Tahitian Black Pearls - 'Queen of Pearls' and 'Pearl of Queens'!
Tahitian black pearls are created by the black-lipped oyster, or ‘pinctada margaritifera,’ in French Polynesia. As we all very well know!
So guys, what are the five characteristics that determine the value of a Tahitian pearl? Any self-respecting pearly queen should be able to reel these off without a second's hesitation.
- Size - bigger is better (for shallow size-queens, that is)
- Colour - black, grey, blue, green, and brown, but black and darker is best
- Lustre - mirror-like finish and inner glow
- Surface Quality - unmarked and even: one in a million pearls is flawless
- Nacre - thickness of the pearl-stuff on the irritant (grain of sand, whatever)
How did you go? Five is just a respectable score, and anything under three ... say no more!
Now of course there is another kind of ... you saw this cumming!
Ok, this first one is an example of the 'potential pearl necklace', as yet unrealized ... a necklace looking for a neck!
... and its variant - the 'potential self-pearling necklace':
And this next example of the 'dyslexic necklace', often accompanied by an expression of surprise:
And the following is an example of the disgraceful and reckless 'very messy necklace' - I think the strand might have got broken in all the excitement!
And this final one, an instance of a 'necklace-in-the-making', just requiring a bit more focus and work:
Oh, well, a necklace is a necklace is a necklace, as Gertrude Stein famously said!
I like those freshly squeezed necklaces too.
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