 Tahitian
Pearl Information
The tahitian pearl begins it's life in a species of oyster
named Pinctada Margaritifera, or more commonly known as the
black lipped oyster. This is how the tahitian pearl
gets it's common name as the black pearl, not because of it's
color but from the name of the oyster it comes from.
The tahitian pearl is indigenous to the lagoons of Tahiti.
In the 19th century, the shell of the black lipped oyster
was in great demand for such products as buttons for clothing
and thus was a big industry which affected the occurance of
naturally formed tahitian pearls. In those days, you
would need to open tens of thousands of oysters before you
would find a natural pearl. Being so rare, the tahitian
pearl became a very valuable gem and was soon being prized
by nobles and royalty.
In the mid 1900's, the secret to pearl cultivation was discovered
and soon, several pearl farms were set up on some of the various
islands of Tahiti. This is not to say that the pearl
can be easily come by now, it is still a long process and
considerable care needs to be taken due to the fragility of
this particular species of oyster.
During certain times of the year, the oyster produces spawn
which is then fertilized in the water which then floats around
in the water for a period of time. After about a month
or so, the baby oysters, which is know as 'spat', settle down
onto either coral formations or the ocean bottom.
Pearl farmers come in at this time and collect the 'spat'
and hang them on underwater lines where they mature for about
3 years. During this time, the oysters are continuously
cared for to ensure their good health.
Once the oyster reaches maturity, a small round piece of
'mother of pearl' is inserted into the oyster. This
process is called grafting or nucleation. This process
stimulates the oyster's secretion of 'nacre' which is a pearly
substance which is applied in layers to mother of pearl piece
which was grafted into the oyster.
This nacre secretion is what ultimately forms the tahitian
pearl after several years. As you can see, years of
care and nurturing go into the formation of the beautiful
tahitian pearl which ultimately results in a unique piece
of jewelry that any person would be proud to have in their
collection. For a great selection of tahitian pearl
jewelry, please visit our showcase .
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