Monday

About Black Pearl Jewelry

Mikimoto Pearls in Motion Earrings

Mikimoto Moderna 8 Ring

Black Pearls are rare, exotic, and exude a romantic mystique.   Natural black pearl are found primarily in the South Pacific, stretching in an area from Tahiti to the Cook Islands to Hawaii but are also found in smaller quantities in Mexico, off the California coast and in the Caribbean.   A pearl’s color generally corresponds to the color of the shell where it adheres to the mollusk, but this is not always the case.  Some black pearls have been in white shells, possibly due to factors such as the mollusk’s health, the make-up of the water or soil bed, or an accident of nature.  Black pearls are so rare that they are found in only one out of every 10,000 mollusks.

Cortez is said to be the person who brought black pearls to the attention of European royals in the 1520’s.  During his conquest of the Aztec’s, he apparently found large quantities of the pearls “lying about” and requisitioned them for the Spanish queen.  In the 1850s, French Empress Eugenia, wife of Napoleon III, was very fond of the gem and brought black pearl jewelry into popular favor. Today, black pearls are more available through cultured grafting.  Even cultured though, black pearls are far more rare than the white variety as the culturing period requires almost four times the amount of time.  Whether cultured or natural, black pearls are a thing of beauty and retain that mysterious luster that makes them so attractive in jewelry.