Tahitian Pearls come from the warm waters of the South Seas and are grown in a Black-Lipped oyster. They are the only pearl to achieve a black body color naturally and are typically very large (8.0mm - 16.0mm). Tahitian pearls, although mostly dark, can come in a wide range of hues, including black, gray, silver, green, blue and purple.
Learn More:Tahitian Pearls 101 - Buying Guide
Tahitian pearl prices start at $260 for a single baroque Tahitian pearl on a leather pendant and run to about $40,000 for a large, perfectly round AAAA quality Tahitian pearl necklace. Size, shape, surface quality and overtone set the value of Tahitian pearls: a strand of perfectly round pearls with saturated peacock overtones and clean surfaces costs far more than baroque shapes or pearls with a flat gray overtone. Twenty years ago a premium round strand cost $100,000; better farming and oyster care mean the same strand costs under $40,000 today. Tahitian pearl necklace prices start around $2,000 for a baroque strand, with fine round strands between $5,000 and $15,000 in the popular 9.0-11.0mm sizes. Tahitian pearl earrings cost $420 to $5,240 at the top end with diamond accents. Tahitian black pearls prices follow the same rule everywhere: the quality of each pearl sets the price, not the name.
Read More: How Much Do Pearls Cost?
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Black Tahitian pearls aren't actually a true black. Their body color runs from pale silver through charcoal gray to, rarely, a true black, and every shade comes from the black-lipped oyster (Pinctada margaritifera), never from dye. What buyers are really after is the overtone that plays over that dark body: peacock, green, blue-green, pistachio, aquamarine and aubergine, among others. Peacock is the most prized, and the more saturated the overtone, the more the pearl is worth, even when size, shape and surface are equal. Every Tahitian pearl we sell is natural color; nothing is treated or dyed.
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Yes. Tahitian pearls are naturally colored, from silver to charcoal gray to black, with no dye, treatment or color enhancement. Overtones like peacock, blue-green, silver and aubergine are natural too, and the most saturated ones are the most prized.
Tahitian pearls range from 8.0mm to 16.0mm, sometimes larger, which makes them one of the largest cultured pearl types you can buy. The 9.0-11.0mm range is the most popular for Tahitian pearl necklaces, earrings and bracelets.
View: Pearl Size Guide
Tahitian South Sea pearls are farmed in the lagoons of French Polynesia, mainly around the Tuamotu Archipelago and the Gambier Islands; the island of Tahiti is where the pearls are graded and exported. The water temperature, salinity and plankton in these lagoons produce the dark body colors and natural overtones Tahitian pearls are known for.
Read More: Tahitian Pearl Buying Guide
Wipe Tahitian pearls with a soft, damp cloth after wearing to remove oils, cosmetics and perfume that can dull the nacre. Have necklaces and bracelets restrung every one to two years if you wear them often.
Read More: Pearl Care Guide
Tahitian pearls are one of the more valuable pearl types, from about $100 for a single loose pearl to upwards of $40,000 for a large, perfectly round AAAA quality necklace. Budget around $2,000 for a baroque or drop-shaped Tahitian pearl necklace, $5,000 to $15,000 for a fine round strand, and the high hundreds to low thousands for Tahitian pearl earrings.
Read More: How Much Do Pearls Cost?
Yes next to Freshwater pearls, no next to White and Golden South Sea pearls. Freshwater pearls are the least expensive type because of their off-round shapes, softer luster and huge yearly harvests; Tahitian and South Sea pearls are larger, naturally colored and harvested in far smaller numbers, which makes them rarer and more expensive.
The best place to buy Tahitian pearls online is a vendor who sources direct from the farms in French Polynesia, knots each piece to order on silk and backs it with a real return policy. Our Tahitian pearls for sale are natural color, bought direct from the farms, double-knotted by hand on black silk, finished with solid 14kt gold, shipped within 24 hours and covered by our 100-Day Return and Exchange Guarantee.
Read More: The Best Places To Buy Black Tahitian Pearls
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