Ok, my own two cents:
I also am blonde and fair skinned- I have a touch of red undertones to my skin, and the black Tahitians just don't do much for me unfortunately... It's really too bad as I think they're just GORGEOUS and so exotic looking!
I find that the tones that really flatter me the most and are more versatile with my wardrobe are Chocolates, Bronze tones and Silvery-Blues/Aquas usually look best on me. They aren't so dark that they optically minimize on my neck. But then, I can't wear the Golden South Sea pearls, either- yellow is not my color either
Definitely shop around and try on as many pearls as you can to see which tones flatter you the best!