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What You Need to Know About Tahitian Pearls

Tahitian pearls are rare and are found in French Polynesia. Pinctada Margaritifera is the scientific name for these beautiful sea gems, which originate from oysters. Because the process to produce perfect pearls of this type is very stringent and expensive, they are deemed rare and hold significant value.

How Tahitian Pearls Are Different from Other Pearls

A common name for Tahitian pearls is “black pearls”. Though black is the most common color, customers can also purchase them in green, yellow, pink, blue or silver.

Tahitian pearls

Tahitian pearls

These pearls’ vibrant colors are remarkably different from those of traditional white pearls, making them very appealing to jewelry lovers.

Experts note that another primary difference between black and white pearls is the way they reflect light.

A pearl may not in reality be truly black but rather seem darker than it truly is due to light reflection.

Tahitian pearls that are considered suitable for sale can range from black to green.

How Tahitian Pearls Are Created

A Tahitian pearl takes about two years to mature. The mantle tissue from the donor mollusk affects the pearl color.

All materials used to promote oyster development are organic in order to prevent rejection. To form the bead, the shell is sanded and rounded.

Tahitian pearls’ imperfections originate from the sand particles inside the shell while the pearl is forming.

Since sand is in abundance during this process, there is rarely a shell that can escape the particles.

For this reason, very few Tahitian pearls are deemed truly flawless, and they are far more expensive than those with just barely visible flaws.

The shape of a pearl is determined by the length of time it is left under water since water friction plays an important role in shaping.

Round and semi-round shapes are the most expensive, followed by drop and button ones.

The least expensive pearls are those with circled and baroque shapes since they contain numerous imperfections.

Tahitian Pearls’ Rarity

A pearl’s value goes up significantly as its rarity increases.

Pearl certification is similar to that of diamonds in many respects: letters are assigned to indicate the level of flawlessness and rarity.

Since Tahitian pearls are difficult to create, experts assign higher values to them.

Larger Tahitian pearls are considered rare because very few actually become big enough to be offered for sale to the public.

The unique coloring of Tahitian pearls makes them very appealing visually. They are a gift that many women would appreciate and are an excellent addition to any ensemble.

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Additional Resources
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  • Tahitian pearl facts
  • What Makes a Black Pearl Black?
  • Learn about Tahitian Pearls

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