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.
Clasps & Construction
25–39 of 39
Madras Screw
A South Indian earring fitting: a short rounded post through the ear, with a disc-shaped screw that twists onto the stem behind it.
Magnetic Clasp
Two magnets that snap together. The easiest clasp to use and the least secure.
Milgrain
A row of tiny raised metal beads along an edge, used to soften and finish a border.
Pave Setting
Many tiny stones set close together with minimal metal showing, so the surface reads as continuous sparkle.
Prong Setting
Small metal claws gripping a stone at its edges. Maximum light, minimum protection.
Safety Chain
A short secondary chain bridging a clasp, so the piece is still held if the main clasp opens.
Screw Back
An earring post with a threaded end and a nut that screws on. The most secure earring fastening.
Screw Clasp
Two halves that screw together, usually shaped as a small ball. Traditional on Indian pearl necklaces and very secure.
Shank
The band of a ring, everything except the setting and stones. Where resizing happens.
Side-Drilled
Drilled across the narrow end rather than through the length, so a drop pearl hangs point upward.
Solder
The alloy used to join two pieces of metal with heat. Every join in a piece of jewellery is a solder seam.
Spacer
A small bar with several holes that keeps the rows of a multi-line necklace parallel and untangled.
Stringing
The thread a strand is built on, and the craft of assembling it.
Tassel
A bunch of threads or beaded strands hanging from a cord end or a pendant. Latkan in the north, kuchu in the south.
Toggle Clasp
A bar that drops through a ring and lies across it. Easy to fasten one-handed, and only as secure as the tension holding it.