Tahitian Pearls

Tahitian pearls, despite their name, are not actually from Tahiti. Tahiti serves as the main trading post for atolls that produce Tahitian pearls.

Black-lip pearls are farmed in French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, the Micronesian Islands, and to some extent, in Japan, Thailand, and the Philippines.

Tahitian pearls were once the rarest and most valuable in the world. Although they continue to be more valuable than freshwater and Akoya pearls, the pearl farming market has made these pearls widely available and affordable. 

These pearls are cultivated by the bead-nucleated process. This means that the farmer will insert a round shell bead inside the oyster to encourage the formation of a round-shaped pearl. However, less than 50% of these pearls will form a perfectly round shape. The other shapes that they may form are round, baroque, or circle.

Interestingly, the location where the pearl forms inside the shell determines its color. If the pearl forms near the inner part of the shell, it will have a darker color. If it forms towards the outer section, it will have a gray or silver color.

Most all pearls today are cultivated, this is still a natural process.