Pure Pearls Glossary

Know exactly what you are buying

6 terms starting with T, each linked to the pieces we actually have.

Decode a listing

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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.

Showing 1 to 6 of 6

A necklace of many fine parallel strands gathered into one clasp. Traditional Hyderabadi pearl work.

18 in stock · from ₹1,500

A naturally dark saltwater pearl from the black-lipped oyster of French Polynesia. Grey to near-black, with green, aubergine or peacock overtones.

38 in stock · from ₹400

South Indian jewellery in a deity and motif vocabulary, originally made to adorn temple idols and now worn by dancers and brides.

53 in stock · from ₹2,800

A Rajasthani craft that fuses pierced sheet gold onto coloured glass, producing a stained-glass effect.

5 in stock · from ₹5,880

Grown around a scrap of mantle tissue instead of a bead, so the pearl is solid nacre throughout. The freshwater method.

Rub a pearl gently against the edge of a tooth. Real nacre feels faintly gritty; an imitation feels glassy smooth.

Every term here links to what we actually have in stock. Or start from the collection and filter your way in.