Comments for Value of Tahitian Black Pearl South Sea Baroque Pearl Strand

Black Pearl Blues
by: Anonymous

The early years of culturing with P. margaritifera was beset with problems. The public's lack of familiarity with black pearls, often referred to as Tahitian Pearls led to rumors that they were dyed.

In addition, there was widespread belief that colors other then white were simply not marketable. One pearl-farmer, Jean Claude Brouillet, carried an array of black pearls to top jewelers in London, Paris, New York and Tokyo in the early 1970s and later described how the president of Cartier in Paris "used them as playthings" during their meeting. (Tisdell and Poirine, 2000).

Growing acceptance of black cultured pearls came with a high price. The high prices (once realized) for the black cultured pearls coupled with government incentives to develop the industry led to a "pearl rush" that saw hundreds of new farms start up during the early 1980s. The over-exploitation of the waters around certain atolls caused massive mortality and estimated 50% of the seven million oysters under operation in 1985-1986. Inspectors concluded that overpopulation and slow currents were responsible.

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