Cultured Tahitian Pearls

The most common black pearl is the Tahitian pearl.

It gets its name from the locality, the French Polynesian islands, around its capital Tahiti. These pearls are cultured in giant black lip oysters, the Pinctada Margaritifera, allowing for them to grow in large sizes. The irritant can take 2-3 years before the pearl is ready to harvest. Tahitian pearls range from 8mm-21mm in size.

The round black Tahitian pearls have a high luster that can appear in shades of peacock, black, brown, gray, blue, green and purple. The darker varieties are the most popular, with true black being the most rare and expensive. Even though they are marketed as black pearls, most often this black is actually a charcoal gray, silver or dark green. The most common shape is round, but you can also find semi round, button, circle, oval, teardrop, baroque and semi-baroque. Necklaces, pendants and earrings are the most common types of jewelry set with Tahitian pearls that can be mounted on gold or leather cords.