Five pearl industry groups, hand-in-glove with Maison de la Perle, launched Tahiti’s 3rd cultured pearl auction Sunday at Sofitel Maeva Beach – and the numbers already sing.
The Opening Act
Marine Resources Minister Temuari Foster and Minister Tauhiti Nena cut the ribbon before a who’s-who of Polynesian officials. The air hummed with the electric tension of 71 buyers – Tokyo pearl barons brushing shoulders with Hong Kong upstarts – all here for 625,345 glimmering orbs (est. 600M XPF).
Day One Fireworks
- 249,592 pearls crossed the block
- Top lots: 18mm “Midnight Suns” fetching 3,200 XPF/gram
- Buyers from Japan, China, UAE locked in silent bidding wars
Behind the Curtain
The Marine Resources Directorate executed military-precise logistics – every lot scanned, every nacre measurement verified. No room for error with 187,944 more pearls hitting the block today.
Why This Auction Matters
- 2010’s gamble pays off: Foster’s vision of local auctions proves its worth
- New alliance: Farmers and bureaucrats finally rowing in unison
- Market signal: Tahiti reclaims its throne as black pearl epicenter
The Real Winners
- Atoll families seeing prices stabilize
- Master grafters whose calloused hands birthed these gems
- The oysters themselves – now valued like the living artworks they are
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