Pure Pearls Glossary
Know exactly what you are buying
120 pearl and jewellery terms in plain English — and every one of them linked to the pieces we actually have.
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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.
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Every term
Showing 49 to 72 of 120
Imitation Pearl
A glass or plastic bead with a pearlescent coating. No nacre, no mollusc, no pearl.
Japa Mala
A string of 108 beads used for counting mantra repetitions, with a larger guru bead marking the start.
1 in stock · from ₹12,000
Jhumka
A bell or dome-shaped earring, usually fringed with pearls or beads around the rim. The most recognisable Indian earring form.
25 in stock · from ₹1,400
Karat vs Carat
Karat measures gold purity out of 24. Carat measures gemstone weight. They sound identical and mean entirely different things.
Keshi Pearl
A pearl that forms by accident with no nucleus at all, so it is solid nacre. Irregular in shape and unusually bright.
1 in stock · from ₹18,200
Knotting
A knot tied between each pearl on the thread. It stops pearls rubbing and limits a break to a single lost pearl.
Korean Metal
A light, corrosion-resistant alloy widely used for fashion jewellery findings. Holds plating well and does not rust.
Kundan
A setting technique where highly refined gold foil is pressed around stones to hold them, with no prongs or claws.
48 in stock · from ₹2,500
Lines
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
Lobster Clasp
A spring-loaded hook shaped like a lobster claw. The most secure everyday clasp and the modern default.
Lustre
How sharply a pearl reflects light. The single most important quality factor, and the one you can judge without any training.
Maang Tikka
A head ornament worn along the hair parting, with a pendant resting on the forehead.
2 in stock · from ₹3,920
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.
Mangalsutra
The necklace a married Hindu woman wears, traditionally black beads on gold with a distinctive pendant.
5 in stock · from ₹1,800
Matching
How consistently the pearls within one piece agree on size, colour, lustre and shape. A grading factor in its own right.
Matinee Length
Roughly 20 to 24 inches, falling on the chest. Reads as daywear rather than evening formality.
103 in stock · from ₹3,500
Meenakari
Coloured enamel fused into engraved metal, most often on the reverse of kundan jewellery.
9 in stock · from ₹5,600
Micron Plating
The thickness of a plated layer, in thousandths of a millimetre. The single number that determines how long a finish lasts.
Millimetre (mm)
The unit every pearl is measured in. One millimetre of difference is clearly visible on the neck.
Moon Dasha
The planetary period ruled by the Moon in Vedic astrology, during which a pearl is most commonly prescribed.
16 in stock · from ₹7,700
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.
14 in stock · from ₹2,500
Moti
The Hindi word for pearl, and in Vedic astrology the gemstone of the Moon, worn to strengthen Chandra.
16 in stock · from ₹7,700
Multi Shaded
A piece deliberately strung from pearls of different colours, arranged as a gradient or a scatter.
27 in stock · from ₹1,600
Nacre
The material a pearl is made of: microscopic aragonite platelets glued in layers by conchiolin. Thickness determines both lustre and lifespan.
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