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
121–144 of 300
Hank
The wholesale unit for loose pearls: several temporarily strung strands tied together, usually ten to a hank.
Hansli
A rigid neck ring worn close to the throat, open at the back. One of the oldest Indian ornament forms.
Haram
The long South Indian necklace worn beneath a choker, reaching the chest or below. The counterpart to the northern rani haar.
Heart Cut
A brilliant cut in a heart outline. Difficult to cut well and unforgiving of asymmetry.
HUID
The six-character code stamped on every hallmarked Indian gold item, unique to that single piece.
Hypoallergenic
Metal unlikely to cause a skin reaction. In practice it means nickel-free, since nickel causes most jewellery allergies.
Imitation Pearl
A glass or plastic bead with a pearlescent coating. No nacre, no mollusc, no pearl.
Jade
Two different minerals sold under one name: jadeite, the rarer and more valuable, and nephrite.
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
Jhalar
A hanging fringe along the lower edge of a piece, usually of small pearls or drops.
Jhumka
A bell or dome-shaped earring, usually fringed with pearls or beads around the rim. The most recognisable Indian earring form.
Jimikki
The Kerala and Tamil name for a bell-shaped drop earring, the regional form of the jhumka.
Jump Ring
A small metal ring joining two parts of a piece. The commonest failure point after the clasp.
Kada
A heavy rigid bracelet, broader and more substantial than an ordinary bangle. Worn by men and women.
Kamarbandh
A jewelled waist belt worn over a saree or lehenga. Vaddanam is the South Indian form.
Kanthi
A short necklace sitting close at the base of the neck. Also the devotional bead strand worn by Vaishnavas.
Karanphool
A flower-shaped ear ornament, traditionally worn with a chain that takes the weight from the hair.
Karat
The purity of gold, measured in twenty-fourths. 24K is pure gold; 22K is 22 parts gold to 2 parts other metal.
Karigar
The craftsman who actually makes the jewellery, usually working for the jeweller rather than for the customer.
Kasu Malai
A necklace strung with rows of coins, usually stamped with Lakshmi. Kasu means coin in Tamil.
Kasumi Pearl
A large freshwater pearl from Lake Kasumigaura in Japan, known for soft metallic apricot and lavender tones.
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.
Kolhapuri Saj
A Maharashtrian necklace of leaf-shaped pendants, traditionally twenty-one, each carrying its own meaning.