Naturally dark pearls from French Polynesia, in greys, greens and aubergines — never dyed, and never actually black.
Tahitian pearls come from the black-lipped oyster Pinctada margaritifera, cultured across the lagoons of French Polynesia. They are the only commercially significant pearl that is naturally dark.
Despite often being called black pearls, true Tahitians are rarely black. The body colour ranges through silver, charcoal, deep grey, green and aubergine, and the best examples carry a secondary overtone — the celebrated "peacock" is a dark green body with rose and gold flashes. Colour is what drives Tahitian pricing more than size.
Genuine Tahitian colour is entirely natural and requires no treatment. This matters commercially, because dyed freshwater pearls are frequently sold as "black pearls" at a fraction of the price. Signs of a dyed pearl include unnaturally uniform colour across every pearl in a strand, dye concentration visible around the drill hole, and a price that is too good to be true.
Typically 8 to 16 mm, considerably larger than Akoya. Perfectly round Tahitians are scarce and expensive; circled and baroque shapes are common, often beautiful, and much better value.
A single good quality 10 mm Tahitian pendant pearl starts around £250. A well-matched strand runs from £1,500 into five figures, because assembling forty pearls that agree on colour and overtone is genuinely difficult.
Anyone who finds white pearls too traditional. They read as contemporary rather than formal, and a single dark pearl on a chain is one of the most versatile pieces in jewellery.