Hank
The wholesale unit for loose pearls: several temporarily strung strands tied together, usually ten to a hank.
Pearls leave the farm temporarily strung, sorted by size and quality, with the strands bundled into hanks.
A hank is sold by weight in momme and by the quality of the sort, not as finished jewellery.
The retailer then re-sorts, matches and strings them properly, which is where a good deal of the value is added.
When you are buying
Temporary stringing is not knotted and is not meant to be worn. If a strand arrives on plain thread with no knots and no proper clasp, it has not been finished.
Momme
A Japanese unit of weight used in the pearl trade, equal to 3.75 grams. Used wholesale, rarely at retail.
Parcel
A quantity of loose stones sold together, folded into a paper, priced as a group rather than individually.
Knotting
A knot tied between each pearl on the thread. It stops pearls rubbing and limits a break to a single lost pearl.
Stringing
The thread a strand is built on, and the craft of assembling it.
Matching
How consistently the pearls within one piece agree on size, colour, lustre and shape. A grading factor in its own right.