Pounamu Pearl, Queenstown, New Zealand

Pounamu Pearl offers an exclusive range of top quality Tahitian Black Pearls, Australian South Sea White Pearls, natural Gold Pearls from the Palawan Islands in the Phillipines, and unique New Zealand Blue Pearls. We also have extensive stocks of the finest Japanese Akoya Pearls. All personally hand selected direct from the pearl farms.

Jean Daniel Robert

Jean Daniel Robert’s passion for pearls began while managing a pearl farm in the Tuamotu Islands in French Polynesia. Today he and business partner Rob Lynes travel to the pearl farms at harvest time to handpick the best pearls. “This way”, says Jean Daniel, “we can preselect only the finest pearls for our clients, as well as maintain our passion for diving. We guarantee the quality of our pearls, their natural colour and lustre with a certificate of authenticity.

Inspecting Manihi Pearl Farm

Rob Lynes (foreground) and Jean Daniel Robert (back left) of Pounamu Pearl inspecting the pearl farm at Manihi in the Tahiti's Tuamotu Islands. Their passion for pearls and diving ensure only the best quality pearls are hand selected for the fine jewelery at Pounamu Pearl.

All sales carry our 30 day unconditional guarantee for quality and value. All Pounamu Pearl jewelry is accompanied by a valuation certificate recognised by GIA.

GRADING PEARLS

Pearls come in different shapes e.g. Round, Semi Round, Drop, Button, Circle or Baroque.  Blemishes help dictate the grade of the pearl.
AAA No blemishes & undrilled.
AA One blemish or drilled.
A Is 75% unblemished.
B Is 50% unblemished.
C Is over 50% blemished.
Colour & lustre are also important factors, they should have natural lustre, not enhanced by any chemical technique.
We guarantee our pearls have completely natural lustre & colour.

BLACK PEARLS

These Tahitian pearls come from the oyster ‘Pinctada margaritifera’, in the French Polynesian Tuamotu Islands. This oyster is large - sometimes over 10 inches across and weighing over 4 pounds - this often results in much larger-than-average pearls. These pearls are unique because of their natural dark green peacock colors.  Tahitian pearls are not actually black, but are instead silver, green, peacock or a multitude of colors with the dominant color being green. Truly black pearls are among the most beautiful, in the world.

WHITE SOUTH SEA PEARLS

This pearl produced by the Pinctada maxima mollusk are cultured primarily in Australia. There are two varieties of this oyster, the silver-lipped and the gold-lipped.The average size for a South Sea Pearl is between 9mm - 20mm . Unlike the smaller akoya oyster, the South Sea oyster will only accept one nucleation at a time. The growth period of these pearls is also substantially longer than the akoya, a minimum of 2 years as opposed to 12 -16 months.
 

GOLDEN PEARLS

The Phillippines is gifted with a rare breed of oyster, the Pinctada maxima, that produces high quality Golden South Sea pearls. These beautiful pearls are found in an abundance of hues, the most sought after being the warm natural colours like champagne and gold.

BLUE NEW ZEALAND PEARLS

The unique Blue Pearl is created by a wonderful sea creature, the New Zealand Paua (Abalone), a marine sea snail, Blue Pearls are made up of thousands of layers of nacre and conchiolin secreted by each individual paua. Blue Pearls have a chameleon quality, the colours change as they catch the light. Liquid colours that almost have a life of their own.