Tahitian pearls are an entirely new phenomena when it
comes to lustre. Commonly deemed as black, these
pearls actually come in varying degrees of gray. They
are almost metallic and have the breathtaking ability to
display multiple colors, from green to blue to a dark
purple. The most highly sought Tahitians are "peacock"
colored, or pink with dashes of green. Tahitians, which
are most often found in the south Pacific and French
Polynesia regions, require no chemical processing or
enhancement once they are removed from their oysters.
It wasn't until the early 20th century that Kokichi Mikimoto
discovered a way of coaxing an oyster to produce a
round pearl on command, most successfully with bits
of mussel shells from the United States. Mikimoto's
pearling methods allowed for a much larger production
of pearls of various types. Yet pearl harvesting is one
of the most grueling processes. No two pearls are the
same; experts must mull through over 10,000 pearls to
find 47 perfectly matched pearls for a classic 16-inch
necklace. Though they may no longer equal the wealth
of a nation, their majesty has never waned. H
RESOURCES
Asprey, London +44 (0) 20 7493 6767
Cartier, Paris +33 (0)1 44 55 32 20
Mikimoto, Tokyo + 03-3562-3130
Pearl Paradise, Los Angeles +1 (310) 474-8788
Tiffany & Co., New York +1 (212) 755-8000
HYLAND
