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.

Or jump to a letter

1–2 of 2

A purple non-nacreous pearl from the North Atlantic hard clam. Rare, and found by accident in the food trade.

The most common gem mineral, covering amethyst, citrine, rose quartz, smoky quartz and clear rock crystal.

18 in stock · from ₹2,700

When you are ready