Pure Pearls Glossary
Know exactly what you are buying
9 terms on care & authenticity, each linked to the pieces we actually have.
Decode a listing
Paste a description from anywhere. We will tell you what it actually says, what to be wary of, and what the same thing costs here.
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Freshwater, saltwater, South Sea, keshi, and how to tell a real pearl from a coated bead.
Round, baroque, drop, coin and the rest, and what each one is worth paying for.
What AAA actually means, plus lustre, nacre, orient and the claims to be sceptical of.
Millimetres, choker to rope, bangle sizing, and which length suits which neckline.
Jhumka, mangalsutra, kundan, polki, temple work and the rest of the Indian vocabulary.
925 silver, plating thickness, American diamond, coral, hallmarks and karat versus carat.
Clasps, knotting, drilling and settings — the parts that decide whether a piece survives.
Storing pearls, the tooth test, restringing, and the astrological terms buyers ask about.
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Care & Authenticity
Showing 1 to 9 of 9
Dosham-Free Pearl
A pearl free of the specific flaws that Vedic astrology considers inauspicious — cracks, pits, spots and irregular colour.
16 in stock · from ₹7,700
Moon Dasha
The planetary period ruled by the Moon in Vedic astrology, during which a pearl is most commonly prescribed.
16 in stock · from ₹7,700
Moti
The Hindi word for pearl, and in Vedic astrology the gemstone of the Moon, worn to strengthen Chandra.
16 in stock · from ₹7,700
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.
Restringing
Replacing the thread a strand is built on. Routine maintenance, not repair, and overdue on most pearl necklaces.
Tooth Test
Rub a pearl gently against the edge of a tooth. Real nacre feels faintly gritty; an imitation feels glassy smooth.
Yellowing
The gradual browning of old pearls as the protein binding the nacre oxidises. Usually irreversible.
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