In the legends and traditions of Polynesia, the black pearl of Polynesia is the daughter of Okana and Uaro, mother and father of everything that lives in the sea, besides fish.
Okana, the spirit of the living reef, Uaro the spirit of the silt and the sand gave birth to Te uhi, the pearl oyster enclosing the fine mother of pearl. It is told that Okana told his offspring:
“You will place on your ornament one piece of the dazzling skin of each one of the fish living in my kingdom. I give you as a present, to be your home, the submarine rocks and plains as well as the coasts of the sea.”
The pearl oyster then took ownership of the steep reef, the coral rocks pointing to the surface, the mysterious shoal and the transparent sand plateaus and waited.
Love shook off its laziness. For a princess of Bora Bora, Oro, then god of peace and fertility, came down to earth among men riding on a rainbow and presented them with the oyster as a gift.
This blue, this softness, this water belong to the world of the pearl oyster.
The water is fresh, caressing, smooth almost. A few meters below the surface the water is transparent, although of a dark blue shade, and rocks as if dancing.
This blue, this softness, this water belongs to the world of the pearl oyster. The Pinctada margaritifera, var. cumingi. Why such a long Latin name for such a plain mollusk? Indeed, this mollusk is the pearl oyster, a unique species living in the lagoons of Polynesia.
Such a rare creature deserves applause and a double-barreled name, even if, among friends, it prefers the name of pintadina!
It is here, firmly anchored on a coral rock, serene, delicately filtering the floating particles of the current. It could yawn with pleasure, if not for a few greedy parrots circling above.
We must wait for the night then to contemplate by the light of the mori pata* the marvel of our lagoons and what its powerful valves enclose: the first grafted pearl of Polynesia.
* flashlight
History of The Pearl
For centuries, people had to get up very early to find a black pearl in our Polynesian lagoons: before the arrival of the Europeans, it was never the goal of the locals.
Birth of The Pearl
Coming from some of the most beautiful lagoons in the world, produced in an oyster with the help of man, Tahitians pearls were to become a unique luxury item, precious and fragile, for the most beautiful adornments.
How to Choose Pearls
When choosing Tahitians pearls and pearl jewellery, several criteria come into play: the gloss, the surface, the shape, the color, the size and the mother-of-pearl.
Find a Shop
Where to buy Tahitian pearls and pearl jewelry?
Discover our exclusive selection of black pearl jewellers and retailers in Tahiti and French Polynesia.
