Pure Pearls Glossary
Know exactly what you are buying
120 pearl and jewellery terms in plain English — and every one of them linked to the pieces we actually have.
Decode a listing
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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.
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Every term
Showing 97 to 120 of 120
Round
A true sphere. The rarest and most expensive pearl shape, and the benchmark every other shape is priced against.
184 in stock · from ₹1,800
Roundish
Recognisably round in outline but visibly imperfect on close inspection.
16 in stock · from ₹4,760
Saltwater Pearl
A pearl grown in an oyster in the sea. Rounder and rarer than freshwater, and considerably more expensive.
42 in stock · from ₹4,760
Screw Back
An earring post with a threaded end and a nut that screws on. The most secure earring fastening.
Screw Clasp
Two halves that screw together, usually shaped as a small ball. Traditional on Indian pearl necklaces and very secure.
Seed Pearl
A very small pearl, under about 2mm, used in clusters, embroidery and temple work.
9 in stock · from ₹5,040
Semi-Round
Very slightly out of true — round to the eye, measurably not. The best value in the whole shape range.
133 in stock · from ₹2,600
Shell Pearl
A bead ground from shell and coated to look like a pearl. Not grown by a mollusc, so not a pearl.
Side Pendant
A necklace whose pendant sits off to one side rather than at the centre front.
42 in stock · from ₹7,700
South Sea Pearl
The largest commercially grown pearl, from the gold-lipped or silver-lipped oyster. Typically 9mm to 16mm, white to deep gold.
39 in stock · from ₹7,700
Spacer
A small bar with several holes that keeps the rows of a multi-line necklace parallel and untangled.
Statement Piece
A single piece large or distinctive enough to carry an outfit by itself.
5 in stock · from ₹3,500
Stringing
The thread a strand is built on, and the craft of assembling it.
Stud
An earring that sits directly on the lobe, held by a post through the piercing.
96 in stock · from ₹1,000
Stud Size
The pearl diameter on a stud earring. 6mm to 8mm is everyday; 9mm and up is a statement.
31 in stock · from ₹1,000
Surface Blemish
Pits, bumps, creases and dull patches on a pearl's surface. Some marking is present on essentially every pearl.
Taar Mala
A necklace of many fine parallel strands gathered into one clasp. Traditional Hyderabadi pearl work.
18 in stock · from ₹1,500
Tahitian Pearl
A naturally dark saltwater pearl from the black-lipped oyster of French Polynesia. Grey to near-black, with green, aubergine or peacock overtones.
38 in stock · from ₹400
Temple Jewellery
South Indian jewellery in a deity and motif vocabulary, originally made to adorn temple idols and now worn by dancers and brides.
53 in stock · from ₹2,800
Thewa
A Rajasthani craft that fuses pierced sheet gold onto coloured glass, producing a stained-glass effect.
5 in stock · from ₹5,880
Tissue Nucleated
Grown around a scrap of mantle tissue instead of a bead, so the pearl is solid nacre throughout. The freshwater method.
Tooth Test
Rub a pearl gently against the edge of a tooth. Real nacre feels faintly gritty; an imitation feels glassy smooth.
Uniform Strand
A strand where every pearl is the same size, within a tight tolerance.
Yellowing
The gradual browning of old pearls as the protein binding the nacre oxidises. Usually irreversible.
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