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
145–168 of 300
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.
45 in stock · from ₹2,700
Lac
A natural resin used as a lightweight core inside hollow jewellery, and as the body of Rajasthani lac bangles.
Lapis Lazuli
An opaque deep blue rock flecked with gold pyrite. One of the oldest ornamental stones in use.
Layering
Wearing several necklaces of different lengths together, so each one reads separately.
155 in stock · from ₹1,800
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.
Lost Wax Casting
Carving a design in wax, encasing it in plaster, melting the wax out and filling the cavity with metal.
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.
Madras Screw
A South Indian earring fitting: a short rounded post through the ear, with a disc-shaped screw that twists onto the stem behind it.
Maeshori
The Japanese pre-treatment given to pearls after harvest to bring up lustre before they are sold.
Magnetic Clasp
Two magnets that snap together. The easiest clasp to use and the least secure.
Making Charges
What you pay for craftsmanship on top of the metal, charged either per gram or as a percentage.
Manga Malai
A South Indian necklace of mango-shaped motifs, the paisley form that recurs throughout Indian design.
Mangalsutra
The necklace a married Hindu woman wears, traditionally black beads on gold with a distinctive pendant.
5 in stock · from ₹1,800
Marquise Cut
A long pointed oval, tapering to a point at both ends. Looks larger than its weight and elongates the finger.
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
Melo Pearl
A rare orange non-nacreous pearl from the Melo melo sea snail of Southeast Asia. Flame-patterned, like a conch pearl.
Micron Plating
The thickness of a plated layer, in thousandths of a millimetre. The single number that determines how long a finish lasts.
Milgrain
A row of tiny raised metal beads along an edge, used to soften and finish a border.