--- title: "Tahitian Pearls: Origin, Colors, Sizes and Value" description: "Tahitian cultured pearls from French Polynesia's black-lipped oyster: how they're grown, their natural dark colors, sizes, quality, treatments and the rules." canonical_url: "https://learnaboutpearls.com/types/tahitian-pearls/" last_updated: "2026-11-04" last_reviewed: "2026-10-27" reviewed_by: "Simon" publisher: "Unique Pearl" publisher_disclosure: "Learn About Pearls is published by Unique Pearl, a pearl jeweler." --- # Tahitian Pearls: Origin, Colors, Sizes and Value **Short answer:** Tahitian pearls are saltwater cultured pearls grown around a shell bead in the black-lipped pearl oyster, Pinctada margaritifera, in French Polynesia, and harvested after about 18 to 24 months. Often called black pearls, they come in natural shades of gray, black and brown, most commonly greenish gray, with overtones such as blue, green, purple and pink. Under French Polynesian law, a Tahitian cultured pearl is naturally colored and untreated. | Mollusk | _Pinctada margaritifera cumingii_ (black-lipped pearl oyster) [1, 2, 3] | | ---------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Water | saltwater [3, 4] | | Natural or cultured | cultured [1, 2] | | Main producing regions | French Polynesia [1, 3, 5] | | Typical size | 8–14 mm [4, 5, 6, 7] | | Size range | 8–20 mm [4, 5, 6, 7] | | Shapes | round, oval, button, drop, circled and baroque [4, 6] | | Natural colors | gray, greenish gray, black and brown [3, 4, 6] | | Growing time | 18–24 months [6, 7] | | Nacre | Bead-cultured, with the bead placed in the gonad. French Polynesia used to require at least 0.8 mm of nacre; since its 2017 pearl law, a nacre check is voluntary. [1, 2, 8] | **Key facts:** - Under CIBJO's standards and French Polynesian law, only cultured pearls grown in French Polynesia in the black-lipped pearl oyster are Tahitian cultured pearls. [1, 2] - Tahitian cultured pearls are harvested after about 18 to 24 months. [7] - Tahitian cultured pearls are typically 8 to 14 mm. CIBJO counts 15 to 20 mm as an important size range, though production there is low. [4, 6] - From 2005 to 2014, French Polynesia produced an average of 12.9 tonnes of pearls a year, worth an average of US$104 million a year. [9] - In French Polynesia, pearl culture is second in value only to tourism. [9] - French Polynesia required at least 0.8 mm of nacre from 2005 until its 2017 pearl law made the nacre check voluntary. [2, 8] - A reflectance feature at 700 nm is a key identifying sign of pearls from the black-lipped pearl oyster. [10] [Tahitian cultured pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#tahitian-cultured-pearl) are the dark [saltwater pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#saltwater-pearl) of French Polynesia, sometimes called [black pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#black-pearl). [3] Like other [cultured pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#cultured-pearl), each one starts when a person implants a bead in a living oyster. ## Where Tahitian pearls come from Tahitian pearls come from the black-lipped [pearl oyster](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#pearl-oyster), _[Pinctada margaritifera](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#pinctada-margaritifera)_, in the variety that French Polynesia’s pearl law names _cumingii_. [2, 3] It is the second largest of the pearl oysters, found across the Indo-Pacific and especially abundant in the atolls of Polynesia. [9] The name is protected. CIBJO allows a place name only for pearls grown in that place, and defines a Tahitian cultured pearl as a naturally colored cultured pearl grown in French Polynesia in this oyster, around a bead inserted in its [gonad](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#gonad). [1] The same oyster is farmed in the Cook Islands, Okinawa and other Pacific islands, [6] but under those rules their pearls are not Tahitian. [1] In the trade, these pearls are also marketed as “black” South Sea or simply “black” cultured pearls. [11] ## Where Tahitian pearls are farmed French Polynesia’s pearl farms are in the Society, Gambier and Tuamotu archipelagos. [7] The oysters are grown from [spat](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#spat), young oysters caught on collectors in the lagoons. [6] French Polynesia has produced black pearls since the mid-1970s. [9] A first government trial on Bora Bora in 1961 produced good black pearls but had no commercial follow-up. [12] From 2005 to 2014, French Polynesia grew an average of 12.9 tonnes of pearls a year, worth an average of US$104 million a year, and its output rose from 9 to 15 tonnes a year between 2006 and 2014. [9] Pearl culture there is second in value only to tourism. [9] CIBJO estimates production at about 8 million pearls a year, with a retail value of about US$230 million. [6] ## How Tahitian pearls are grown