Exquisite Tahitian Black Pearls are among the world’s most desired and cherished gems, and the most sought after pearls on earth. There is a sensuality, mystery and allure that is timeless, universal and undeniable. Part of it is the romance and beauty of Tahiti, part the sheer magnificence of the pearls themselves, and part the irresistibility of possessing something so incomparably rare.
Our Tahitian Black Pearls are magnificent examples of some of nature's finest work. These luminous pearls originate in the oysters that live deep in the warm, tropical blue waters that surround the exotic islands of Tahiti. They range in color from an inky blue-black color to a more mellow shade of dove gray, with every variation in between. Each pearl is a unique specimen from the ocean's depths. The magic is in the iridescent halos that dance with your every movement. Whether in an exquisite necklace or a pair of earrings, combined with sparkling diamonds, Tahitian Black Pearls offer everlasting memories of dreamy sunsets and starlit nights in Paradise…
The History of Tahitian Black Pearls
The Tahitian Black Pearl is known as the Queen of Pearls. Grown in clear, balmy waters in the Pinctada Margaritifera oyster, these exquisite cultured pearls are prized around the world for their unparalleled beauty and elegance. So how exactly do these pearls go from a tiny particle in a mollusk to the stunning pearl earrings we sell at Sab Pearls ? Let us educate you.
Early in the eighteenth century, traders sailed into Tahitian waters, searching specifically for mother-of-pearl. Together, England and France were importing over 8,000 tons of nacre a year to feed an insatiable European appetite for buttons, combs, pistol grips, knife handles and a litany of other objects made of the beautiful shells.
In the process, they occasionally found a natural black pearl.
It went on for 150 years. Eventually the natural pearl oyster beds of the Tuamotu and Gambier island chains were harvested to virtual extinction.
Today, all that really exists is a cultured pearl market. This is true of all pearls, not just the Tahitian Black Pearl.
The cultured pearl is a natural product, produced by a mollusc in the same manner as a natural pearl, but with science briefly intervening to better the odds.
Creating pearls is a fascinating process that requires much time and dedication.
The oyster bed is a natural habitat that must be painstakingly nurtured before a pearl can even be conceived. The cultivation process begins with a core. In natural pearls, this is simply a fragment of shell, fishbone or sand that floats into the shell of pearl oyster. To protect itself
from this irritant, the oyster secretes thousands of layers of nacre, forming a pearl.
In 1893, in Japan, after years of painstaking efforts, Kokichi Mikimoto succeeded in duplicating this natural process by implanting a nucleus (core). The method he developed is still used today to form beautiful, lustrous pearls in French Polynesia.
Black Tahitian Cultured Pearls don't begin with a grain of sand. They begin with a perfectly round nucleus, harvested from the shell of a mussel which lives in, of all places, the Mississippi River ! The nucleus is implanted inside a black-lipped oyster called a Pinctada margaritifera. This procedure is handled by highly trained and skilled grafters in the lagoons of the archipelagos of French Polynesia.
Water density and temperature, the character and makeup of the ocean bottom, and the currents of the coral reef lagoons make this the only place on Earth where Pinctada margaritifera can live.
The pearl's iridescent luminosity has bewitched men and women alike for thousands of years. Whether offered in romance or taken in victory, worn as a symbol of chastity or a mystical aphrodisiac, pearls have been and continue to be among the most coveted gems in the world.
