European explorers had discovered the atolls of Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean in the 16th and 17th centuries, with historic sightings noted by explorers like Ferdinand Magellan. Both the British and French claimed the islands in the 18th century, and eventually, the French colonized the islands in 1880.  The country of French Polynesia was officially established in 1957.  Those early traders and explorers created international demand for the colorful shimmer of the Tahitian oysters’ Mother-of-Pearl.

The black-lip Pinctada Margaritifera oyster naturally produces Mother-of-Pearl in a range of peacock hues from iridescent greens, purples, and pinks to charcoal grays and blacks. The flat round oyster shells proved easy to transport, and travelers would gather huge quantities of the oysters to take back to Europe. The exotic colors and natural beauty began inspiring international markets. In the 1950s, the oysters were harvested almost to the point of extinction to fulfill demand for artistic creation, such as buttons for ready-to-wear clothing and inlay for furniture and decorative objects.

To protect the waning resource of this genus of oyster, locals began investing in pearl farming in the 1960s. The few black pearls that were harvested were not particularly desirable, and demand for coconut oil surfaced as a new alternative revenue stream. This encouraged locals to raise the threatened oysters, as opposed to harvesting them. Not until the 1970s did pearl farming became a major enterprise in the pristine waters around Tahiti.