Tahitian Pearls

There are two sections to this guide

1. Tahitian Pearls on Ebay
2. Tahitian Pearls in General

SECTION 1 - TAHITIAN PEARLS ON EBAY

Your first question of course is, how do I know this is a genuine set of Tahitian pearl stud earrings for 50 dollars.  Chances are it is not, as Tahitian pearls are not cheap and there is no way to get them cheap.

Fake Tahitian Pearls

Some red flags to indicate the pearl is not genuine

Place of origination is China

More than likely the pearl is man made or is a lower quality pearl, dyed and polished to look like a Tahitian Pearl.

 

Tahitian Shell Pearls

These are not pearls, they are manufactured from shells

Price

Tahitian Pearls are expensive.  Go and look at what they retail for.  If the price is low, then the item is probably misrepresented.  The old axiom of - you get what you pay for - is usually true.

Use of Silver or 14k gold

Most, if not all Tahitian pearls come with 18k gold to accompany them as they quality of the metal is reflective of the pearl.  Use of silver or 14k gold is a good indication the pearl may be misrepresented.

If a set of pearls has a certificate, make sure it is from a GIA gemologist only.

Searching for Tahitian Pearls on Ebay

1.  Use the following search terms

Tahitian Pearls -shell -14k -silver

2. Sort by price from highest to lowest

This will result in a nice selection of potential Tahitian Pearls.

Other Types of Pearls

Akoya Pearls - While fien pearls, these are from Japan and China and are the white pearls most people associate an image with.  Your mom probably has a necklace made from these.

South Sea Pearls - There are some other locales that produce pearls in the same general vicinity and are fine pearls, but again are not Tahitian pearls.  In fact these pears other pearls are more difficult to find. 

SECTION 2 - TAHITIAN PEARLS IN GENERAL

Tahitian Pearls come from French Polynesia, the south Pacific and not from anywhere else.  There are about  20 wholesalers in Tahiti that supply the world with Tahitian pearls.  Tahitian pearls are from the black lipped oyster.

COLOR

All Tahitian pearls have one of four base colors, black, blue, green, and brown.  In addition, the dark colored Tahitian pearls are enriched by an overtone or secondary color including

Cherry or Aubergine  - purplish black

Champagne - yellowish grey

Pistachio - greenish grey

Lavender - bluish black

Pigeon grey - purplish grey

Silver - grey

Moon grey - pale grey

Orient grey  - surface iridescence

SIZE

Most Tahitian Pearls range in size from 8mm to 14mm

SHAPE

Round - The traditional pearl shape

Drop, button and oval - You will see a lot of drop (tear drop shape) used in earrings

Circled or Ringed - Has concentric rings

Baroque - Organic in shape.  Some people prefer baroque pearls and hence sometimes the price is equal to round pearls

Keshi Pearls - Small odd shape pearls that were rejected by the shell - Like baroque, some people really like these

GRADE

Both grading systems of AAA, AA, A and A, B,C in use

AAA or A    90 percent perfect

AA or B    70 percent perfect

A or C 60 percent perfect

If you ar buying tahitian pearls for jewelry, you want to stick with the best grade you can, which is AAA or  A. 

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me

Thanks,
JT