We particularly like the watercolors of Titi Becaud. She and her family live on their sailboat anchored in the Bora Bora lagoon. Many of the better boutiques offer samples of her work. The Black Pearl was once to be found only in royal jewelry sets. Its marvelous colors range from silver gray through deep greens iridescent with pink, gold and blue to the darkest black.
Some pearls reflect light with a rainbow-like effect, but all have their own luster and magic.
The infinite ranges of shades are natural and are produced by the black lipped oysters which live in the pure lagoon waters of Polynesia. The pearl is the only jewel to come from a living creature. The Robert Wan Pearl Museum, named after the world s biggest producer of Tahitian cultured pearls, is the only museum in the world dedicated to pearls in general and Tahiti s unique gem in particular. Its 1998 inauguration culminated 10 years of work to endow the City of Papeete and Tahiti and Her Islands with a museum of international stature. The 4,300 square foot museum is located in the Vaima shopping center in the heart of downtown Papeete.