A technician places a [shell bead](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#bead) and a [graft](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#graft) of [mantle](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#mantle) tissue in the oyster’s gonad. [1] Within 14 days, the graft grows into a [pearl sac](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#pearl-sac) that covers the bead, and the first [nacre](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#nacre) appears about 32 days after [grafting](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#grafting). [9] ![About two dozen round Tahitian cultured pearls in dark gray, green and silver tones on white paper. At the lower right, one pearl cut in half shows a pale bead inside a thin dark ring of nacre.](/_astro/tahitian-pearls-cut-open.BBcCXtHH_Z2omLcV.jpg?dpl=dpl_HtGtH9KVXNVAK9cLZJJhqCYEKmh2) Tahitian cultured pearls. The one at the lower right has been cut in half to show the bead nucleus inside and the layer of nacre around it. Photo: “Perles de Tahiti (1)” by Remi Jouan. [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/), via [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Perles_de_Tahiti_\(1\).JPG). Tahitian cultured pearls are harvested after about 18 to 24 months, [7] and CIBJO counts one [bead-cultured pearl](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#beaded-cultured-pearl) per oyster every two years. [6] An oyster can be grafted again after a harvest, and one study found that these second-graft pearls improved in both size and shape. [9] ## Tahitian sizes, shapes and colors Tahitian cultured pearls are typically 8–14 mm, within a range of 8–20 mm [4], and pearls over 20 mm are rare. CIBJO says this oyster produces the largest of all black cultured pearls. [6] CIBJO lists their shapes as round, oval, button, drop, circled and baroque [6], and GIA says they are most often round, though any shape occurs. [4] Their [bodycolors](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#body-color) are gray, greenish gray, black and brown [3], and GIA names greenish gray as the most common. [4] Most are shades of gray, and some are copper-colored, pistachio green or taupe. GIA says their iridescent purple, green, turquoise or pink [orient](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#orient) is what makes them exceptional. [13] CIBJO lists [overtones](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#overtone) that the trade calls peacock, green, cherry, aubergine, blue, pistachio, gold, silver and red. [6] ## Quality factors and grading for Tahitian pearls Tahitian cultured pearls are judged on GIA’s seven [value factors](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#value-factors). [14] A 2018 study of these pearls lists the criteria used to evaluate them as size, [surface quality](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#surface-quality), [luster](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#luster), shape, color and darkness. [7] French Polynesia’s pearl law classifies every Tahitian cultured pearl by general criteria, its size, weight, shape and surface quality, and by additional criteria such as color, assortment, pairing and [nacre thickness](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#nacre-thickness). [2] The [letter grades](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#aaa-grade) used in the trade are a separate matter; the page [AAA pearl grades](https://learnaboutpearls.com/grading/aaa-pearl-grades/) explains them. The territory required at least 0.8 mm of nacre from 2005. [8] Its 2017 pearl law ended that mandatory check, and the pearl service now measures nacre thickness only on request, as a paid service. [2, 8] ## What affects the price of Tahitian pearls GIA’s journal notes that the most costly Tahitian pearls look black with high iridescence, but that the pearls vary greatly in color, shape and size, and so have a wide price range. [12] When other factors are equal, larger pearls are rarer and more valuable. [15] ## Identification, treatments and imitations Pearls from the black-lipped oyster have a reflectance feature at 700 nm that is a key identifying sign, and pearls from the related _[Pinctada mazatlanica](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#pinctada-mazatlanica)_ share similar spectral features. [10] Under French Polynesian law, a Tahitian cultured pearl must be naturally colored and untreated, and [treated pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#treated-pearl) must be labeled with the word “traitées” (treated) or the name of the treatment. [2] Treated pearls from this oyster have reached the market. “Chocolate” pearls were most likely made by [bleaching](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#bleaching) black cultured pearls, [16] and intense “pistachio” colors have been produced by treatment, although natural