How to Beat the Curse of the Black Pearl

In the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Captain Jack Sparrow had to defeat a lot of pirates to beat the curse of the Black Pearl.

In this blog post I will tell you all about the real black pearls, and give some tips on buying them. And you won't have to fight any pirates!

Black pearls are a rare and exotic type of pearl that are highly prized for their beauty and rarity. There are a few types of black pearls but the Tahitian black pearls are considered to be the most valuable and sought-after.

Black pearls are known for their unique characteristics, including:

• Color: Black pearls can have a range of colors, from dark gray to deep blue, green, and purple.
• Iridescence: Black pearls are known for their iridescent sheen, which is caused by the way the light reflects off the layers of nacre.
• Luster: Black pearls have a high luster, which is caused by the smooth, even layers of nacre.
• Rarity: Black pearls are rare and highly sought after, making them a valuable and coveted gemstone.

Tahitian black pearl

Pearls in general are made when a small irritant, such as a grain of sand, finds its way inside an oyster or mollusk. To protect itself from this irritant, the mollusk secretes layers of nacre, a substance also known as mother of pearl, around the irritant. This process can take many years to form a pearl.

Contrary to popular belief, black pearls are not formed by inserting a grain of black sand into the oyster. Rather the color is determined by the type of oyster. Tahitian black pearls come from the black-lipped pearl oyster (Pinctada margaritifera). Though they are referred to in the market a Tahitian pearls but in reality they come from other islands in French Polynesia such as Mangareva in the Gambier group.

Multi-colored black pearls

The cost of a Tahitian black pearl varies very widely from less than a dollar to thousands of dollars. What's the difference between a $1 pearl and $1000 pearl?  Here are the factors that can affect the price of a pearl:

• Size - generally, bigger means more expsensive
• Shape and Symmetry - spherical ones tend to be worth more than elongated ones
• Iridescence - the shinier and more sparkling ones are more valuable
• Smoothness - ones without dents or dimples cost more
• Color(s) - black pearls with a high level of luster and a deep, dark color are considered more valuable.

If you're interested in purchasing jewelry with black pearls in Tahiti, here is what I've found to be the best strategy:  Buy the raw pearls from the source on Mangareva where you can get them at close to wholesale prices, especially if you buy many at a time. Choose carefully based on the qualities that are important to you: color, symmetry, shine, smoothness, and size. Then bring them to Papeete where there are a ton of jewelers (so more competition) to have them strung or mounted as you like.

If you opt for very fine high value black pearls this will cost you thousands of dollars. I opted for the other extreme to get some small souvenirs for people. I used the above strategy to get two necklaces and two bracelets custom made, each with 3 or 4 black pearls. My total cost was only $50!

I bought my pearls directly from a pearl farmer on Mangareva. We chatted with him for a long time, and he told us a sad story about how his brother died from radiation sickness from the fallout from the nuclear testing France had done on a nearby island. I bought six small black pearls from him. Somehow he took a liking to me and ended up giving me 7 more pearls for free!  So I had a lucky 13 black pearls. I took them to jeweler on Mangareva to make them into necklaces and bracelets but he didn't have fine enough tools to drill a hole in my little pearls. He suggested I take them to a jeweler in Tahiti where they have better equipment, and that's what I did.