Throughout their rich history, black pearls have continually been sought after. The demand for them now is greater than ever.

More about Black Tahitian Pearls

Black pearls have been admired and sought after, fought for, and cultivated in some form or another in the Polynesian islands for literally thousands of years...

Now, as was true in the past, these rare and beautiful pearls continue to be in high demand.

This page describes a bit of the history and myths surrounding black pearls - as well as information about the modern day pearl farms that currently produce the worlds supply of Tahitian Black Cultured Pearls.

Myths & Pearl Legends:

In Polynesian culture, the pearl has always been synonymous with purity and power. Legends passed down over the centuries tell the story of the relationship between the pearl and mankind in the mythical paradise known as Tahiti.

In fact, long before Western man even discovered that Tahiti existed, the black pearl had a reputation for exceptional value and rarity that was only enhanced by its use in the jewelry of the world's royalty and nobility.

The result was that the natural black pearl became known as the "pearl of queens" and the "queen of pearls", its wonder inspiring many questions among many people many centuries ago...

As history suggests, their lack of scientific precision perhaps led them to improvise with legend and poetry.

Many Imaginative Pearl Legends

Thus, the ancient Chinese believed that pearls were conceived in the brains of dragons. In imperial China, the natural black pearl was regarded as a symbol of wisdom. As such, it was guarded between the teeth of a dragon, which had to be slain before the pearl could be taken.

Some Hindu writers have linked pearls with clouds, elephants, snakes, wild boars, fish and only sometimes, with oysters themselves. The Greeks and Romans thought pearls were born in oysters as a result of a drop of rain or dew having penetrated between the layers. The Persians thought the same, but they believed that if a pearl was imperfect it was due to thunder in the sky. A more colorful version says pearls are born from the meeting of a rainbow with the earth.

Pearls Came from Angels' Tears in the Orient

In the Orient, pearls are sometimes associated with the tears of angels, mermaids or mythical nymphs in stories mixing pain and suffering with bliss. A Ceylon legend tells how the tears of Adam and Eve created a lake that gave birth to pearls --white or pink pearls from Eve's tears, and more precious and rare gray and black pearls from Adam's tears. Why the difference? Man knows better how to control his emotions, according to the legend.

There have been many ancient legends handed down from one Polynesian generation to the next on the creation of black pearls. According to one of those legends, Oro, the Polynesian god of peace and fertility, came down to earth on a rainbow to offer a special type of pearl oyster to man.

Oro offers Pearl to Princess of Bora Bora

Te Ufi was the name given to that black-lipped pearl oyster, a mollusk that secretes a nacreous substance varying in color from gray to black. Some say that Oro offered the pearl from this oyster to the beautiful princess of Bora Bora as a sign of his love.

It is also said that Okana and Uaro, the spirits of coral and sand, respectively, adorned Te Ufi with a cloak that glistened with the colors of all the fish that swim in Polynesia. For thousands of years the glory of the heavens has come to rest on the ocean bed in the secret hollow of the iridescent mother-of-pearl, a gift from the sky to the sea.

One of the most romantic legends tells how the moon bathes the ocean in its light to attract the oysters to the surface so that it may impregnate them with heavenly dew. Polished by time, this drop of light holds this heavenly radiance within its heart and cloaks itself in a garment with blue, green, pink and golden reflections that shine and blend in harmony.

According to modern legend, the Tahitian black pearl is born from a flaw in nature: a grain of sand entered on an oyster's delicate flesh; the mother-of-pearl covers up the intruder and forms the roundness of the pearl. Rocked by the waves, the pearl is black and beautiful, like the loved one in the Song of Solomon.

The Tahitian black pearl has become the symbol of hope in man's wounded heart.

The Pearls of Tahiti Legend One day Amry, a diver, went to see the King's jeweler to sell him pearls he had found in the golden waters off Bahrain Island. On this same day, the beautiful Anouba, wife of Calife, halted her porters at the door of a merchant, to whom she showed a wonderful black pearl with a golden orient. "Can you sell me a similar pearl?" she asked him. The merchant took the pearl, placed it on a silk cushion and thought about it, his hands crossed on his chest like a worshipping Brahman. But he soon shook his head in a discouraging manner and replied, "There aren't two similar pearls in the world." Amry, who had moved closer, repeated in a low voice the words of the merchant. "So," said the beautiful Anouba, "you're not even trying to earn the twenty thousand sequins I'm offering as the prize of this jewel?" READ THE REST OF THIS FANTASTIC LEGEND BY GOING HERE!

Pearl Farms of French Polynesia:

It's now possible to enter this world of outstanding and enigmatic beauty of black pearls by taking tours of the countries various farms and observing the chronology and evolution and grafting of their oysters, and finally, the beauty of their crop.

