It is really only ignorance that leads people to believe cultured pearls are natural, but they are not the real deal. In times gone by, there were no cultured pearls and any pearls used in jewelry were completely natural.

The warm waters of the Pacific ocean is where Tahitian Pearls are grown, the eco system is perfect for black lipped oysters, the clever creatures which produce these gems. They thrive in these warm waters and grow quite large, generally speaking the larger an oyster is, the larger the pearl it produces will be.

Although Tahitian oysters are farmed for the pearls they produce, it is still not the same scenario as creating cultured pearls. They are kept in lagoons where the eco system is carefully kept free of pollution, and temperatures as well as nutrition levels are regularly checked. The natural ecology of the areas these oysters are grown in is monitored well.

A pearl is grown from a calcium carbonate substance that is secreted by the oyster. This is known as aragonite. It is the same secretion that creates the mother of pearl on the inside of the shell of the oyster. A pearl is grown when a foreign substance enters the oyster and irritates it.

The layers secreted are approximately 1 micron in thickness (0. 001mm), and the oyster secretes 4 layers of the aragonite around the foreign object every day. If you consider that a black lipped oyster lives for about two years, it will secrete two thousand layers of aragonite. It is because of this that Tahitian pearls are so valuable, they are denser, of a better quality and light reflective. This density makes them shimmer and the colors appear to be far more brilliant than any other pearl.

In order to evaluate the quality of these pearls certain criteria is used. These criteria include size, color and light refraction. As with gems, the larger these pearls are the more valuable, and the same applies to their color and luminosity. Chinese and Japanese pearls don’t come near in comparison and Tahitian pearls are between 8 and 14 mm in diameter. Larger have been found and the most famous of these pearls is the “Robert Wan” which measures 20. 92mm.

Rough pearls are the most wanted and you also find these pearls varied shapes, they are rarely perfectly circular. The quality is determined by the shine and any imperfections, as the purity of the pearl is influenced by exterior irregularities, marks and scratches.

The range of colors of Tahitian pearls is many and varied, they come in light, dark and in-between overtones and undertones across the spectrum. They are so unique that colors may be matched with other gemstones and precious metals to manufacture spectacular jewelry. The most valuable of all Tahitian pearls is the “peacock” this is a pearl of spectacular beauty which is a dark grey-green with overtones of pearlescent rose. The black variety of these pearls is actually not black, but dark shades of blue, green, grey and even reddish brown, or a mixture of any one of these colors.

Choose and buy from our huge variety of Tahitian pearl necklaces and pearl jewelry. To know more about Tahitian pearls and their specialties come to us.

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