that would not be improved by having this masterpiece pinned to the lapel, which was aptly proven by artist Yuta Jingujiduring the presentation. 

Remember, these are only the hero pieces! Among the 40 creations are a chain bracelet with an attached ring, a beautiful selection of tourmalines, aquamarines (including a 20.48-carat brooch with diamonds and Akoya pearls), and morganites. This is also the first time that Mikimoto has experimented with brushed gold, including one set that appears silky thanks to very fine engraving. 

So, what are your impressions of the Mikimoto Les Pétales High Jewellery collection? I find myself enchanted by its unapologetic romanticism, whimsy and femininity, which feels like a breath of something safe in a scary world. It also serves to remind us of the beauty of Akoya cultured pearls, South Sea pearls and conch specimens, all of which are given their time to shine in specific pieces. The next time I imagine the perfect floral high jewellery collection, one of these pieces will undoubtedly make my wish list.