The challenge for Mikimoto’s new retail location inside Crystals at City Center was to adapt the retailer’s initial design concept to conform to the strict energy restrictions within this LEED Gold Certified building. The “Deep Blue Sea” concept recalls the natural origins of pearls and the watery depths where they are formed. An eco-friendly approach was in harmony with this naturalistic concept. Sheer silver curtains at the storefront are up-lit with energy-efficient color-shifting LED fixtures programmed in shades of blue to recall the color of the sea. These versatile color-shifting fixtures can be programmed for special promotions or holiday sales.  Cast glass Mermaid Torsos surge out of the floor with integral LED up-lights to provide a glowing surface on which to showcase the jewelry. Metal-halide accents from above spotlight the pearls.  Multiple lighting treatments and sources were tested on the torsos with pearls loaned from the Mikimoto store in New York City.  This examination helped define the correct fixture outputs and beam-spreads to best showcase the merchandise. Inside the store, scallops of light - tightly coordinated with the seams of the travertine stone - cascade down this “coral wall” like beams of sunlight filtering through the waves.

Mother of Pearl chandelier pieces lit with metal-halide accents hang over the jewelry cases and provide an iridescent feature floating above.  The store’s merchandise is showcased with eco-friendly light sources that adhere to the building’s strict energy requirements. For the first time in Mikimoto’s history, metal-halide and LED sources, rather than halogen, are used to accent the jewelry and provide general lighting for the store. Through a creative use of energy-efficient, low-maintenance sources the lighting system stays within the energy allowances for the building, while simultaneously realizing the “Deep Blue Sea” concept.