Black Pearl : What is it?
| Black pearls, also called Tahitian pearls, are pearl varieties naturally silver gray to black in color. They are produced by the Pinctada margaritifera, saltwater oysters that secrete black pigments that form black pearls. These types of oysters can grow as large as dinner plates. They are commonly harvested in the French Polynesian islands and Tahiti. Black pearls usually measure eight to 18 millimeters in diameter. They consist of organic substances and calcium carbonate in the form of aragonite.
The Pinctada margaritifera is a mollusk that feeds on plankton. It is cultured to mass produce black pearls. In a pearl farm, a technician implants a nucleus and a mantle in the shell. The nucleus is a specially bred type of mussel, while the mantle is the one that forms the mother of pearl clothing and creates a pouch (nacre) in the nucleus. Over a period of two years, the pearl oyster forms thousands of layers of nacre that eventually becomes a black pearl. |
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Kinds of Black Pearls include the following: |
Round
Pear
- Pear-shaped black pearls have round bottoms and narrower tops.
Button
Circled
Baroque
Keshi
- Keshi Black Pearls are small, irregular, and seedless.
- They occur when the pearl oyster rejects the nucleus but the donor mantle remains inside.
Mabe
- Mabe (mar-bey) black pearls can be oval, heart-shaped or teardrop-shaped.
- They are also called blister pearls.
- They are ideal for rings and pendants
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Quality: If you want high quality black pearls, choose those whose seeds or nuclei are not visible. There should be a continuous pearly layer over at least 80% of their surface.
Luster: Choose black pearls that reflect light to produce a beautiful luster.
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