What is Tahitian Pearl?

About Tahitian pearls

 Located in the South Pacific, Tahiti is the largest and most famous island in French Polynesia. It is in the same time zone as Hawaii and is a world-renowned pearl cultivation place.

  Only 150,000 black pearls are produced in the world each year, while the French Polynesian island of Tahiti produces nearly 95% of the world's volume. In the depths of the water where the light hits, the sun and sand beds give birth to beautiful and stunning Tahitian pearls.
  Black Tahitian pearls are colorful and precious. Royal nobles from all over the world have always liked to wear jewelry embedded with black pearls, which makes it enjoy the reputation of "Queen's Pearl" and "Queen of Pearls".

  In the South Pacific between Australia and South America, there is a series of coral islands that are rich in the black butterfly oyster, the mother of the Tahitian black pearl, a mollusk that secretes a layer of gray and black nacre.

  The black butterfly shell likes to live in sea areas with smooth tides and little change in water temperature and salinity. Its living water layer is generally 10-40 meters, which has high requirements on the living environment and a long growth cycle. etc.), man-made (pollution) changes, such female oysters will die.
  The cultivation of Tahitian black pearls is very difficult. The process of cultivating pearl oysters is long and easy to die. In addition to the influence of factors such as weather and water quality, the finished product is very rare.

  Tahitian black pearls are single-cultured. One mother oyster breeds one pearl at a time. It takes about 3-4 years from seedling to transplanting to producing pearls. There are some pests and diseases, so only a portion of the mother oysters will produce pearls. Tahitian black pearl production is not high.

size

  The volume of a pearl is measured in millimeters. The diameter of Tahitian black pearls is generally 9 to 13 mm. About 60% of the black pearls have a diameter of no more than 11 mm, and the number of black pearls with a diameter greater than 13 mm begins to decrease sharply, and a small part will exceed 17 mm. The number of black pearls from the creek is rare, and it is very valuable to collect.
  The size of Tahitian pearls is generally divided into the following five grades by diameter:
Bead: 8.0mm≦diameter≦9.0mm
Medium bead: 10.0mm≦diameter≦14.0mm
Large beads: 14.0mm≦diameter≦16.0mm
Extra large beads: 16.0mm≦diameter≦18.0mm
Oversized beads: diameter>18.0mm

Shape

  The shapes of Tahitian pearls are various and can be generally divided into five categories: round/semi-round, oval/button-shaped, drop-shaped, circle-shaped, semi-baroque/baroque (commonly called for deformed pearls).
   Perfect round pearls only account for 5% of the annual output, and Tahitian black pearls are rare and worth collecting.

Color

   Black Tahitian pearls have a very wide range of colors, including cherry, cream, malachite green, blue, purple, gray, etc., like a rainbow falling into the sea. Cultured grey and black pearls have a variety of luster under the action of light refraction. The most appreciated are malachite green, dark purple, sea blue and various shades of grey and iridescent.
   The color of black pearls affects the price gap very large. The price gap between black gray and top malachite green of the same size and quality can reach five or six times.
   In addition, the price of large top malachite green (above 11mm) is more expensive than Australian white, because it is rare. The price is only comparable to the top Australian white

Luster

   The brilliance of pearls depends on brilliance and luster. The perfect light can reflect all the light, resulting in a mirror effect. Conversely, the lower the radiance, the duller the light reflection effect. As for gloss, it depends on the iridescent effect on the surface of the nacre.
   All black pearls, the larger the size, the weaker the luster. Therefore, large glossy and good ones are rare.
   High-quality Tahitian black pearls not only mirror the effect, but also reflect the perfect metallic luster.

Purity

   Like other types of pearls, the value of Tahitian cultured pearls is primarily determined by the quality of the skin. Identifying a pearl's skin is based on how many imperfections it has, such as dents, scratches, and black spots that reduce its value.
   Like other natural products, Tahitian pearls have surface flaws that can be inspected with the naked eye. The quality is generally divided into five grades: top (perfect, no flaws); A (very tiny flaws); B (minor flaws); C (flaws do not exceed two-thirds of the surface) ); Class D (more serious defects).

Care

1. Anti-acid liquid erosion: maintain the luster and color of pearls, avoid pearls from contact with acids, alkalis and chemical substances, such as perfume, soap, styling water, etc. Do not swim or bathe wearing pearl jewelry. So please wear your lovely pearls after makeup.

2. Don't go near the kitchen: Pearls have tiny pores on their surfaces, so they don't allow it to absorb airborne contaminants. Pearls will absorb substances such as hairspray, perfume, etc. So you can't wear beautiful pearls to get electricity. Don't wear beautiful pearls to cook dishes, steam and oil fumes may seep into the pearls and turn them yellow.

3. Wipe with flannel: After wearing pearls (especially on hot days), you must wipe them clean before putting them away, so that the luster of pearls can be maintained. It is best to use sheepskin or fine flannel, do not use tissue paper, because the friction of some tissue paper will wear the pearls.

4. Do not wash with clean water: water will enter the pores of the pearl and cannot be wiped clean, it may ferment the inside of the pearl, and the pearl line may turn green. If you sweat a lot when wearing it, you can carefully wipe it off with a soft damp towel, dry it naturally and put it back in the jewelry box. After the pearl turns yellow, it can be soaked in dilute hydrochloric acid, which can dissolve the yellowed shell, so that the pearl can reproduce the brilliant and charming color.