Know exactly what you are buying
300 pearl and jewellery terms, each one linked to a piece you can hold.
Where would you like to begin?
Types of Pearl
Freshwater, saltwater, South Sea, keshi, and how to tell a real pearl from a coated bead.
Shapes
Round, baroque, drop, coin and the rest, and what each one is worth paying for.
Quality & Grading
What AAA actually means, plus lustre, nacre, orient and the claims to be sceptical of.
Size & Length
Millimetres, choker to rope, bangle sizing, and which length suits which neckline.
Jewellery Styles
Jhumka, mangalsutra, kundan, polki, temple work and the rest of the Indian vocabulary.
Gold & Hallmarking
Karat versus carat, 22K and 18K, 916, plating, vermeil and what a BIS hallmark proves.
Gemstones & Cuts
Ruby, emerald, sapphire and zircon, their Indian names, and the cuts from princess to cabochon.
Metals & Plating
925 silver, platinum, brass and the alloys and finishes a piece is actually built from.
Clasps & Construction
Clasps, knotting, drilling and settings, the parts that decide whether a piece survives.
Care & Authenticity
Storing pearls, the tooth test, restringing, and the astrological terms buyers ask about.
Buying & Value
Making charges, wastage, gold rate, GST, buyback and what a piece is actually worth.
Care & Authenticity
1–14 of 14
Dosham-Free Pearl
A pearl free of the specific flaws that Vedic astrology considers inauspicious: cracks, pits, spots and irregular colour.
102 in stock · from ₹7,245
Moon Dasha
The planetary period ruled by the Moon in Vedic astrology, during which a pearl is most commonly prescribed.
101 in stock · from ₹7,245
Moti
The Hindi word for pearl, and in Vedic astrology the gemstone of the Moon, worn to strengthen Chandra.
101 in stock · from ₹7,245
Pearl Care
Pearls are soft and porous. They need to go on last, come off first, and be stored apart from everything else.
Pearl Restoration
Lightly polishing away a damaged outer nacre layer to reveal fresh nacre beneath. Only possible on thick-nacre pearls.
Peeling
Nacre lifting or flaking away from a pearl, exposing the bead beneath. Terminal, and caused by thin nacre or chemical damage.
Re-plating
Restoring a worn plated finish. Routine maintenance for white gold and plated pieces, not a repair.
Restringing
Replacing the thread a strand is built on. Routine maintenance, not repair, and overdue on most pearl necklaces.
Steam Cleaning
Cleaning with a jet of high-pressure steam. Fast and effective on hard stones, unsafe for pearls and soft gems.
Storage
Where and how a piece is kept between wears. More damage happens in the box than on the body.
Tarnish
The dark film that forms on silver as it reacts with sulphur in the air. Surface only, and it polishes off.
Tooth Test
Rub a pearl gently against the edge of a tooth. Real nacre feels faintly gritty; an imitation feels glassy smooth.
Ultrasonic Cleaner
A tank that cleans by vibrating a liquid at high frequency. Excellent for diamonds and destructive to pearls.
Yellowing
The gradual browning of old pearls as the protein binding the nacre oxidises. Usually irreversible.