Every pearl that comes out of our lagoon is different, so before any of them become jewelry, we sort and grade the entire harvest by hand. At Anuna Pearl we use the traditional Tahitian pearl grading scale - A, B, C, and D - the same system used across French Polynesia. Here is exactly what those grades mean and how we judge a pearl's quality.

The letter grade of a Tahitian pearl comes down mainly to two things: its luster and the cleanliness of its surface. Grade A is the finest and Grade D is the most affordable. This chart shows what to expect from each grade:

You may see some sellers add an "A+" or "Gem" grade above A for their very finest pearls. Whatever the label, the principle is the same: the cleaner the surface and the brighter the luster, the higher the grade.

Of everything we look at, luster is the heart of a pearl's quality. Luster is the depth and sharpness of the reflection on the surface - hold a fine pearl up and you can almost see yourself in it. A pearl with dull luster is downgraded no matter how clean its surface, because luster is what gives a Tahitian pearl its life. Strong luster comes from many thin, even layers of nacre, which is why the way a pearl is grown matters so much.

Beyond the letter grade, several qualities together determine what a pearl is worth:

• Luster - the brightness and sharpness of the surface reflection.
• Surface quality - how few natural marks or blemishes the pearl carries.
• Shape - from perfectly round to freely baroque. Round is the rarest. You can read more on our pearl shapes page.
• Size - measured in millimeters. Larger pearls are scarcer and command more.
• Color - body color and overtone. Color is a unique value, and pearls of rare coloring are valued differently than others. Our Tahitian pearls page covers the full color range.

Nacre is what a pearl is made of. Also called mother-of-pearl, it's the smooth, iridescent material an oyster produces to line its shell and coat anything that settles inside. In a Tahitian pearl, the black-lipped oyster builds nacre in thousands of microscopic layers around a nucleus. Those layers are what give a pearl its glow and its shifting colors - light bends and reflects through them instead of bouncing off flatly. The thicker the nacre, the deeper that glow and the longer it lasts, which is why the time an oyster spends growing a pearl matters so much.

Because we farm our own pearls, grading is not something we take on trust from a supplier - we do it ourselves, by hand, on every harvest. That means when we describe a pearl's grade, it comes from the people who grew it. It also means we can offer honest pricing across the whole scale, from our finest A-grade pearls to characterful, affordable pieces further down it.

Whatever grade you choose, every pearl was grown in our lagoon and selected by hand. Explore our collection to find yours.