Where To Buy Pearls In Tahiti
Imagine what Tahitian pearl jewelry would cost if the world was still relying on divers to discover pearls in the Polynesian Lagoons. It's exquisite beauty could only be enjoyed by heiresses and movie stars! And when you know the effort that goes into producing cultured Tahiti pearls, you understand why the price for a real pearl begins at $100, a rare, round, perfect pearl with a diameter of 18mm costs up to $10,000 and the price of an alluring Tahitian pearl necklace can be as much as $50,000.
where to buy pearls in tahiti
Once you appreciate how much Tahitian pearl jewelry costs, you will want to know where to buy pearls for ensuring that you get good quality. It's useful to get some prior knowledge about types of pearls. Find out important facts about differences in color, shape, weight and size, so you know how to buy Tahiti pearls. There are big differences in pricing between places that sell Tahiti pearls. So look around to check out options. This is part of the fun. Remember that you are making a purchase that you can enjoy wearing for many years.
Cooperative pearl farms sell their harvested Tahiti pearls at auctions in Papeete twice a year. The retail shops in Papeete and independent dealers buy pearls from the private farms. Large companies like Robert Wan's 'Tahiti Pearl's' have their own outlets. Each year about a million Tahitian black pearls are exported to Japan, Hong Kong, the USA and Thailand. French Polynesia has become the second largest source of loose pearls so Tahitian pearl jewelery is manufactured and sold in various countries.
In a focus to control quality and pricing, the export of loose 'reject pearls' is forbidden and only pieces of Tahitian pearl jewelry using them are allowed out. In 2002 there was a big drop in pearl prices and 40% of black pearl farms went out of business. The price has risen 30% since then. But due to greater numbers of Tahiti pearls being cultured, and smuggling practices to avoid export tax, their price is still 20% lower than ten years ago.
This has made things more difficult for pearl farmers, as the market price is close to the cost of producing pearls on most farms, and quality controls are stringent. But it is good for those buying black pearls. Pearl farms have striven to produce high quality pearls to ensure sales. And the government pearl promotion board (GIE Perles) is working to maintain high standards. Tahiti pearls must be coated with at least .8mm of nacre as determined by X-ray. Pearls which don't meet this criteria are ground into powder. So Tahitian pearls are known for the integrity of their iridescent nacre thickness. Which means that when you buy certified black pearls you know that they will stay beautiful over many years of wear.
There are many shops selling pearls in Papeete and a few on Moorea and Bora Bora. Buy your Tahitian pearl jewelry from one that specializes in pearls. Visit several stores before you make your choice. Do ask for a discount on the displayed price at any of the Tahiti pearl outlets. Make sure that every purchase comes with a certificate of authenticity stating 'Tahitian Cultured Pearl'.
There are black pearl farms in the turquoise lagoons of many atolls in French Polynesia. They are mainly located in the Tuamoto and Gambier Archipeligos where the sea water is pristine. Workers on a black pearl farm passionately engage in every job in the chain of tasks necessary for nurturing oysters in the lagoon and grafting and harvesting quality Tahiti pearls. The isolation and rigorous focus necessary for success creates a strong family and community bond.
Some black pearl farms invite visitors and give an entertaining demonstration to educate people about Tahitian black pearls. If you arrive in a group, you will be welcomed island style, with music and singing. You have the opportunity to find out how black pearls are made. And if you're wondering where to buy pearls and know that they are real pearls, this is the perfect place. You can browse in their boutiques and buy gorgeous Tahitian pearl jewelry or individual pearls.
Is located 4 kilometers south of Maeva, shortly before Faie. You can take a free boat tour (tip the boatman) of this farm and view a selection of pearls and jewelry. Open daily from 10am to 3pm. tel. 783 020
Before buying pearls it's important to note that you are prohibited from taking more than 10 loose (unset) pearls out of the country without a license and the X-ray machine operators at the airport are trained to spot them. When buying Tahitian pearl jewelry you must keep your purchase receipt, and the export tax exemption form the sales person will provide. Have these handy at the airport when departing. The customs officer will keep a copy and this will prevent tax from being charged to your credit card.
Through the ages, pearls represented romance and femininity. A gift of Tahitian pearl jewelry was a symbol of eternal love. Now hardworking communities on black pearl farms wonder if there will always be a market for Tahiti pearls. The man with the reputation for being the best pearl grafter on Ahe Atoll is Maki. His response to that question was, 'As long as there are women, there will be pearls'. Now men are making pearls sexy by wearing them on leather and redefining the Tahitian pearl necklace.
