Tahitian Pearls

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Tahitian pearls are named so because they thrive in the rich, warm, tropical waters of Tahiti and the Polynesian Islands. Tahitian pearls are also known as black pearls, though in truth they can be cultivated in an astonishing variety of subtle colors on the spectrum between black and white as well as velvety greens and iridescent peacock.

Value and Export

Tahitian pearls now often exceed classic pearls in value since their rarer beauty is all the more sought after. Although they are known as black pearls, each individual pearl has remarkable iridescence and can show off undertones in yellows, greens, blues, reds, mauves and silvers. An accomplished jeweler might require thousands of pearls in order to create a strand of matching pearls of similar size and luster. Sometimes the process can take up to 10 years to acquire enough Pearls to make one matching strand.

Tahitian pearls have become the second-most expensive pearls to be farmed at a commercial scale. Although you may find ‘black akoya’ or ‘black freshwater’ pearls sold, those two varieties are in fact dyed versions of the true cream colored pearls. Tahitian pearls are also graded to higher standards – the slimmest nacre at which a Tahitian pearl may be sold for export is equivalent to a very thick nacre according to akoya standards.

Only twenty years ago, a full strand of Tahitian pearls could be sold for up to $100,000: they were then the rarest pearl as well as the most beautiful. Today, they remain the most beautiful, but are thriving in the seas and gaining favor in the market, which is bringing prices down. Discerning buyers can now find a string of true Tahitian pearls for as little as $5000.

Size, Color and Shape

Tahitian pearls are created by the exotic Pinctada margaritifera: the black-lipped pearl oyster. These oysters grow to over a foot across and naturally produce large, perfect, and naturally dark-to-deep black pearls. Tahitian pearls are relatively new on the scene of gems and fine jewelry, as they weren’t discovered to the western market until the middle of the twentieth century. Tahitian pearls vary in size between 8 mm and 18 mm. They number among the largest in the world. Only South Sea pearls exceed them.

The rainbow mantle of the Tahitian pearl naturally shimmers with an oil-slick spectrum of color. Individual pearls may strongly show off certain hues and thus match better with certain jewelry settings or other individual pearls. This aspect means that while they are expensive to work with as designers strive to select the perfect pearl for a setting, the limits of beauty that can be achieved are high indeed.

Tahiatan Pearls come in a variety of shapes, listed here in order of desirability: Round, semi-round, semi-baroque, baroque, and circle. Pearls classified as round have less than a 2% variation in diameter, and are the rarest of Tahitian Pearls, accounting for about 5% of total pearl production. Semi-round pearls have less than a 5% variation in diameter. Semi-baroque pearls have at least one axis of rotation, and can be further classified into drop, button, pear, and oval shapes. Baroque pearls have no axis of rotation.

The quality of a pearl is graded as an “A”, “B”, “C”, or “D”, depending on the luster and surface purity of the pearl. An “A” pearl should have superior luster and either no small blemishes or a few blemishes on less than 10% of its surface. A “B” pearl should have above-average luster and a few blemishes on less 1/3 of its surface. A “C” pearl should have average luster and blemishes over less than 2/3 of its surface. A “D” pearl should have below-average luster and blemishes over its entire surface.

Provenance

Tahitian pearls are like fine French champagne – any winemaker may put together a vintage of pinot noir chardonnay but only a producer from the original region of Champagne is allowed to call their product that. So it is with Tahitian pearls – the species is harvested across French Polynesia, Japan, the Micronesian Islands, the Cook Islands, the Philippines and Thailand, but only pearls grown in Polynesia can honestly be called Tahitian.

Tahitian Pearl production and export are strictly regulated by the government of French Polynesia. Every pearl intended for export is x-rayed by the Tahitian Pearl Ministry to ensure that the nacre thickness meets the minimum requirements for export, 0.6mm before July 2002, 0.8mm after. In addition, the blemishes often present on the pearl surface must be fairly shallow, or the pearl will fail inspection. Pearls that do not meet the export criteria are destroyed at the inspection facility.

SHOP FOR PEARLS

大溪地珍珠之所以如此命名，是因為它們在塔希提島和波利尼西亞群島豐富而溫暖的熱帶水域中繁衍生息。大溪地珍珠也被稱為黑珍珠，儘管事實上它們可以種植在黑白之間的各種微妙顏色以及天鵝絨般的綠色和虹彩孔雀中。

價值和出口

大溪地珍珠現在經常超過經典珍珠的價值，因為它們更罕見的美麗更受追捧。雖然它們被稱為黑珍珠，但每顆珍珠都具有顯著的彩虹色，並且可以在黃色，綠色，藍色，紅色，紅色和銀色中顯示出底色。一個成功的珠寶商可能需要數千顆珍珠才能創造出一串相似尺寸和光澤的珍珠。有時這個過程可能需要10年的時間才能獲得足夠的珍珠來製作一個匹配鏈。

大溪地珍珠已成為第二大商業規模養殖的珍珠。儘管您可能會發現“黑色akoya”或“黑色淡水”珍珠，但這兩個品種實際上都是真正的奶油色珍珠的死亡版本。大溪地珍珠也被分級到更高的標準 - 大溪地珍珠可能出售出口的最薄的珍珠層相當於根據akoya標準的非常厚的珍珠層。

僅僅在二十年前，大量的大溪地珍珠可以以高達十萬美元的價格出售：它們當時是最珍貴的珍珠，也是最美麗的珍珠。今天，它們仍然是最美麗的，但卻在海洋中興旺起來，並在市場中獲得青睞，從而導致價格下跌。挑剔的買家現在可以找到一串真正的大溪地珍珠，價格低至5000美元。

大小，顏色和形狀

大溪地珍珠由外來的Pinctada margaritifera創造：黑嘴唇珍珠牡蠣。這些牡蠣長到一英尺以上，自然產生大而完美的自然黑暗至深黑色珍珠。大溪地珍珠在寶石和高級珠寶的場景中相對較新，因為直到二十世紀中葉，它們才被發現到西方市場。大溪地珍珠的大小在8毫米至18毫米之間。他們是世界上最大的。只有南海珍珠超過它們。

大溪地珍珠的彩虹披風自然地閃閃發光，油光滑的色彩。個別珍珠可能會強烈炫耀某些色調，從而與某些珠寶設置或其他個人珍珠更好地匹配。這一方面意味著，儘管設計師努力為設置選擇完美的珍珠，但它們的價格昂貴，但可以實現的美觀極限確實很高。

Tahiatan珠光粉以各種不同的形狀出現，這裡按需求順序列出：圓形，半圓形，半巴洛克式，巴洛克式和圓形。分類為圓形的珍珠直徑變異小於2％，是大溪地珍珠最珍貴的品種，約佔珍珠總產量的5％。半圓形珍珠的直徑變化小於5％。半巴洛克式珍珠至少有一個旋轉軸，可以進一步分為落下，鈕扣，梨形和橢圓形。巴洛克式珍珠沒有旋轉軸。

根據珍珠的光澤和表面純度，珍珠的質量分為“A”，“B”，“C”或“D”。一顆“A”珍珠應該具有優異的光澤，並且在其表面上不到10％時不會有小的瑕疵或少量瑕疵。一顆“B”珍珠的表面應該具有高於平均的光澤和少量瑕疵。 “C”型珍珠的平均光澤和瑕疵在其表面的2/3以內。一顆“D”珍珠的整個表面應該具有低於平均的光澤和瑕疵。