Pearl Farms
Visit a pearl farm and see for yourself how that
purest of jewels, the rare black pearl, is farmed from the giant
black-lipped oyster, pinctada margaritifera.
Don't be fooled by the rustic look of the little bungalows on stilts
over the lagoon. The knowledge, experience and care that go into
producing Tahiti Cultured Pearls are awe-inspiring.
HOW IT WORKS
Pinctada margaritifera cumingi, the South Seas mother-of-pearl
oyster, is actually a mollusk-a marine bivalve. It will be both
female and male during its lifetime. As a female it lays up to 40
million eggs, most of which will be gobbled up by plankton-eaters
such as the coral reef itself. Juvenile oysters that survive long
enough to develop protective shells are called spats. It takes 2
to 3 years for them to reach the size at which they can be grafted
- 12cm.
 In
a matter of about 2 minutes and with surgical precision, pearl farm
technicians graft a bead and a graft (some healthy cells from another
oyster's mantle) into the host oyster's gonad. The oyster is checked
for rejection of the bead, then returned to the lagoon where it
is constantly monitored for temperature, water movement or any kind
of contamination. If a strong storm system moves in, entire frames
of the hanging oysters are submerged deeper into the water. If temperature
changes too drastically, they are moved to alternate locations.
Divers clean the oysters every other month or so to remove seaweed
and barnacles. The oyster, while it is being so lovingly cared for,
secretes hundreds of layers of nacre to coat the bead, giving it
a lovely shape and luster. Eighteen months to two years after the
graft, the oyster yields its prize.
THE FINAL PRODUCT
 This
time-consuming labor of love produces one of the loveliest jewels
in the world... poe rava... Tahitian for rare pearl. Most
people still refer to the pearl as 'black pearls' but they really
come in a rainbow of colors. Two rainbows, actually: Tahitian pearls
are defined by body color, which is black, grey, blue, green
or brown, and overtone color, which can be pink, blue, silver,
aubergine or the highly-prized peacock green. The typical size range
of a Tahitian pearl is 8mm - 15mm.
Nacre, or mother of pearl, is also used to make beautiful jewelry
and carvings. You will learn about this and about the incredible
variety of Tahitian Cultured Pearls on your visit to a farm.
On Rangiroa there is a pearl farm and educational center, Gauguin's
Pearl, which charges no admission and is open daily from 8:30
to 2:00 pm. Elsewhere, a pearl farm visit is included as part of
a lagoon excursion. |
