Our Jewelry Got Featured!

Our good Twitter friend, @meganfinley, has a blog where she creates beautiful Maui wedding themes.

She recently created one called "Black Pearl Peacock Wedding" which highlights peacock colors and of course, peacock-toned pearls from our collection.

Here's a collage of the theme's elements from Megan's Flickr page:



As you can see, she's included a Tahitian Pearl ring and a circle Tahitian pearl strand from our collection. Thanks Megan!

Dressing up (or down) in Paradise

One thing about living on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is that whatever works for a place like Tahiti can also work for a place like Hawaii.

This is true when it comes to fashion. While the names change from one Pacific culture to the next, the essence of what we wear here in the islands is essentially the same. Tapa cloth has been used throughout this region of the world, and they're essentially used in the same way in Tahiti, Samoa and Hawaii. The same goes for the Pareu (lavalava in Samoa) -- a wraparound skirt worn by men. The Samoan Puletasi is basically another rendition of the Mu'u Mu'us found in Hawaii and vice-versa.

But the Hawaiian shirt has become more of a distinct form of fashion over the course of the ages. while men in other parts of the Pacific wear a similar form of shirt, none are as colorful or as versatile as the Hawaiian shirt as we now know it.

And since the hot summer months are just around the corner, I'm sure you'll see more and more of these popular shirts. It's no surprise why they're popular: They're easy to wear, keeps you cool, and quite comfortable. Read more about the Hawaiian Shirt at Da Kine Aloha's post, Hawaiian Shirts, Cool Summer Clothing.

Congratulations, Cindy!

We had a pearl bracelet giveaway with Mom's Most Wanted a few weeks ago and Cindy, our winner, informed me this morning that she received her prize! Here's a photo of what she received today:


What she received was a wooden island jewelry box with two baroque Tahitian pearl bracelets (one for mommy and of course, one for her child).

Look out for more prize giveaways from us soon!

Mom's Most Wanted Blog: momsmostwanted.blogspot.com
Cindy's blog: www.thebabblingbrooks.typepad.com

Giveaway through Mom's Most Wanted

Because of the great feedback we received during our first giveaway, we've decided to do another one. This time, we're giving away two baroque Tahitian pearl bracelets through Mom's Most Wanted. Here's a picture of the two bracelets we're giving away:





Why are we giving away two bracelets at the same time? To put it simply, we wanted this to be a parent-child type of thing -- one for mommy, and one for her child. It doesn't matter if it's a son or daughter, as Tahitian pearls are great for either sex.

So what are you waiting for? Head on over to Mom's Most Wanted and join the giveaway! As of this writing, we've received 132 entries since 2/12, and I'm sure we're going to receive more as we edge towards the giveaway deadline of 2/26.

Catching up

It's been a rough past few weeks for me with a lot of things happening at the same time. But never fear! We've been having a lot of fun while being busy.

So what have I been up to? For starters, we've added a TON of new Tahitian pearl jewelry on our website. New pendants, rings, strands, and earrings!

Also, lot of people have been blogging about us lately and we would like to take this time to thank all of them. We'd like to specifically name them, but that'll be for another post. :)

We've also changed a few things on the site to reflect the upcoming Spring and Summer seasons.

And speaking of new things...

@valdezign, one of my cool Twitter friends, made me a shirt that I received last Wednesday:



If you want one of your own, follow him on Twitter and order one. Thanks @valdezign! :)

Another Tahitian Pearl Jewels Teaser

We've shown you a pendant sample of our upcoming new additions a few days ago, and we've decided to show you another one, this time from our circle strands collection. Enjoy!

Tahitian guitarist's Hawaiian music album song nominated for Grammy Award

Tahiti Presse is reporting that a song composed and performed by Tahitian Florent Atem is included in one of five albums nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hawaiian Music Album.

It turns out that this isn't Florent Atem's first time being nominated for a Grammy Award. The mainly self-taught musician is also the first Tahitian to be nominated for a Grammy in 2006. Florent has also released a solo album called Dreamtown in 2005, and has realeased 4 other albums with his sister, Carole Atem. The two regularly perform in Tahiti and have also performed in Hawaii alongside local Hawaiian musicians such as Henry Kapono and John Cruz.

For more information about Carole and Florent Atem, visit their site at www.cfatem.com.

Valentine's Giveaway Bash at PainterMommy.com!

