In 1957, JEAN MARIE DOMARD, a young veterinarian, was sent to Tahiti as a nacreous lagoon populating specialist to ensure the survival of pearl oysters threatened with extinction.

He classified the lagoons of the different islands according to the importance of their production. At the top of the list were Hikueru and Takume with nacres of excellent quality.

In 1958 and 1959, he set up several pearl oyster farms to ensure their survival. Once the oysters were saved, he devoted himself to fulfilling his dream: performing the first oyster transplant in Polynesia.

Thanks to a Japanese grafter, Cheroku Muroi, who was made available by the director of Nippon Pearls Code Tokyo, Jean-Marie Domard witnessed the first successful transplants in Hikueru in 1961.

In 1968, “The Perlière Society of Manihi”, the first pearl farm, was created and in 1970, the first round pearl was produced.

A foreign body, the graft, accompanied by a nucleus (created from a freshwater bivalve from the Mississippi) is surgically inserted into the oyster.

To protect itself from this intrusion, the pearl oyster begins to create nacre around the nucleus.

Two years are necessary to obtain a minimum layer of 0.8mm of nacre; two years during which the pearl oyster is regularly cleaned and protected from parasitic intrusions.

The oyster is then ready to be harvested and the pearl is meticulously extracted.

Subtle blemishes and tiny marks are part of a pearl’s natural texture and proof of its genuine origin. These blemishes are the result of sea particles that drift into the oyster and brush against the pearl as it forms. Fewer surface imperfections denote a higher quality, more valuable pearl.

• Top Gem : Flawless pearl. Naturally perfect. Only 1% of the production
• A quality : Slight imperfections concentrated on less than 10% of the surface
• B quality : Slight imperfections up to 1/3 of the surface of the pearl
• C quality : Imperfections up to 2/3 of the surface of the pearl
• D quality : Imperfections on more than 2/3 of the surface of the pearl

Typical shades are silver and gray but Tahitian Pearls come in an array of stunning colors.

The rarer the shade, the more valuable the pearl.

Colors we carry at P.Originals range from pure white to ebony black including all the rainbow colors in between.

While color choice is a matter of personal preference, always look for rich color, evenly distributed throughout the pearl.