Tahitian black pearls are considered the most prized and therefore the most expensive on the market. They are highly sought after due to their limited supply, their attractive shape, and their majestic colours.

Tahitian pearls are formed from the black lipped oysters known as “Pinctada margaritifera”. Although the Tahitian pearls are popularly known as “black pearls”, they are actually available in a wide variety of stunning colours including black, peacock blue, silver and the gold. Although they are traditionally identified as Tahitian Pearls, these beautiful creations of the nature are not actually found in the Tahitian waters. Instead, the lagoons of French Polynesia, Samoa, Fiji and Cook Islands are the more common home of the black lipped oysters. However,  because Tahiti is considered as the main commercial hub for these pearls they retain their name.

The demand for the black pearls or Tahitian pearls increased significantly in Europe during the 19th century when these pearls were considered one of the rarest gems in the world due to their exotic colour, size and limited supply. Over time, however, increased demand for these precious jewels threatened to exhaust the supply of black lipped oysters- and thus the source of Tahitian pearls. The bleak outlook improved dramatically after a Frenchman named Jean-Marie Dormand successfully managed to produce a “cultured” Tahitian pearl. His success led to the production of more than 1000 black pearls during 1965. The first lot of black pearls was exported in 1972.

Black pearls that we see in the market today are classified under two categories:

1. Rare natural black pearls that grows inside the black lipped oysters through the natural process and,
2. Cultured pearls that are artificially produced

If you plan to buy jewelry made of Tahitian pearls or black pearls, first decide which type of pearl best suits your budget and desires. You can obtain further information about different types of pearls through online articles or a visit to your local jewelry store. Once you’ve done your research and are ready to make a purchase, there are many stores that actually allow their customers to place their orders online at significant discounts. If you consider that option make sure that you are shopping from a reputable store and using a secured payment system.

Tags: Tahitian Pearls

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 1st, 2010 at 7:42 pm and is filed under Pearl information. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.