Dawn the PainterMommy is doing a Valentine's Day Giveway Bash and we're participating by giving away a beautiful pearl bracelet consisting of a 10mm Tahitian pearl. The pearl has a grade of AA1 and is strung on a black rubber choker. We've posted a photo of it here before, but for your reference, here it is:

So what are you waiting for? Head over to PainterMommy.com and check out the other cool gifts that you can win by participating.

A small teaser of our new products

Here's a sneak peek of what's in store from our website in the next few days:

Details and more pictures of other pieces will be available soon! See our current collection at http://www.tahitianpearljewels.com

A beautiful example of Chocolate/Mocha Pearls

Continuing on the theme I started yesterday, I came across a stunning piece of jewelry made by my friend from Maui, Jonara Blu. While they're not Tahitian pearls (they're the freshwater variety), they're a beautiful example of how chocolate (or in this case, mocha-toned) pearls can be made into fine pieces of art that you can wear.

Check it out here: http://www.rubylane.com/shops/jonarablu/item/A-186

At $72.00, I think it's a great find and an absolute steal!

Chocolate Tahitian Pearls - Not as sweet as you think

You've probably come across earrings like the ones pictured above once or twice over the past few months. They're beautiful and exotic-looking, with some pieces rivaling their more popular counterparts--the Tahitian Pearl-- in price. They're called Chocolate Pearls, or in certain circles Chocolate Tahitian Pearls.

While there's no doubt that these pearls are indeed pearls (actually, you can also make Chocolate Pearls with faux pearls, but that's for another day), the way they achieve such color is definitely not natural. In fact, anyone who can boil water can make their own chocolate-colored pearls if they want to. Of course, I'm simplifying the process a bit; it's actually more involved than that. However, there is no doubt that no cultured or uncultured oyster can produce a pearl with such a color.

Here's how you make these beauties:

• Place your pearls in the top pan of a double boiler and add enough water to cover them
• Add around a teaspoon of vinegar to bleach them
• Add strong coffee, instant coffee or black walnut shells and bring water to a boil. (use more coffee or shells for more intense color)
• Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes (or until a desired color is attained)
• Once a desired color is attained, drain the pearls, wash them and dry them on an absorbent surface such as a smooth dry cloth

That's all there is to it. If you want more color intensity, filter the dyed water and cover your pearls with the filtered dye for several hours.

As you can see, a Chocolate Tahitian Pearl is basically no more than a dyed low-grade pearl. I say low-grade mainly because no one in their right mind would ruin a top-grade Tahitian Pearl's luster, let alone change its color. And like all dyed pearls, its color will eventually fade. More so when it's exposed to sunlight or ultraviolet light and if the pearl is over-bleached .

Keep that in mind when you're thinking about buying Chocolate Tahitian Pearl jewelry.


Pearl dying process from http://jewelrymaking.allinfoabout.com/features/dyepearls.html

Single Tahitian pearl on a leaf

I was taking some pictures of pearls and jewelry last night and this one was one of my first shots. It follows the same theme as the bracelet photo I posted the other day: white background with a green leaf as an additional element to the subject. Enjoy!

An easy way to take care of your Tahitian pearl jewelry

While it might seem that a Tahitian pearl on a ring or pendant looks indestructible, such is definitely not the case. A Tahitian pearl's surface can easily be scratched, and its luster may grow dull if its nacre is not cared for. Needless to say, taking care of your pearl jewelry is necessary if you want to enjoy them for years to come.

It's obvious that your first line of defense against scratches is to be careful with your jewelry while handling or wearing them. Never store them with other jewelry that contain diamonds and other gemstones as these could easily scratch your pearl's surface; keep pearls with other pearl jewelry in a different jewelry box.

As far as maintaining your pearl's luster, you only need to remember two simple things:

• Water is a pearl's best friend. No solvents, acids or hard soaps.
• Luster is maintained when your pearl's nacre is properly hydrated.
  

With that being said, here's my simple way of maintaining your pearls' luster:

• Wipe your pearls with a soft clean damp cloth after wearing.
• Store your pearls in a jewelry box that has a moist cloth or paper towel to keep your pearls' nacre hydrated.

That's it. It's an easy but effective way of making sure that your pearl jewelry will last for a very long time.

Ia orana i te matahiti api!

Happy New Year! I know it's a bit late, but it's better to be late than never. Oh and by the way, just in case you haven't figured it out yet, the title means "Happy New Year" in Tahitian. :)

Here's a small picture treat from us. We hope you like it.