Lustrous black Tahiti pearls were once so rare that they were consideredthe 'Pearl of Queens'. Tahitian black pearls have been so highly soughtafter because they are larger, have a more brilliant luster, and roundshapes occur in a higher percentage. Also, far less are produced peroyster than fresh water pearls.
Now that this 'Queen of pearls' is being cultured in the turquoisePolynesian lagoons, you too can have some to cherish. It's rewarding tolearn about types of pearls, and their differences, before buying Tahitian pearl jewelry. You may also want to explore how pearls are made.
The Tahitian system for grading Tahitian black pearls, and other saltwater pearls like South Sea pearls, has been developed by the PolynesianGovernment. It rates them from A to D. Any pearls lower than D are notallowed to be exported and are used to make pearl powder.
Tahiti Pearls vary in color, shape, quality and size.When a farm harvests Tahiti pearls the imperfect ones are rejected. Thepearls are then sorted according to shape, diameter and quality of thesurface coating.
Although they are called black pearls, Tahiti pearls form with a widerange of predominant body colors. And yes, they are natural. The depthof color is determined by the amount of black pigment an oystersecretes. You can choose from soft gray pearls to deep black ones. Orcolors of brown, blue and green. Muddy colors are unpopular. Usually,the darker the color, the more valuable the pearl.
The varying shades are created by the refraction of light as itpasses through the multitude of pearly layers which act as a prism. Thisis the same principle whereby raindrops passing through light form arainbow.
The body color is usually enriched by at least one overtone. TheTahiti pearls considered most exquisite also have a peacock greenovertone. You can expect to pay twice the price (of a solid black pearl)for those with this greenish luster. Other desirable overtone colorsare blue, silver, gold, pink and aubergine.
Round pearls must be an almost perfect sphere with less than 2%variation in diameter measurements. Because pearls grow for 18 months to2 years inside an oyster, it is unusual to have perfectly sphericalnacre. Experienced sellers say that it is rare to have 10% of actualrounds from a crop, and they are usually only about 5% of harvesting.The percentage becomes even less when the heavily blemished ones, thatare unsellable, are removed. This gives you an understanding of whycultured black Tahitian pearls are so valuable.
Semi-round pearls have variations in diameter of greater than2%, but less than 5%, so are slightly imperfect. There are largernumbers of semi-rounds harvested and they can be purchased for muchless. So they are popular for black pearl jewelry, such as a Tahitianpearl necklaces, as slight deviations from round can be concealed.
Semi-baroque pearls are grouped into 4 shapes: oval, pear, drop and button.They must have at least 1 axis of rotation to fit into this category. Drop pearls are a favorite for use in black pearl jewelry.
Baroque pearls have no axis of rotation. Due to theiraffordability, they are appreciated by some jewelers. These manufacturesspecialize in creative designs that integrate fancy baroque shapedpearls into fabulous pieces of Tahitian pearl jewelry.
Ringed or circle pearls have an axis of rotation and exhibitregular rings, streaks or grooves that are perpendicular to the axis. Asa plus, they are imbued with multiple hues of color. 'Ringed pearls'make up 25% to 30% of a pearl farm harvest, so are common. Their pricesare attractive to designers. So they use this feature by setting bandsof precious metal into the grooves of circle pearls, and accent themwith gem stones such as diamonds.
Nacre thicknessBlack pearl jewelry that has a thick coating of nacre can be worn oftenand stay beautiful through time. But if pearls have a thin nacre coatingit will gradually wear away and expose the nucleus shell.
LusterThis is the sheen that reflects light on the pearl'ssurface. When light reflections are bright and sharp, a pearl's lusteris considered high or very high. If light reflections are weak, thepearl's luster is called dull.Tahiti cultured pearls can have a remarkable glossy finish whichradiates warmth, along with a mirror-like sheen. This lustrous finish isprized by many.
Because pearls formed in the natural environment (rather than beinggrafted on farms) have a soft, satin surface, some jewelers prefercultured pearls with less luster. When you look around the Tahiti pearlshops you will see both matte and shiny black pearl jewelery. Be assuredthat like their color, the luster of Tahiti pearls is natural. 041b061a72