When nature ran out of natural black pearls, man stepped in, discovering the magical and mysterious method of simulating what nature did automatically.

The results are Tahitian black pearls and gray pearls, each developing their perfect shapes and colors in the deep turquoise waters of Polynesia's lagoons.Cultivated by man, this fruit produced by the combined work of animal and mineral is the arbitrator of a constant dialogue between man and the elements.

Pampered from its earliest age in the womb of the black-lipped oyster, it perfects its beauty and luster over two long years. Scientists call these oysters by their tongue-twisting name of "Pinctada Margaritifera". They are better known as the "mother-of-pearl", renowned for their size and ability to produce black pearls.

Shell Species Widely Found in Tropical Indo-Pacific Waters

In the extraordinarily complex world of mollusks, the bivalves; oysters, scallops, mussels, clams and giant clams- may not be the most numerous of species, but they are definitely the most coveted.

Strictly speaking, the black-lipped pearl oyster found in French Polynesia waters is not really an oyster, but a special type of mollusk. It's the bivalve mollusk, which has a laterally compressed body and an external shell consisting of two dorsally hinged valves.

The shell of the "Pinctada Margaritifera" has a color ranging from gray to black and is formed from three layers.

Species of this shell are widely distributed throughout tropical Indo-Pacific waters from the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of California and from Japan to the southern islands of the Pacific.

More specifically, this oyster also is found in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, New Caledonia, the Philippines, Panama and the Gulf of California.

An adult Pinctada oyster can reach a diameter of 30 centimeters (11.8 inches), with a weight exceeding 5 kilograms (11 pounds). Rare specimens as large as 9 kilos (19.8 pounds) have been harvested.

In French Polynesia, the "Pinctada Margaritifera" is found in five archipelagoes that stretch from the Marquesas Islands in the north to the Austral Islands in the south and from the Leeward Islands in the west to the Gambier Islands in the east.

Each Oyster Lays 40 Million Eggs

This species of oyster demonstrates the peculiarity of undergoing a change of sex normally during the course of its life. Two to three years of growth are required before the oyster is ready for reproduction.

During its female stage, the mature Pinctada lays eggs all year. Only the extraordinary quantity of eggs produced--40 million per specimen--assures the survival of the species in its natural environment, where the spermatozoon must rely on a chance enounter for conception.

Developing larva then become prey for all sea creatures that eat plankton, including the living coral of the reefs. Surviving young oysters, once they develop bivalve shells, are called "spats". But they continue to be targets of many predators, including giant rays, octopus, crabs, starfish and trigger-fish.

Constant Care and Big Financial Risks

So the fragile Pinctada requires constant care from the farmers of the lagoons, who must take enormous financial risks to cultivate them for pearl production.

The atolls of the sprawling Tuamotu Archipelago are coral crowns growing on the summits of volcanoes that became dormant millions of years ago. Coral is a living structure that regenerates as erosion reduces it to dust.

Ecological miracles, the atolls draw their nutritive substances from the cold waters, which are rich in mineral salts lying at great depths, while the coral crown grows and spreads out through photosynthesis under a tropical sun. This is where pearl oysters find a favorable environment for their development.

The process of raising a pearl oyster is a long one and requires considerable care and attention because the species is fragile. French Polynesia's pearl farmers constantly watch over the black-lipped oyster, much like a father lovingly protects his growing son. Should the weather look stormy, the pearl farmer immerses the oysters more deeply in the lagoon. Should the weather turn too warm, he moves them to a cooler place.

Such tender, loving care eventually produces cultured pearls that are perfect at birth, needing no molding or shaping, just the enhancement of their natural beauty with other jewels worthy of such perfection.

Discover your dream vacation by exploring

An Internetwork of Travel & Tourism Guides
for the Main Islands of Tahiti Polynesia.

TAHITI & PAPEETE HOME | WHERE TO STAY | WHAT TO SEE | WHAT TO DO | SAILING, BOAT CHARTER, & MARINE | GETTING HERE & AROUND | ABOUT TAHITI | TAHITI NEWS & GENERAL INFO | TOUR PACKAGES, CRUISELINES & TRAVEL AGENT | CRUISELINES & ISLAND CHARTERS | HONEYMOONERS & LOVERS | RETAIL POLYNESIA | TRAVEL TIPS | TAHITI TALK!

MEMBERS QUICK REFERENCE & COUPON FINDER

TST BUSINESS CENTRAL: NETWORK, LINKS, AD RATES, & MORE
CONTACT | ABOUT US | DISCLAIMER

This webpage optimized for 1024x768 pixels monitor setting with an updated browser.
Copyright 1998-2011 Tahiti Sun Travel Network. All text, photos, and design rights reserved.
For more detailed copyright information, click here. To view our privacy policy, click here.

Tahiti Sun Travel is a division of Basecamp International... yet another fascinating Net105 Venture.