Tuamotu Archipelago and the Gambier Islands

The Tuamotu Archipelago is entirely made up of atolls spread out over more than 1000 km from North to South, among which we can name many exceptional sites for pearl cultivation like Ahe, Fakarava, Aratika, Takaroa….
The Gambier Islands, situated further to the South, in the cooler waters, produce pearls that have very specific qualities. 
It is at the heart of these two groups of islands that the pearl industry in French Polynesia has developed. 
Benefiting from particularly good conditions from a climatic and ecological point of view, pearl cultivation was able to be developed in these lagoons, as they are sheltered from the strong swells that run through the south pacific, and of course of the proliferation of a species of oyster called Pinctada Magaritifera which can be found in all the islands of the archipelago. 
However certain islands are particularly well reputed for the cultivation of pearls, for example the islands of Rikitea in the Gambier and Ahe, Takaroa and Fakarava in the Tuamotu Archipelago. 

These islands now have ultra modern facilities that allow a much easier life, regular air connections, cell phones, satellite TV, solar energy, international telecommunications, internet, etc …


≪ pinctada margaritifera ≫  

The culture of pearls has been growing in the Tuamotu and Gambier archipelagoes thanks to their particularly favorable lagoons' conditions.