Oysters give us one of the most beautiful jewels that is commonly sought after in the modern world. Due to the value of this jewel, they have been overexploited to the point of extinction. But science has found a way to cultivate this jewel without compromising the existence of oysters. Pearl farms have been opened up where pearls are harvested in a safe way from oysters that does not lead to their destruction. Tahitian Keishi pearls result from the premature ejection of pearls from oysters that have had a grafted nucleus before the culturing process is complete. They are called by their Japanese name of Keishi, which means poppies, in reference to their miniature size like that of poppy seeds. The pearls form on the soft tissue of the mollusks and they are a by-product of pearl culturing in oysters.
Tahitian Keishi pearls range from two to eight millimeters in diameter, and they are made up of non-beaded pearly layers. These pearls are commonly used in high-end decorative earrings, necklaces, brooches, and bracelets. Because the pearls have no nucleus to guide their growth, the shape of Tahitian Keishi pearls varies greatly. They also have a wide array of color, unlike other pearls that can either be black or white. They are most notable for their lustrous and shimmering surface quality that makes them one of the glossiest-looking pearls on the market today.
Tahitian Keishi pearls are extremely notorious to find, owing to the fact that sea pearl farms are now X-raying oysters to find out whether the nucleus is intact or has been expelled. If an oyster is found to have rejected a nucleus, it is then seeded again before a Keishi pearl has a chance to form and develop. This has led to a shortage of these pearls, leading to an increase in their value.
