To best appreciate these earrings, you must understand that Tahitian pearls, saltwater pearls raised in the black-lipped mussel in French Polynesia, are the only naturally colored black pearls. "Black pearls" are those with a very dark color, including with rich overtones of green, blue, browns or other hues. All freshwater black pearls, and most saltwater including Akoya Japanese cultured pearls, are naturally light and must be dyed or otherwise treated, for example with silver nitrate, to get these rich dark hues. They can be very pretty, and I myself like to use them in my designs, but they are not natural black pearls. Only Tahitian pearls are naturally black, and they are relatively rare so they tend to be more expensive than other types of pearls. They also have a very thick nacre, and are quite heavy compared to other pearls.

If you shop around, you will find that earrings of gem quality Tahitian pearls that are round or nearly round typically costs hundreds of dollars, while those in a more baroque shape, generally with more of a little tail at one end like these, can still be pricey. As with any pearls, the more surface imperfections, the less costly. Yet, all Tahitian pearls have the natural color, rich lustre, and other qualities that make them so special.

These earrings are made with two baroque Tahitian pearls, about 11 ½ mm in diameter, with naturally green and brown overtones. Their irregular shape and surface features, like their deep, naturally dark color, show that they were created by nature. Their lack of perfection has helped me to offer these earrings at such an affordable price. (This includes tiny rough spots at the bottom of each pearl, as though part of their baroque "tails" are chipped off.)

Dangling from the Tahitian pearls are two handcrafted by Bonprise fine silver disks, also about 11 ½ mm in diameter, textured with organic swirls that complement the pearls. I gently hammered the disks into a convex shape, and oxidized and polished them for this high contrast look. (One photo shows the back of the curved disks.) The earrings dangle about 1 1/3 inch from sterling silver leverback earwires. Other types of earwires, posts, or clip-ons, if preferred, can be substituted at no extra cost.

Fine silver is pure silver (99.99%) and sterling silver is 92.5%.

The distinctive, one-of-a-kind earrings will make a fabulous gift. With these naturally black saltwater pearls, they’re a classic.

Will arrive in a gift box with a custom tag describing materials and handcrafting.

Have any questions? Contact the shop owner.