The first is that Tahitian black pearls can dry out, making them susceptible to cracking. After wearing your Tahitian pearl necklace, wipe the pearls with a soft cloth that contains a few drops of olive oil. This will help to maintain the moisture within the pearls. If you store your pearls in a vault, it is a good idea to keep a glass of water inside the vault as well, to humidify the air in which the pearls are kept.

The second danger is that acids and chemicals will wear down the nacre of the pearls, affecting their luster and eventually destroying them. The oils in your skin contain a small amount of acid, as does your perspiration, and both of these will slowly damage Tahitian pearls. Perfume, make-up, and other personal care products can also be damaging, so it is important to apply these first, before putting your necklace on. It is also recommended that you wipe your pearls with a soft cloth after wearing them, and from time to time, wash them with a special pearl cleaning solution. Never clean your pearls with chemical cleaners (ammonia, bleach, glass cleaner, vinegar, etc.). Make sure you do not wear your necklace when cleaning, showering, swimming, or performing any other activity that will expose your pearls to harmful substances.

Last of all, Tahitian black pearls are soft, and can easily be scratched. If your necklace is constantly rubbing against metallic necklaces, rings, and bracelets, you run the risk of scratching your Tahitian pearls. To prevent this, it is essential that you store them separately in la soft jewelry bag. You can also ask to have your pearls individually knotted so they do not rub against each other while being worn.

The last thing you should know regarding the care of your necklace is to check the chord of your necklace from time to time to make sure it is in good shape. Ask a professional jeweler to restring your pearl necklace every one to two years and make sure to use a strong, durable material such as nylon or silk. This will prevent any possibility of your necklace´s cord breaking, which can result in irreparable damage to your pearls.

With proper care, a Tahitian pearl necklace can last forever. It can then be treasured and passed down to future generations in the same manner as other important pieces of jewelry.

Essentially, the colors of Tahitian pearls are broken down into two categories – body color and overtones.

The body color is the dominant, “real” color of the pearl, meaning it is the most visible color of the pearl. Some of the possible body colors are black, silver, purple, gray, green, brown, yellow, blue, and aubergine.

The overtones are the colors that seem to appear on top of the body color, sort of like a second color. Tahitian pearls can have one or more overtones, but it is also possible that there are no overtones present. Possible overtone colors include purple, gold, blue, green, pink, and aubergine.
Tahitian pearls are given specific names names for the different combinations of body and overtone colors. Below is a chart with these names:

Peacock – green and black
Fly Wing - metallic green and silver
Rainbow – black, green, and pink or aubergine
Tahitian Gold – gold and black
Champagne - yellow or gold and grey
Aubergine - purple or deep pink
Pigeon Grey – grey and purple
Moon Grey - pale grey
Pistachio – grey and green
Lavender - silver or grey and blue

As you can see, there are a huge number of possible combinations, making it difficult to pair together a large number of Tahitian pearls. The rarest of all are Tahitian pearls are the ones that are completely pink, green, blue or gold. Necklaces are generally created with pearls of the same shape and color (although not always), so you can imagine how rare a Tahitian pearl necklace comprised of round golden Tahitian pearls would be. This also indicates how personalized Tahitian black pearls can be. There are so many different color combinations that each individual can pick out a Tahitian pearl necklace that is unique and special.

Round – pearls that are considered round are nearly perfectly spherical, and when measured, only have a variation in diameter of 2%. Basically, they look perfect to the human eye. These are extremely rare, and therefore extremely expensive. To give you an idea of their rarity, only about 5% of a farmer´s crop of pearls are round pearls. However, keep in mind that of these 5%, there can be many that are flawed, and therefore not used. If you expect to buy a black pearl necklace with round pearls, be prepared to spend a lot of money.

Semi-Round – a Tahitian pearl necklace made with semi-round black pearls makes a great alternative to one with round pearls. It is far cheaper, and the pearls still appear to be nearly perfect spheres. The variation in diameter of semi-round pearls is between 2%-5%. This difference is slight, so must be measured.

