Pure Pearls Glossary

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?

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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A natural resin used as a lightweight core inside hollow jewellery, and as the body of Rajasthani lac bangles.

An opaque deep blue rock flecked with gold pyrite. One of the oldest ornamental stones in use.

Wearing several necklaces of different lengths together, so each one reads separately.

163 in stock · from ₹1,800

How many parallel strands a necklace is made from. A 3-line necklace has three rows running together into one clasp.

14 in stock · from ₹2,850

A spring-loaded hook shaped like a lobster claw. The most secure everyday clasp and the modern default.

Carving a design in wax, encasing it in plaster, melting the wax out and filling the cavity with metal.

How sharply a pearl reflects light. The single most important quality factor, and the one you can judge without any training.

When you are ready