A Brief History of Pearls: Tahitian Pearl Harvesting

  A brief history of pearls

TAHITIAN PEARL HARVESTING


Harvests at Tahitian pearl farms are usually small-scale operations because the oysters used to grow them are less plentiful than other types of oysters are.

The Tahitian Pearl Harvesting Process

In order to harvest Tahitian pearls, which are kept in lagoons where black lip oysters would naturally live, pearl farmers pull them from the water and transport them to harvesting facilities.

Once they've arrived at a harvesting facility, the oysters' shells are pried apart and the pearls are removed. Harvesters use special tools to avoid damaging the pearls or the oysters that produce them.

Although relatively few black lip oysters survive the initial nucleating process, those that do and produce pearls are immediately nucleated again to produce another pearl.

Mabe Pearls and Black Lip Oysters

Some oysters are nucleated up to four times before they are discarded. The last time a black lip oyster produces a pearl, it's a mabe pearl. A mabe pearl is a half-spherical cultured pearl that grows on the oyster's inside shell rather than inside its body.

How pearls form in oysters
How pearls are harvested
How pearls brought to market
 
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Akoya Pearl Cultivation
Akoya Pearl Harvesting
Akoya Pearl Processing
Akoya Pearl Evaluation
 
Quality Factor One: Luster
Luster of Akoya Pearls
Quality Factor Two: Surface
Surface of Akoya Pearls
Quality Factor Three: Shape
Shape of Akoya Pearls
Quality Factor Four: Color
Color of Akoya Pearls
Quality Factor Five: Size
Size of Akoya Pearls
 
Know your South Sea pearls
South Sea Pearl Cultivation
South Sea Pearl Harvesting
South Sea Pearl Processing
South Sea Pearl Quality Evaluation
Luster of South Sea Pearls
Surface of South Sea Pearls
Shape of South Sea Pearls
Color of South Sea Pearls
Size of South Sea Pearls
 
Know your Tahitian pearls
Tahitian Pearl Cultivation
Tahitian Pearl Harvesting
Tahitian Pearl Processing
Tahitian Pearl Quality Evaluation
Luster of Tahitian Pearls
Surface of Tahitian Pearls
Shape of Tahitian Pearls
Color of Tahitian Pearls
Size of Tahitian Pearls
 
Gift Giving Occasions


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