Pearl FALCO is honored to have been featured in one of Japan’s Major Daily Newspapers – Mainichi Shinbun on 14th March 2021. The article discusses with the Co-Owner of Pearl FALCO, Ms Maiko Makito, regarding her latest jewelry competition “The Grand Prix Akoya Pearl Jewellery in Ise Shima 2020.”
English Translation Of Article Originally Written In Japanese By Mr Toshihiro Ozaki.
Popularizing Akoya Pearls from Ise Shima Japan
The “Ise-Shima Pearl Jewelry Grand Prix”, an opportunity for jewelry designers from all over Asia to craft beautiful works of art and design, will celebrate its 4th Grand Prix this year in 2021. Ms Maiko Makito (44), Vice President of Pearl FALCO Corporation, a luxury pearl jewelry company originally founded in Shima City Japan. Maiko Makito explained how the Grand Prix is meant “to explore ways to enjoy pearl jewelry regardless of gender, generation, or nationality, offering us a glimpse of the future of pearl jewelry.” Clearly, with the help of leadership and vision, Ms Makito will help lead the way to share the beauty of Akoya pearls and luxury pearl jewelry from Ise Shima Japan to the world for decades to come.
As Ms Makito explains, we started the annual jewelry competition “The Grand Prix of Akoya Pearl Jewellery in Ise Shima” in 2018. At the end of last year, when the 3rd Grand Prix exhibition was held at the Embassy of Japan in Singapore, many local government officials along with business people visited the exhibition. Singapore local media reported how, “there is a woman who is working on the revitalization of the pearl business while managing the family business remotely,” and it became a popular topic in Singapore.
Ms. Mai Makito was born into the family business – a pearl jewelry company in Ise Shima Japan. As a university student at Keio University in Japan, Maiko never imagined taking over her family’s business. Maiko’s dream for her future, while trekking through Eurasia with a backpack, was to participate in community development projects in emerging countries.
Maiko chose NEC as her first job out of university, because she heard how “NEC provides opportunities for their employees to be stationed in developing countries, regardless of gender.”
As she wished, she was assigned to the Overseas Business Department and became a telecommunications equipment sales representative for their Southeast Asia Office.
Maiko resigned from NEC in 2016 while stationed in Singapore, taking over her family business at the request of her parents, while living in her newly adopted home of Singapore with her own young family.
While trends are definitely changing, many people still perceive of pearls as jewelry accessories for elderly women, not only in Japan but also in Singapore and around the world. Pearls cast an image of luxury because of the penetration of the “MIKIMOTO” brand, but genuine Akoya pearls from Ise Shima pearls are not as well known. Maiko wishes to reform the image of pearls throughout the entire region by holding various events and other forms of outreach.
The 4th Annual Grand Prix Akoya Pearl Jewellery Competition 2021
The theme of the 4th jewelry competition is “Connection.” Maiko hopes that people all over the world will share her vision of our common human connection, like a pearl necklace connected with pearls of gradually differing luster and shape, or of a jewelry design as yet to be created, helping us better portray our common human bond.
Most exciting of all, as with all annual jewelry competitions, Maiko is very much looking forward to new and unique pearl jewelry designs from Asia’s young designers, expressing such wishes for humanity.
Once COVID-19 behind us, and all of us are back to normal, Maiko is looking forward to resuming building upon her parents’ Pearl of Hope Educational Fund and expand further, taking on infrastructure projects in developing countries.
Maiko explained, “I sincerely hope that my own school day dreams do not end as just dreams. It is so personally rewarding for me, as I strive to help my family’s business grow and thrive, the hopes and aspirations from my college years are coming into greater and greater focus.”
Maiko Makito (44)
Born in Ise City Japan. In March 2019, Maiko opened the Pearl Falco Singapore Gallery (Pearl FALCO owned retail store in Singapore). Severe travel restrictions between Singapore and Japan remain in place for the time being due to COVID19. If you would like more information regarding the upcoming competition, please search for “Grand Prix Akoya Pearl Jewellery” for details or visit www.p-falco.com/grandprix/en. We look forward to seeing you there.