Miss International organization, this year, is all set to bid farewell to one of the most symbolic part of the pageant, i.e. the Mikimoto Pearl Crown. In 1967, the first version of the crown debuted on the Miss International stage, before the pageant moved from California to Japan.

Miss International 1967 Nirta Massa of Argentina was the first woman to wear the handmade pearl-encrusted crown with a, then, estimated market value of US$350,000. 

Three years later, in 1970, a more elaborate version of the crown was used where the crown was won by Philippines’ Aurora Pijuan. After that, the Mikimoto Pearl Crown, has been passed on to every Miss International winner until 2019 except between 1999 to 2014 when As-me Estelle Jewellery Japan sponsored their own version of the pearl crown.

For more than five decades, Mikimoto has been an integral part of Miss International’s history. The company also designed the pearl crown of Miss Universe which was used from 2002 to 2007 and again from 2017 to 2018.

However, because of the Covid-19 pandemic and market conditions, Mikimoto has decided to reorganize its overall strategy and will embark in a new direction away from beauty pageants. Negotiations have begun with a new crown sponsor for Miss International and will be known soon.