Pure Pearls Glossary
Oval
Symmetrically elongated, like an egg. Reads as elegant rather than compromised, and flatters a longer neckline.
An oval pearl is longer on one axis but still symmetrical around it. That symmetry is what separates oval from baroque.
Ovals hang with their long axis vertical, which subtly lengthens the line of a necklace or a drop earring.
In freshwater production oval is extremely common, so an oval strand of a given size and lustre costs far less than the round equivalent.
When you are buying
For drop earrings and pendants, oval is often the better aesthetic choice, not merely the cheaper one. The shape follows the direction the piece already hangs.
Oval pearl jewellery
127 pieces in the collection right now, from ₹1,800.
Very Simple Pearl Necklace in Gold Colour Chain
9 Moti Pearl Set - In Finest Hand Picked Grey Pearls
Precious White Oval Pearl 15Inch Necklace With A Wintery Rhodium Finish Pendant
Dainty White Oval Pearl 15Inch Necklace With A Starry Rhodium Finish Pendant
Pretty White Oval Pearl 15Inch Necklace With A Cute Floral Rhodium Finish Pendant
Simple 19Inch Necklace With 3mm White Oval Pearls & Kemp Lotus Pendant
Sleek String Of Oval White Pearls With Trinity Kundan Pendant
Subtle Lavender Oval Pearls Necklace With White Pearls & CZ Spacers
Read next
Drop
Tapered at one end and rounded at the other, like a teardrop. Highly valued when the taper is symmetrical.
Rice Pearl
A small elongated freshwater pearl shaped like a grain of rice, usually with visible surface rippling.
Baroque
Any pearl with no axis of symmetry. Once treated as a reject, now the shape most associated with contemporary pearl design.
Semi-Round
Very slightly out of true — round to the eye, measurably not. The best value in the whole shape range.
Not sure what you are being sold?
Paste any pearl description — another shop’s listing, a message from a jeweller, an old certificate — and we will break it down term by term.