Pure Pearls Glossary
Know exactly what you are buying
12 terms starting with M, each linked to the pieces we actually have.
Decode a listing
Paste a description from anywhere. We will tell you what it actually says, what to be wary of, and what the same thing costs here.
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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.
Or by letter
Terms starting with M
Showing 1 to 12 of 12
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
Still deciding?
Every term here links to what we actually have in stock. Or start from the collection and filter your way in.