Tahitian Pearls
Often called black pearls, Tahitian pearls grow in the warm, turquoise lagoons of French Polynesia and other islands in the South Seas.
Their opalescent black color shimmers with peacock green, gray, and purple overtones for a sensual, smoldering statement in jewelry designs for both men and women.
Color and Size of Tahitian Pearls
Tahitian pearl colors range from gray to black with pure black extremely rare and very valuable.
A consistent color tone makes pearls highly desirable, with peacock tones demanding the highest prices.
Tahitian pearls are harvested between 8.0 mm to 15.0 mm. Sizes up to 20.0 mm occur rarely and are highly prized.
The black-lipped oyster, is a large tropical oyster that can live up to 30 years.
What shows off a Tahitian pearl best? It depends on the recipient.
For women of all ages, the choices are many.
Few gems offer greater drama than strands of Tahitian pearls — dynamic for day or evening wear.
Used individually or in combination with white or golden pearls, black pearls create superbly fashionable jewelry that, with proper care, will last for generations.
How do Tahitian Pearls compare to other types of pearls?
Tahitian pearls are considered to be the second most valuable commercially farmed pearls in the world.
Unlike black freshwater and black Akoya pearls, which have been irradiated or dyed, Tahitians come by their dark color naturally.
What colors, shapes, and sizes are available?
Beautiful Tahitian pearls are among the largest pearls in the world, ranging in size from approximately 8 mm to 18 mm.
The only larger commercially harvested pearls are South Sea pearls.
The beauty of Tahitian pearls, however, is not limited to their size, but their incredible array of iridescent colors.
Tahitian pearls are the only pearls that have a full-color spectrum.
Black-lip pearl oysters have a rainbow-like mantle that exhibits all natural colors.
These colors are expressed in Tahitian pearls in a magical way with colors shimmering over the surface of some of the best specimens.
Because Tahitian pearls are bead nucleated many of them are round, or near round, with other shapes expressed in drops, baroques, button and circled pearls.
When all other factors are equal, round Tahitian pearls are the most valuable.
