Tahitian Pearls

Scroll to explore

Every trip to the South Seas should include a treasure hunt for the perfect pearl. The beautiful flexibility of the Tahitian black pearl is that it can be worn, strung on a rope of leather cord, or á la Cleopatra, with one baroque globe the size of a gumball, dangling from each ear. No matter how you wear them, the magic of pearls sets the skin aglow. It’s no wonder women have treasured them throughout the millennia.Every trip to the South Seas should include a treasure hunt for the perfect pearl. The beautiful flexibility of the Tahitian black pearl is that it can be worn, strung on a rope of leather cord, or á la Cleopatra, with one baroque globe the size of a gumball, dangling from each ear. No matter how you wear them, the magic of pearls sets the skin aglow. It’s no wonder women have treasured them throughout the millennia.

How to buy pearls

Purchasing pearls like a pro is easy if you remember the five measurements of shine, surface, shape, size, and shade. Start with the luminous outer coating of the pearl. It’s called nacre and is what gives the gem its shine. The thicker the coating, the more lustrous the pearl.

image not found.

Next, a smooth surface is essential: fewer flaws mean a more valuable pearl. Tahitian black pearls come in many shapes—round, circle, button, oval, and baroque—so choose what suits you. Large pearls are rare, and value increases with size. The final measure is color. Tahitian pearls are commonly found in charcoal, silver, and dark green, while peacock, rose, and rainbow hues are more exotic and valuable.

Golden

Emerald

Rainbow

Aubergine

Blue

Modern interpretations

Hinerava has made the black pearl extremely stylish by combining it with precious and semi-precious stones. For a casual evening out, a rose-hued pearl strung with delicate pink sapphires makes an eye-catching necklace, or copper geodes dangling next to rainbow pearls, make a distractingly beautiful pair of earrings. One of Tahiti’s finest jewelers, Hinerava, offers their collection onboard the ship. Their selection ranges from elaborate suites of jewels to one perfect pearl strung on a slip of silk cord.

Tahitian Pearl Farms

Make sure to visit a pearl farm, where nature’s ocean gems originate. Prolific in the turquoise lagoons of the Society and Tuamotus islands, they are home to one very special mollusk, the black-lipped oyster. This rock star is what gives Polynesian gems their world-renowned color. Farmers cultivate pearls by introducing an irritant into the body of the oyster. Slowly over time, the irritated mollusk secretes nacre and a pearl is formed. Each gem takes on the luster and shade unique to the interior shell of its host. You can tour pearl farms in Rangiroa or Huahine to watch, as step-by-step, gems form right before your eyes.

Keshi: Beautiful Rebels

Keshi is a pearl that forms without a center nucleus (or bead). Sometimes the oyster takes the upper hand in the creative process, and a beautiful, natural amorphous pearl is born. Each completely unique, these gems have high luster with beautiful, wavy shapes. Fine jewelers say they sometimes wait for years to find two keshis close enough alike to make a pair of earrings.