Semi-Baroque – semi baroque pearls are not spherical, but are an equal shape on each side, meaning they have an axis of rotation. On each side of that axis, the shape is identical. These symmetrical pearls are broken down into four different shapes: drop (like a teardrop), button, pear, and oval. These stones are often used to make Tahitian pearl necklaces, either by themselves or combined with round or semi round pearls.

Baroque – baroque Tahitian pearls are asymmetrical pearls, and can be found in any random shape. It is difficult to find large numbers of them are identical, and for this reason, it is rare to find them used to make a necklace. They are more commonly used by artisans the make jewelry or pieces of art.

Ringed/Circled – ringed or circled pearls are an interesting display of nature. They make up around 30% of a Tahitian pearl harvest, but it is unknown why this is so common. A ringed Tahitian pearl has one of more rings or grooves that are perpendicular to the axis of rotation. They look like rings going around the pearl. These pearls often have more color hues than the other shapes of Tahitian pearls, and therefore can be very special.

In contrast, a Tahitian black pearl with a nacre thickness of less than 0.8mm is considered unacceptable and it is not sold locally, nor is it exported for sale. The nacre coating of Tahitian pearl´s can make up to 50% of the pearl´s total volume.

The thickness of a pearl´s nacre is important for a few reasons. It is what protects the pearl, and if the nacre is too thin, the pearl will damage very easily. Furthermore, a thin nacre can wear off quickly, whereas a thick nacre, with proper care, can last for many years. The nacre is also important because it is what gives the pearl its beautiful luster, and that mysterious iridescent look. The thicker the nacre, the greater the iridescent effect.

Now you are aware of how important the nacre thickness is when selecting a Tahitian pearl necklace. However, there are many other factors to consider that are also affect the price and quality. It is important to be aware of these and to select a necklace that suits your purposes.

Luster – a high quality Tahitian pearl will always have a beautiful luster, which refers to the pearl’s ability to reflect light. A pearl with a thick nacre will usually reflect light similar to that of a mirror, meaning you can see the reflection of things in the pearls. Tahitian pearls, because of their color, have a sheen with a slight resemblance to metal, and look much more like a mirror than a typical pearl. Basically, the thicker the nacre, the more brilliant the pearl´s luster, and the higher the cost of the Tahitian pearls.

Size – Similar to all types of precious stones, the larger the pearl, the more valued it is. Tahitian black pearls tend to be larger than most other types of pearls, ranging from about 7.5mm to 14mm. The size of Tahitian pearls is measured to the half millimeter, and the price difference goes up rapidly for every increase of 0.5mm. Tahitian black pearls can be found as big as 16mm to 18mm, although these are quite rare and very expensive.

Shape – When people think of the shape of a pearl, they tend to think of a perfect sphere. This is a large misconception, because only the best and most expensive pearls are close to a perfect sphere. The shape of pearls are broken down into a few categories: round, semi-round, semi-baroque, baroque, and ringed of circled. The shape of the pearls on Tahitian black necklaces are usually round or semi-round, because they look the best on a necklace.

The best way to see this in real life is to check out the jewelry that different celebrities wear. They have the money to buy any Tahitian pearl they want, and are often looking for unique pieces of jewelry to wear, from necklaces to bracelets to broaches. The style of the jewelry is anywhere from classic to modern, and this is evident in the flashy hip hop jewelry that some celebrities are wearing.

Other unique uses for Tahitian pearls are small art objects. They often use baroque shaped pearls, and integrate them into a piece of art. Artists enjoy using Tahitian pearls, because the baroque pieces are often an odd shape, so their integration often leads to a very original piece of art.

Tahitian pearls also make for amazing photography. Again, the different colors and shapes, combined with the pearls overtones, lead to endless photo possibilities. Creative artists have used them as much more than jewelry, and with incredible results.

With a little bit of money and a lot of creativity, Tahitian pearls can be used for just about anything. The more people realize this, the more we will see new, original pieces of art.