Robert Wan Pearl Museum, Pearl museum in Papeete, French Polynesia.
The Robert Wan Pearl Museum is a museum in central Papeete, French Polynesia, devoted entirely to the Tahitian pearl. It displays pearls at different stages of growth alongside the tools used in farming, showing how each pearl forms inside the oyster and the wide range of shapes that result.
Robert Wan, French Polynesia's best known pearl trader, founded this museum to preserve the story of Tahitian pearl farming, which took off during the second half of the 20th century. The cultivation of the black-lipped oyster spread across the Tuamotu atolls and brought a new source of income to many island communities.
Tahitian pearls appear throughout Papeete's markets and shops, and the museum helps visitors understand why they matter so much locally. The collection shows the full range of natural colors, from deep green to aubergine, that local growers have come to know well.
The museum is in central Papeete, within walking distance of the main market and the waterfront. A visit usually takes under an hour, though it can run longer if you spend time studying the cases with rarer specimens.
The museum holds what is considered the largest Tahitian pearl ever produced, a piece that draws a second look even from people who know pearls well. It sits among the other items without a great deal of ceremony, which makes finding it part of the visit.
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