Exquisite, exotic, and mysterious – black pearls have captivated hearts
for centuries.
Natural black pearls are extremely rare, and only the super-rich were
able to afford these magnificent gems. But a few decades ago, all that changed.
Black pearls are now cultivated and farmed for the enjoyment of the everyday
woman. Although still rare, compared to the total amount of cultured pearls
produced in the world, it is now within reach of more women.
The jewelry we wear contribute to the richness of the story of our
lives, and no gem more so than black pearls. In this blog we discuss everything
you need to know about Tahitian and other black pearls, so you can also enrich
your life with these exquisite black pearl gemstones.
Types Of Saltwater Pearls
Tahitian pearls are saltwater pearls, in other words, they’re grown in
the ocean. Saltwater pearls tend to be more lustrous, or glossy, than
freshwater pearls, which makes them more valuable.
Akoya pearls: The classic white pearl cultivated off the coast of
Japan.
White South Sea pearls: Rare, valuable, and large pearls grown
primarily in the waters of Australia, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
Golden South Sea pearls: The same origin as White South Sea pearls,
but with a richer color.
Tahitian black pearls: Dark and exotic black saltwater pearls
cultivated around the French Polynesian islands. They’re also called Black
South Sea pearls.
Where Do Black Pearls Come From?
Although we’re most familiar with Tahitian black pearls, that’s not the
only type of black pearl that is produced. There is another location also
situated in the south-central Pacific Ocean:
95% of the world’s black pearls are produced around Tahiti Island,
French Polynesia. This pearl is called the Tahitian Black Pearl.
4% of black pearls are produced in the Penglin Island and Manihiki
Island, which are part of the Cook Islands.
The Symbolism Of Black Pearls
There are many legends and myths surrounding black pearls. The most
famous is the one of Princess Bora Bora. As the story goes, the god of peace
and fertility, Oro, gifted the princes with a black pear to symbolize his
eternal love.
Read more about this legend.
Black Pearl History
Throughout history, the European royal families have always loved
pearls, as can often be seen in old pictures and paintings. In these portraits,
white pearls are most prominent, but black pearls were also popular, but very
rare.
In the mid-19th century, a large number of fishing boats traveled from
Sydney, San Francisco, and Chile to Tahiti to catch the Pinctada margaritifera,
also called the Black-lip pearl oyster, in which black pearls are commonly
found.
Not only did they open the shells to gather the pearls, but they also
used the shells themselves to make buttons. Before buttons were made primarily
with plastic, shells were cut to use as buttons. The black inner layer of these
black pearl shells made the most beautiful buttons.
However, after more than a century of overfishing, by the mid-20th
century, the black-lip pearl oysters in Tahiti were on the verge of extinction.
A New Dawn: Tahitian Black Pearl
Farming
The pearl culturing experiment started in Tahiti in 1961, using Japanese
pearl farming techniques, but, it took a few years before black pearl culturing
became successful.
In 1966 the first pearl farms were built, but they weren’t very
successful. It was only in 1972 when the first Tahitian black pearls were
exported to other countries – about 1,563 kilograms.
How Are Black Pearls Formed?
Tahitian pearls take more than 24 months to form inside the oyster
shell. A small bead is surgically inserted into the pearl sac, and during its
growth period, hundreds of thin layers of nacre and vermiculite crystals are
secreted to envelop the beads and to finally form the pearl.
Once the nacre covering the bead is thick enough, the pearl farmer would
open the oyster with the black pearl inside to remove the gem.
Black Pearl Colors
Contrary to popular belief, not all Tahitian cultured pearls are black.
These pearls come in a remarkable range of colors, including creamy white,
green, iridescent peacock green, blue, purple, gray, silver, blue-black,
gray-black, brown-black, iron gray, and of course, deep black.
Pearls get their colors from the shell they grow in. The black-lipped
oyster has a thick inner black shell and secretes this dark nacre to cover the
bead implanted in the shell sac, which is why some pearls are black. The nearer
this bead is to the shell wall, the darker the bead will be. The darker the
color, the higher the value and the price.
The most popular black pearl colors are the rainbow-like colors, like
peacock, rich purple, and sea blue. The strong metallic luster on these pearls
changes as you rotate the pearl. These pearls are more valuable, and also more
expensive, with peacock green at the top of that list.
Matching black pearl beads to form a string of black pearls is extremely
difficult as most beads have a different color or shade.
Black Pearl Luster
The luster of a pearl refers to the intensity of the reflection on the
surface of the pearl. Pearls with great luster are glossy and you can even see
your own image on the surface of the pearl, like a mirror. The greater the
luster, the higher the value of a black pearl.
Pearls with a more matt-like luster look a bit dull and therefore have a
lower value.
Black Pearl Sizes
Tahitian black pearls are typically between 8-14 mm in size, which is
much larger than the classic white Akoya pearl.
Most black pearls are between 9-10mm. A black pearl larger than 15mm is
rare, and those exceeding 17mm is a rare treasure.
Black Pearl Shapes
Pearls are rarely perfectly round, but as can be expected, round pearls
are the most popular shape and therefore also the most expensive.
Tahitian pearls typically come in five different shapes:
Circular or semicircular
Oval or button-shaped
Drop-shaped
Circle-shaped
Semi-Baroque or Baroque
The Surface Of Black Pearls
The surface of pearls often has little bumps, threads, wrinkles, and
spots, which makes it part of their beauty.
Of course, the more perfect the surface, the higher the value.
Where To Buy Black Pearls?
If you’re ready to enrich your life with the mysterious black pearl, you
can check out our online shop for black pearl jewelry:
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