pistachio-like colors also occur. [17] Other dark pearls can owe their color to treatment too: some gray or blue [Akoya](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#akoya), for example, are irradiated to darken the shell bead inside. [18] ## Caring for Tahitian pearls Tahitian cultured pearls need the same care as other pearls. Put them on after perfume and cosmetics, [13] wipe them with a soft cloth dampened in clean water after wearing, and keep them away from acids, solvents, heat and ultrasonic cleaners. [1] The [care](https://learnaboutpearls.com/care/) section has the full routine. ## Questions people ask ### Are black pearls natural or dyed? Tahitian cultured pearls get their dark colors naturally, from the black-lipped oyster, and under French Polynesian law a Tahitian cultured pearl must be naturally colored and untreated. Some dark pearls are treated, though. "Chocolate" pearls were most likely made by bleaching black cultured pearls, and some gray or blue Akoya are irradiated. A GIA report records any detectable treatment. [2, 16, 18, 19] ### Are Tahitian pearls really from Tahiti? They come from French Polynesia, whose best-known island is Tahiti. GIA says they are cultivated mainly around the islands of French Polynesia, and CIBJO reserves the name for cultured pearls grown there. [1, 3] ### How big are Tahitian pearls? Typically 8 to 14 mm. CIBJO counts 15 to 20 mm as an important size range, though production there is low, and pearls over 20 mm are rare. [4, 6] ### What is the most common color of Tahitian pearls? Greenish gray, according to GIA. Most Tahitian cultured pearls are shades of gray, and some are copper-colored, pistachio green or taupe. [4, 13] ### How long do Tahitian pearls take to grow? About 18 to 24 months from grafting to harvest. CIBJO counts one bead-cultured pearl per oyster every two years. [6, 7] ## References 1. CIBJO, The World Jewellery Confederation, Pearl Commission (2026). The CIBJO Pearl Book (Pearl Blue Book) 2026. [Source](https://cibjo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Pearl-Blue-Book-2026-.pdf) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20261025235254/https://cibjo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Pearl-Blue-Book-2026-.pdf) 2. Assemblée de la Polynésie française (Journal officiel de la Polynésie française) (2017). 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[Source](https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/spring-2024-lab-notes-irradiated-and-dyed-akoya-pearls) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20240720120748/https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/spring-2024-lab-notes-irradiated-and-dyed-akoya-pearls) 19. Phoebe Shang (2026). Freshwater Akoyas – A Trending Misnomer for Certain Freshwater Pearls. [Source](https://www.gia.edu/freshwater-akoyas-a-trending-misnomer-for-certain-pearls) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20260617073835/https://www.gia.edu/freshwater-akoyas-a-trending-misnomer-for-certain-pearls) **Written by:** Learn About Pearls editors **Fact-checked:** Learn About Pearls editors, October 26, 2026 **Reviewed by:** Simon, October 27, 2026 **First published:** November 4, 2026 **Publisher:** [Unique Pearl](https://learnaboutpearls.com/about/), a pearl jeweler **Revision history** 1. November 4, 2026: First published. First published **How to cite this page** **APA:** Learn About Pearls editors. (2026). _Tahitian Pearls: Origin, Colors, Sizes and Value_. Learn About Pearls. https://learnaboutpearls.com/types/tahitian-pearls/ **MLA:** “Tahitian Pearls: Origin, Colors, Sizes and Value.” _Learn About Pearls_, Unique Pearl, November 4, 2026, learnaboutpearls.com/types/tahitian-pearls/. **Chicago:** Learn About Pearls editors. “Tahitian Pearls: Origin, Colors, Sizes and Value.” Learn About Pearls. Unique Pearl. Last modified November 4, 2026. https://learnaboutpearls.com/types/tahitian-pearls/. **BibTeX:** `@misc{lap-types-tahitian-pearls, title = {Tahitian Pearls: Origin, Colors, Sizes and Value}, author = {{Learn About Pearls editors}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {\url{https://learnaboutpearls.com/types/tahitian-pearls/}}, note = {Learn About Pearls, published by Unique Pearl}}` Quoting with attribution and a link is welcome. See [how to cite and reuse](https://learnaboutpearls.com/cite/). **Suggest a correction** ## Related pages - [South Sea vs Tahitian](https://learnaboutpearls.com/compare/south-sea-vs-tahitian-pearls/): How the large white and golden South Sea pearl differs from the dark Tahitian pearl. - [South Sea pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/types/south-sea-pearls/): The largest cultured pearls, white to golden, from the Pinctada maxima oyster. - [Keshi pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/types/keshi-pearls/): Cultured pearls with no bead, formed on Akoya, South Sea and Tahitian pearl farms.