UNIQUE AND INCOMPARABLE
Its surface has the brilliance of the luminous lagoons of the Polynesian atolls.
From the South Seas, Tahitian cultured pearls come in a wide variety of colors, shapes and shades.
"Poe rava" or rare pearl, as it's known in French Polynesia.
Each Tahitian pearl has something unique and incomparable.
ONE PEARL, MANY COLORS
Tahitian pearls are best seen in their immaculate white container.
Only their size is rational, measured in millimeters.
Their shape is not necessarily round, and a perfect round shape is not necessarily a guarantee of greater beauty than a different shape.
Pear-shaped pearls (or drop-shaped pearls), hooped pearls, button-shaped pearls, almost round pearls and mabe pearls are all equally beautiful.
Keshis are small, irregular pearls without a core, unlike the others, which have a hard core.
PEARL DEVELOPMENT
Tahitian pearls are cultivated on pearl farms, and there are hardly any "fine pearls" left to be found at random.
The pearl farms are located mainly in the Tuamotu, Gambier and Leeward archipelagos.
The pearls (are large oysters called "Pinctada Margaritifera".
Grafters place a nucleus and a piece of mantle from another mother-of-pearl into the gonad of the mother-of-pearl. By reaction, the shell secretes successive layers of nacre around this nucleus, producing a pearl after 2 to 4 years. This pearl is extracted by hand.
A Pinctada margaritifera mother-of-pearl can only produce a single pearl at a time, and only a few pearls in its lifetime.
This is why Tahitian pearls are so expensive, and even rarer when they are round.
PEARL CLASSIFICATION
QUALITY A+ |
QUALITY A |
QUALITY B |
QUALITY C |
QUALITY D |
|
LUSTRE/ORIENT |
Top gem |
VERY GOOD |
GOOD |
AVERAGE |
WEAK |
DEFECTS |
PERFECT SURFACE |
DEFECTS ON < 10 OF THE SURFACE |
DEFECTS ON < 30% OF SURFACE |
DEFECTS ON < 60% OF SURFACE |
MANY DEFECTS |
To assess the value of a pearl, you need to :
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Measure it with a caliper; the larger the size, the more valuable the pearl, of course, especially round pearls.
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Look at the shade of the pearl: the most common shades are gray.
The light grays are the least valuable because they are the least sought-after and the most numerous. However, they remain beautiful when mixed with others in a necklace, for example.
The most sought-after shades are the multicolored peacock and the bluish. For these two nuances, it is common to raise the price of the pearl, given its greater rarity.
It's best to examine the pearl in daylight
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Roll the pearl on a flat surface to assess its shape (round or almost round) and rotate it in your hand to see any flaws and thus classify it.
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Evaluate the pearl lusteri.e. its brilliance and reflection in relation to the light.
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Evaluate a pearl's orientation The impression that light shines through the layers of mother-of-pearl. More difficult to assess than luster. For customers, luster is more important.
Engraved Tahitian pearls are Tahitian pearls that have been carved into the mother-of-pearl of the pearl.
These motifs can be very different and give the pearl a very contemporary look.
Appreciated by women and men alike and used for all kinds of jewelry, engraved Tahitian pearls are increasingly sought-after.