Pure Pearls Glossary

Know exactly what you are buying

300 pearl and jewellery terms, each one linked to a piece you can hold.

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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.

Karat versus carat, 22K and 18K, 916, plating, vermeil and what a BIS hallmark proves.

Ruby, emerald, sapphire and zircon, their Indian names, and the cuts from princess to cabochon.

925 silver, platinum, brass and the alloys and finishes a piece is actually built from.

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.

Making charges, wastage, gold rate, GST, buyback and what a piece is actually worth.

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1–6 of 6

Two different minerals sold under one name: jadeite, the rarer and more valuable, and nephrite.

A string of 108 beads used for counting mantra repetitions, with a larger guru bead marking the start.

1 in stock · from ₹12,000

A hanging fringe along the lower edge of a piece, usually of small pearls or drops.

A bell or dome-shaped earring, usually fringed with pearls or beads around the rim. The most recognisable Indian earring form.

The Kerala and Tamil name for a bell-shaped drop earring, the regional form of the jhumka.

A small metal ring joining two parts of a piece. The commonest failure point after the clasp.

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