What to expect
Black Pearl once offered three attractions in one: the Giant Clam Farm, the Pearl Farm and the Black Pearl Shop. According to the operator, more than 40,000 giant clams could be seen, with explanations of how they are fed and of the breeding site at the Black Pearl Ocean Farm. Black pearls were cultivated here at the first and only pearl farm in the Indian Ocean.
Next to the farm is the Black Pearl Shop, which sells a selection of beautiful, high-quality jewellery and other exotic creations made from the black-lip oyster farmed in the Seychelles. You can choose from a range of matching rings, earrings or pendants, designed and made by Linneys, the internationally award-winning Western Australian jewellers. Set in yellow or white 18-carat gold and studded with silvery diamonds, many of the pieces are truly one of a kind.
Pearls and giant clams
The farming was based on the black-lip oyster (Pinctada margaritifera). The larvae were collected in the lagoon and first grew on lines. After about a year in the tanks, each oyster was given a small nucleus, around which the pearl forms. Roughly another two years passed before harvest, and in the end only about one pearl in ten was considered flawless. The first pearls from the Seychelles were harvested in 1997, and the farm had been founded by a Norwegian family.
The colours range from silvery blue through grey and gold to copper, and the shapes vary too: round, oval, teardrop or baroque. The site also kept giant clams of the species Tridacna maxima, which has become rare in many areas.
Getting there
Black Pearl is in Amitié on Praslin, opposite the island's airport and only a few minutes' walk from it. If you are arriving at or leaving from the airport anyway, it is easy to fit in a visit before or after, provided the shop is open.
Opening hours, admission and payment
The following details come from earlier publications. They are not currently confirmed.
| Information | Previously listed |
|---|---|
| Monday to Friday | 09.00 to 16.00 hrs |
| Saturday | 09.00 to 12.00 hrs |
| Sunday | Closed |
| Entry fee (guided tour) | SCR 50.00 per person (not confirmed as of November 2026) |
| Payment | Cash (Euro, Rupees (SCR), US dollars, Swiss francs), MasterCard, Visa, Traveller's Cheques |
According to earlier information, the shop itself could be entered free of charge. Traveller's cheques are hardly used any more today. For general advice on cash and cards, see Money & Banks.
Tips and what is nearby
- If you want to buy pearl jewellery, compare prices and ask for a certificate of authenticity and a proper receipt. Several visitors found the jewellery expensive.
- If you only want to see the farm, keep your expectations low, as the tanks are reportedly no longer in use.
- For the rest of the day, other places on Praslin are worth considering: the Praslin Museum, the UNESCO World Heritage Site Vallée de Mai or the beaches near Anse Volbert. More ideas are collected on the page Sights in the Seychelles.
