Tahitian Cultured Pearl
The Tahitian cultured pearl, also known as the black pearl, comes from the lagoons of French Polynesia.
The first trials of pearl culture began in 1961 in the Bora Bora lagoon, when the transplant technique, imported from Japan, was applied to the species Pinctada Maragaritifera. This process of breeding pearl oyster is long and requires a lot of care and attention because it is a delicate species.
The official recognition of the authenticity of the natural color of the "Pearl of Culture of Tahiti" in 1976 by the Gemological Institute of America and the adoption of the trade name "pearl of Tahiti culture" by the International Confederation of Bijouterie have allowed this jewel to truly establish its international reputation.
The "Tahitian cultured pearl" is distinguished by a wide variety of shapes, sizes, surface qualities and an infinite palette of natural color shades, ranging from pastel colors to anthracite black.
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The shape of the pearls:
Round / semi-round: I group these two categories because these two forms are very close and the difference is tiny (except in the case of round pearl class A or B, that is to say, of great value).
Drop: Also called semi-baroque, this category includes pear-shaped beads, pear, button, oval.
Circle: characterized by regular bands, rings or grooves that are perpendicular to an axis of rotation. I would add in this category, baroque pearls that are equivalent in value.
Here is a more general classification of forms. I chose, for my shop, to simplify it.
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The class of pearls:
The classification concerning the surface quality of cultured pearls of Tahiti is:
Class A: Pearl with at most one imperfection or group of light imperfections concentrated on not more than 10% of its surface. Very beautiful luster.
Class B: Pearl with some slight imperfections, concentrated on at most 30% of its surface. Chandelier beautiful or medium.
Class C: Pearl with slight imperfections, concentrated on no more than 60% of its surface. Medium chandelier.
Class D: Pearl with either slight imperfections on more than 60% of the surface (without deep imperfections), or light and deep imperfections concentrated on not more than 60% of its surface.
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The color of the pearls:
This notion is subjective, I would distinguish the pearls grey, green, white, golden, blue and eggplant. They can be more or less clear and have or not reflections.
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How to maintain its cultured pearl of Tahiti ?
The Tahitian cultured pearl is alive, it must be given some care to keep its luster.
It is sensitive to chemicals and needs to be hydrated so the easiest way is to wear it everyday and do not leave it too long in a closet.
Cleaning is done with a soft cloth, it can also be rubbed with olive oil or other.
Avoid cleaning with products designed for gold or silver.
If you store it for a long time, remember to hydrate it by putting it next to a small container of water.