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| Tahitian South Sea Pearls |
| Micronesian Islands, and even to some extent, Japan, Thailand, and the Philippines. Unlike the more common pearl types, Tahitian pearls typically have a naturally dark body color. Because of their vast color range, matching these pearls into a finished strand is an enormous task requiring thousands of loose pearls to create a single strand. It takes about two years before the oyster is ready for harvesting and only about 30 percent of the oysters cultured produce a pearl. Size & Shape Beautiful Tahitian pearls are among the largest pearls in the world. The only larger commercially harvested pearls today are White & Golden South Sea Pearls. Because Tahitian pearls are bead nucleated many of them are round or near round. These pearls have an average size of 9-14mm, but up to 21mm have been found. Color Tahitian pearl color is natural. Tahitian pearls can take on all the colors of the rim of the black lipped oyster shell which produces it. Tahitian pearls have a wide range of body colors. The predominant basic colors of a Tahitian pearl are black, gray, blue, green and brown. Tahitian pearls also have the beautiful overtones: blue, pink, gold, silver, reddish purple (eggplant color) and peacock green. These overtones may be present in a variety of combinations and are considered a plus factor. Generally, the darker the Tahitian black pearl, the more valuable it is. The finest black pearls also have a green overtone that is called "peacock green". Peacock green is the most sought-after color, so it is most valuable. A solid black pearl with no overtone is considered less desirable and may cost as much as 50% less than one of similar quality with green overtones. Chocolate Pearls give a twist to the classic Tahitian pearl necklace. Chocolate Pearl necklaces, earrings, and pendants are constantly growing in popularity and are becoming a large part of the modern fashion scene. Chocolate pearls are Tahitian pearls which are enhanced to make their beautiful warm chocolate color. They originate from the waters around the island of Tahiti and come in a variety of shades from milk to dark chocolate. |
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