Pure Pearls Glossary
Mother of Pearl
The iridescent nacre lining of a mollusc shell — the same material as a pearl, but formed as a sheet rather than a bead.
Mother of pearl is the shell's inner coating. Chemically it is identical to a pearl: aragonite platelets bound by conchiolin, layered so light interferes and shimmers.
It is carved, cut and inlaid into pendants, dials, buttons and jewellery panels. Its rainbow flash comes from the same structure that gives a pearl its orient.
Because it comes in sheets, it can be shaped into flowers, discs and geometric panels that no pearl could be cut into.
When you are buying
Mother of pearl gives you the pearl look across a much larger surface for far less money. It is the sensible way to get scale in a statement piece.
Mother of pearl pieces
14 pieces in the collection right now, from ₹2,500.
The Facet Set — Mother of Pearl Pendant & Earrings
The Prism Set — Mother of Pearl Pendant & Earrings
Magnificent White Pearl Necklace With A Stallion Pendant
Beautiful Black 6mm Round Pearls 20Inches Necklace With Mother Of Pearl Pendant
Pretty Peach Pearl Necklace in Mother of Pearl Flower Pendant
Shiny Oval Pearl Necklace in Mother of Pearl Flower Pendant
SaleGraceful Baroque Pearl Necklace Set with Mother of Pearl Pendant
High-Class Copper Colour Necklace with Mother of Pearl
Read next
Nacre
The material a pearl is made of: microscopic aragonite platelets glued in layers by conchiolin. Thickness determines both lustre and lifespan.
Orient
The faint shifting rainbow that plays across the surface of a fine pearl, distinct from its lustre or its colour.
Mabe Pearl
A half-dome pearl grown against the inside of the shell rather than free in the tissue. Flat-backed, so it suits rings and pendants.
Shell Pearl
A bead ground from shell and coated to look like a pearl. Not grown by a mollusc, so not a pearl.
Not sure what you are being sold?
Paste any pearl description — another shop’s listing, a message from a jeweller, an old certificate — and we will break it down term by term.