About Tahitian Pearls

At the core of Chiyomi Designs is a passion for honoring Tahitian Pearls. It is the cornerstone of our jewelry designs but what makes them so special?

Tahitian pearls are exotic, rare pearls that are cultivated in warm salt water in French Polynesia, primarily around Tahiti. Production is limited to a very specific region, therefore making them extremely rare.

Referred to as black pearls because they come from the black-lipped oyster, the pearls have a distinctive, natural dark color. 

High-quality Tahitian pearls have a rich luster and a deep mirror-like shine that reflects light and enhances the dramatic colors. 

Cultivating Tahitian pearls is a time-consuming process as an oyster only produces a single pearl. The process takes at least 18 to 24 months and many oysters do not survive or the pearl does not pass quality inspection. This makes cultivating a single, high quality pearl a very thoughtful and dedicated process.

Other qualities that make Tahitian pearls rare and unique include the shape - round, baroque, oval, button, teardrop, and circular - and the size of the pearl. They also come in array of colors such as green, purple, blue and peacock for example.