The one bargain you must buy when you visit paradise

“I have good news and bad news,” my daughter tells me over the phone. “The good news is, I found your pearls! The bad news is … they’ve been run over a thousand times.”

I’m devastated. I had purchased my black pearl necklace from Tahiti nearly 20 years prior, the simple leather string with two dangling, oil-hued baubles soon becoming my signature piece of jewellery. Without it, I felt naked, and missed the habitual, tactile pleasure of twiddling the smooth, iridescent marbles whenever deep in thought.

Kaleidoscopic shades… colour is immaterial to grade for Tahitian black pearls.

But the promise of my first trip to Tahiti since 1999 awakens the proposition – could I replace my beloved pearls? Would I be able to find a similar setting, at a price I could reasonably afford?

Scanning the windows of pearl shops lining the streets of Papeete, the immediate answer is no – girl, you’re way out of your league. I gaze with lust and despair at luscious strands and luminous droplets at the exclusive Robert Wan boutique, and am stunned by a massive silver gobstopper – the largest pearl in existence, 26 millimetres in diameter and weighing in at 8.7 grams – on display at the adjoining Pearl Museum, a loving homage to the history of these beautiful gems, hand-grafted and grown in turquoise lagoons in the middle of the South Pacific.

Luminous treasures… Robert Wan pearls.Credit: Robert Wan

Like diamonds, I learn at the museum, black pearls are graded according to size, surface, lustre and shape, either from A to D grade (using the so-called Tahitian system) or from A to AAAA (as classified by the Gemological Institute of America), with only one to five per cent of the harvest bestowed the top grading. Colour is immaterial to grade, kaleidoscopic shades from dark grey to gold, aubergine to peacock, dependent on the host black-lipped pearl oyster, and a matter of personal taste.

And while large, spherical pearls are the most coveted, imperfections don’t necessarily mean poor quality. Look closely, and you’ll see some less expensive strands mix up shape and surface texture: some may be banded, others an asymmetrical ‘baroque’ shape with a knobbly top. A pearl’s blemish makes it unique; and as long as its éclat (glow) and structural integrity isn’t compromised, it can still be eminently saleable.

Oysters are hung in nets to protect them from predators.Credit: iStock

In a corner of Robert Wan’s store, for instance, I spy a countertop display of simple leather slide bracelets, threaded with irregularly shaped, but still incredibly pretty pearls. A quick price check is cause for double-take – 600 French Pacific Francs, or around $8 each – ridiculously cheap. Sold times three, Christmas gifts for grandchildren snapped up.

The island of Raiatea.Credit: Tahiti Tourisme

But it’s at a simple independent jewellery stall, upstairs in the waterfront marketplace in Uturoa on the island of Raiatea, that I find what I’m looking for. On display is a selection of loose Gambier archipelago A/B quality pearls, reasonably large at 12 millimetres and each with barely perceptible flaws.

The pearls are grown in turquoise lagoons in the middle of the South Pacific.Credit: iStock

They are beautiful, mesmerising, a luminous galaxy enhanced by dreamy, rainbow overtones; and after showing the jeweller a photo of my previous setting, she promises she can replicate it with two pearls of my choosing, threaded and ready to wear within 15 minutes. I panic – her quote is at the upper end of my budget, and I’m nervous about my lack of research. But on a whim, I agree, paying a visit to the closest ATM to seal the deal.

That evening, I send my daughter a selfie proudly wearing my new statement piece, a personally curated and precious souvenir of my time in paradise.

“Beautiful!” she replies. “You look like yourself again.”

THE DETAILS

Fly

Air New Zealand flies from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to Papeete via Auckland. An overnight stay in Auckland may be necessary, depending on connections. See airnewzealand.com.au

Cruise

Windstar’s 7-night ‘Dreams of Tahiti’ itinerary is available year-round on Star Breeze, starting from $US2922 ($4480) all-inclusive. See windstar.com.au, or phone [phone].

Robert WAN Pearl Museum. See robertwan.com

The writer was a guest of Windstar Cruises.