Can you anyone also tell me whether or not there are other parts of the world that produce high-quality Tahitian pearls other than the Tahitian islands? I feel that there may be a better source out there for these gems.

[jshepherd]

It is a common misconception that Tahitian pearls only come from Tahiti. While the island of Tahiti has a plethora of Tahitian pearl stores, and the Robert Wan museum, it has not pearl farms. There are pearl farms in the Tahiti Atolls, but this is not where the majority of them are. A couple of close ones would be a small farm on Taha'a (which only cultures approximately 1500 pearls per nucleation and is mainly a tourist attraction), and another medium sized farm on Huahine.
For good Tahitian pearls at a better price I have always been in favor of venturing out to the Cook Islands to the East. The Northern Manihiki Atoll and the Southern Rarotonga areas have some very good pearl farms. It is difficult to make first contact, but after a relationship that spans 1-2 harvests you can usually direct the operation to meet your needs.

On a side note, Micronesia is now in the Tahitian Pearl game as well. Given their location I feel they will do better than the attempts made in the Philippines and Indonesia.

We are now producing pearls in Micronesia as well. We had our first International auction recently and we did very well with most lots going 15% over reserve!
Our environment is very well suited to farm these pearls as well, and I think that pearl farming will be a very successful venture for us.

[jshepherd]

Was that the auction that was put on by RRE and the Outrigger Hotel in the Marshall Islands? I heard it was quite a success and that local buyers took the bulk of the harvest.
Is this the same you are referring to or is there another farming community in the FSM that I do not know about?

Are the pearls sold on the Cook Islands Tahitian or South Sea?

[jshepherd]

There are many Tahitian pearl farms in the Cook Islands. Although there may be places that sell other types of pearls, it is almost exclusively Tahitian as a native export.

[KaviarPearls]

I am looking to make contact with Tahitian farms at the moment. I am willing to travel anywhere as long as there is a range of selection and the farms are producing. Any suggestions? My original plan was to begin in French Polynesia and continue along all the islands.
Any recommendations?

[Josh]

Originally Posted by HailukuPearl

Can you anyone also tell me whether or not there are other parts of the world that produce high-quality Tahitian pearls other than the Tahitian islands? I feel that there may be a better source out there for these gems.

Sorry Hailuku, there is no better source than the Tahitian islands for buying Tahitian pearls .
I wonder though, what do you mean by better? Do you just mean cheaper? If you are just looking for cheap, I recommend you go to Hong Kong. There you will probably still find stocks that remain from the Tahitian pearl farms that have gone out of business. It's best to go quickly though. Many wholesalers are running low and in my opinion we are soon to see prices go back to a point where us farmers can make a living.
Josh

[YHammouda-Eyre]

Josh, I've been been told that "truly" black pearls are very rare and among the most beautiful pearls in the world. Do the waters around the Tahitian islands produce truly black pearls? Would anyone have a photo of a truly black pearl? Thanks.

Yvonne
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www.antique-jewelry-investor.com

[Josh]

Hi Yvonne,
Yes, our waters produce the very dark ones though the skill of the farmer decides that probably more than the ocean environment. The darker the harvest is of Tahitian pearls, the more it will have top quality pearls.
Personally I prefer darks over lights but intense color to me is the most exciting element of Tahitian pearls. It's also the most difficult to produce. The first photo is of what I would consider true blacks (though there are a number of them that have noticeable overtones) and the second is of some rare, circled pearls of very good color and luster.

[GemGeek]

Gee, NO CONTEST!

[pattye]

Woo hoo, those are luscious colors!

[Marianne]

Oh golly, gee whiz, wowie zowie... those off rounds with color are too pretty for words!
Really liking those gems.
Marianne

[Caitlin]

The highly colored ones are close to Cortez Pearls. Some of their pearls aren't as colorful as the pictured ones are. A necklace of those color baroque and circle pearls would be phenomenal! How rare are they?

[Josh]

Very good question Caitlin. It varies from harvest to harvest of course, but I'm going to hold my tongue on a number. I'm going to the farm this weekend for a week to harvest so I'll do the math and get back to y'all.