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?
Types of Pearl
Freshwater, saltwater, South Sea, keshi, and how to tell a real pearl from a coated bead.
Shapes
Round, baroque, drop, coin and the rest, and what each one is worth paying for.
Quality & Grading
What AAA actually means, plus lustre, nacre, orient and the claims to be sceptical of.
Size & Length
Millimetres, choker to rope, bangle sizing, and which length suits which neckline.
Jewellery Styles
Jhumka, mangalsutra, kundan, polki, temple work and the rest of the Indian vocabulary.
Gold & Hallmarking
Karat versus carat, 22K and 18K, 916, plating, vermeil and what a BIS hallmark proves.
Gemstones & Cuts
Ruby, emerald, sapphire and zircon, their Indian names, and the cuts from princess to cabochon.
Metals & Plating
925 silver, platinum, brass and the alloys and finishes a piece is actually built from.
Clasps & Construction
Clasps, knotting, drilling and settings, the parts that decide whether a piece survives.
Care & Authenticity
Storing pearls, the tooth test, restringing, and the astrological terms buyers ask about.
Buying & Value
Making charges, wastage, gold rate, GST, buyback and what a piece is actually worth.
Every term
97–120 of 300
French Wire
A fine coil of wire threaded over the silk at each end of a strand, protecting the thread where it turns at the clasp.
Freshwater Pearl
A pearl grown inside a mussel in a river or lake, rather than an oyster in the sea. Most pearl jewellery sold today is freshwater.
916 in stock · from ₹400
Full-Drilled
A pearl drilled all the way through so thread can pass. How every strand pearl is prepared.
Garnet
A family of stones rather than one, running from deep red to green. Hessonite garnet is gomed, the stone of Rahu.
11 in stock · from ₹3,750
Gemstone
Any mineral or organic material cut for jewellery. Traditionally split into precious (diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald) and semi-precious.
15 in stock · from ₹1,600
Ghungroo
A small metal bell strung onto anklets and jewellery, so the piece is heard as well as seen.
Gold Filled
A thick layer of gold mechanically bonded to a base metal, legally at least 5% of the item's weight. Far more durable than plating.
Gold Plating
A thin layer of gold deposited over a base metal. Gives the colour of gold at a fraction of the cost, and wears off over time.
Gold Polish
An Indian trade term for a thin gold-coloured plating over base metal. Not a purity, and not solid gold.
Gold Rate
The day's price of gold per gram at a stated purity. The base every gold bill is built on.
Gold Savings Scheme
A monthly instalment plan run by a jeweller, redeemed against jewellery, often with a bonus instalment at the end.
Gold Vermeil
Gold plating over sterling silver rather than base metal, at a defined minimum thickness. The best of the plated family.
Graduated
A strand where pearls increase in size from the clasp to the centre: small at the neck, largest at the throat.
32 in stock · from ₹4,900
Granulation
Tiny metal spheres fused to a surface to build texture and pattern, with no visible solder.
GST on Jewellery
Goods and Services Tax on jewellery in India: 3% on the value of the piece, plus 5% on making charges.
Guluband
A broad flat band worn tight at the throat, traditionally mounted on fabric and tied with a dori.
Guttapusalu
A South Indian necklace where clusters of small pearls hang in bunches from a metal frame, said to resemble a fish's roe.
Haath Phool
A hand ornament linking a bracelet to one or more finger rings by chains across the back of the hand.
Hair Pin
A decorative pin worn in a bun or plait. Juda pin in the north, and part of the jadai set in the south.
Half-Drilled
A pearl drilled only partway through, so it can be cemented onto a post. How pearls are mounted in studs and rings.
Hallmark
An official stamp certifying precious metal purity. In India, BIS hallmarking is mandatory for gold jewellery.
Halo Setting
A ring of small stones encircling a larger centre, making it look bigger and brighter.
Hanadama
A Japanese certification for the top tier of Akoya pearls, issued by an independent laboratory rather than a seller.
Hangings
Earrings that hang below the lobe, as opposed to studs that sit on it. The everyday Indian term for drop earrings.