What is Tahitian Pearls?

Tahitian Black Pearls are grown in the waters of French Polynesia. They are freshwater pearls from the Pinctada margaritifera or black-lipped oyster and can range from gray to black with red, green or blue overtones. This oyster also is found in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, New Caledonia, the Philippines, Panama, and the Gulf of Mexico. An adult Pinctada oyster can reach a diameter of 30 centimeters, with weight exceeding 5 kilograms (over 10 pounds). Rare specimens as large as 9 kilograms (over 19 pounds), in fact, have been harvested. It takes about two years before the oyster ready for harvesting. Only about 30 percent of the oysters cultured produce a pearl.