Tell Me About Victoria's Pearls

I had a special request to talk about Victoria's pearls. I must admit that I have always enjoyed Victoria Grayson's gorgeous pearls even if I no longer find time to tune into the show Revenge. But, one of our friends wanted to know more about Victoria's pearls so I caught up on the series finale which aired on Sunday night. What a completely stunning strand of pearls. If you do not watch the show Revenge and are unfamiliar with Madeleine Stowe's character Victoria Grayson let me do the honors of introducing you to Victoria's pearls!

This is not the first time costume designers have brought this fabulous necklace from Victoria Grayson's closet. I remember seeing it before. But, to the friend of The Pearl Girls who is curious, this is a gloriously long strand of black Tahitian pearls. I say Tahitian pearls primarily because French Polynesia is the primary region that cultures these black pearls and all black pearls from this region can be called Tahitian. However, if we want to be completely accurate, I would call these a black pearl, since I cannot guarantee their region of origin. There are other regions that culture smaller quantities of black pearls such as the Cook Islands, Marshall Islands and Fiji. They are all working with the same black-lipped oyster (P. Margaritifera)

So, these black pearls do not look especially black, do they? If you remember, Black pearls are not always black! Read more on the Wonderful Color of Black Pearls. Tahitian black pearls are layered with overtones and undertones of magenta, green (sometimes called pistachio), silvery gray and more. These are not black colors but they are beautiful hues. Want to know something else, sometimes Tahitian black pearls are white! It was the most shocking realization i had while in French Polynesia. It seemed so out of character! What are white pearls doing at a Tahitian black pearl farm?!

So, let's take another look at Victoria's pearls:

Do you see the amazing variation of colors in these pearls? This necklace is a perfect example of all of the shades of Tahitian black pearls. Do you know what else is cool? One of the factors we look at when grading pearls is how well the pearls are matched on a strand or in a piece of jewelry. This necklace just blows that out of the water. There is no pattern, there is no particular tone to the colors. Even the sizing varies ever so slightly. This is what I would call a mixed-bag of Tahitian black pearls and the result is mind-blowing!!! Look at the variety of colors. It is a truly stunning piece. And all I can say is I am so thrilled that Victoria was not wearing this necklace when she blew up her house (and herself?) at the end of the episode!

India