Pure Pearls Glossary

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?

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.

Karat versus carat, 22K and 18K, 916, plating, vermeil and what a BIS hallmark proves.

Ruby, emerald, sapphire and zircon, their Indian names, and the cuts from princess to cabochon.

925 silver, platinum, brass and the alloys and finishes a piece is actually built from.

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.

Making charges, wastage, gold rate, GST, buyback and what a piece is actually worth.

Or jump to a letter

25–29 of 29

Lumpy and roughly oval, with visible dimples. The most economical real freshwater pearl.

3 in stock · from ₹2,250

A square brilliant cut. Nearly as much sparkle as a round, with far less of the rough crystal wasted.

About 17 to 19 inches, resting just below the collarbone. The default necklace length, and the safest gift.

172 in stock · from ₹1,800

Small metal claws gripping a stone at its edges. Maximum light, minimum protection.

Where a pearl or stone came from. It can multiply the price, and it is the hardest claim to verify.

When you are ready