diff --git a/src/share/vm/classfile/vmSymbols.hpp b/src/share/vm/classfile/vmSymbols.hpp
index b9c17c2e2d24801d9d8f4b55fcd9abf84bf8bdff..1d5b68f0da6f3ab57fafb6c703f20385fcba7da9 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/classfile/vmSymbols.hpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/classfile/vmSymbols.hpp
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@
   template(java_lang_Object,                          "java/lang/Object")                         \
   template(java_lang_Class,                           "java/lang/Class")                          \
   template(java_lang_String,                          "java/lang/String")                         \
+  template(java_lang_StringValue,                     "java/lang/StringValue")                    \
   template(java_lang_Thread,                          "java/lang/Thread")                         \
   template(java_lang_ThreadGroup,                     "java/lang/ThreadGroup")                    \
   template(java_lang_Cloneable,                       "java/lang/Cloneable")                      \
diff --git a/src/share/vm/runtime/thread.cpp b/src/share/vm/runtime/thread.cpp
index 2e4c63601439fa4ce9aba5ff2b97118c3445d2c3..547ea7fe64c05ed47bb9bf624558c71214f1227a 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/runtime/thread.cpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/runtime/thread.cpp
@@ -3007,17 +3007,19 @@ jint Threads::create_vm(JavaVMInitArgs* args, bool* canTryAgain) {
       }
 
       if (UseStringCache) {
-        // Forcibly initialize java/lang/String and mutate the private
+        // Forcibly initialize java/lang/StringValue and mutate the private
         // static final "stringCacheEnabled" field before we start creating instances
-        klassOop k_o = SystemDictionary::resolve_or_null(vmSymbolHandles::java_lang_String(), Handle(), Handle(), CHECK_0);
-        KlassHandle k = KlassHandle(THREAD, k_o);
-        guarantee(k.not_null(), "Must find java/lang/String");
-        instanceKlassHandle ik = instanceKlassHandle(THREAD, k());
-        ik->initialize(CHECK_0);
-        fieldDescriptor fd;
-        // Possible we might not find this field; if so, don't break
-        if (ik->find_local_field(vmSymbols::stringCacheEnabled_name(), vmSymbols::bool_signature(), &fd)) {
-          k()->bool_field_put(fd.offset(), true);
+        klassOop k_o = SystemDictionary::resolve_or_null(vmSymbolHandles::java_lang_StringValue(), Handle(), Handle(), CHECK_0);
+        // Possible that StringValue isn't present: if so, silently don't break
+        if (k_o != NULL) {
+          KlassHandle k = KlassHandle(THREAD, k_o);
+          instanceKlassHandle ik = instanceKlassHandle(THREAD, k());
+          ik->initialize(CHECK_0);
+          fieldDescriptor fd;
+          // Possible we might not find this field: if so, silently don't break
+          if (ik->find_local_field(vmSymbols::stringCacheEnabled_name(), vmSymbols::bool_signature(), &fd)) {
+            k()->bool_field_put(fd.offset(), true);
+          }
         }
       }
     }