Tahitian black pearls are world renowned. On Huahine, there is a single pearl farm that cultures these beauties, the Huahine Pearl Farm. A boat carries visitors from the Sofitel Heiva dock to the farm in the middle of the lagoon near the village of Faie.
To produce a pearl, a donor oyster (Pinctada margaritifera)Â that has a shell of the desired color is selected. A shell bead and a small piece of the donor oyster’s mantle are inserted into the reproductive gland (pearl pocket) of another healthy oyster. The seeded oysters are then grown for 18 months in carefully constructed wire nets to protect the oysters from predators. I purchased an iridescent black pearl with green highlights. Other pearls had blue, violet, or red highlights. The fourth picture below is a banana flower (Musa sp.) from a plant growing on Huahine.
Huahine Pearl Farm
SOURCE: Huahine Pearl Farm (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10Â April 2016.
Culturing Pearls
SOURCE: Culturing Pearls (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10Â April 2016.
A Black Pearl
SOURCE: A Black Pearl (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10Â April 2016.
Banana (Musa sp.)
SOURCE: Banana (Musa sp.) (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10Â April 2016.
Copyright © 2016 by Stephen J. Danko
