Pure Pearls Glossary
Round
A true sphere. The rarest and most expensive pearl shape, and the benchmark every other shape is priced against.
Roundness is judged by rolling the pearl on a flat surface. A true round rolls straight; anything off-round wobbles.
In freshwater pearls, which grow without a round bead inside them, genuine roundness is uncommon and priced accordingly. In saltwater pearls it is the norm, because the implanted bead is round to begin with.
A round strand also has to be matched. Twenty individually round pearls that vary in size or colour still make a poor necklace.
When you are buying
Round is worth paying for in a classic single-strand necklace, where the eye follows an unbroken line and any wobble shows. In earrings and pendants, where pearls sit apart, semi-round costs meaningfully less and looks nearly identical.
Round pearl jewellery
184 pieces in the collection right now, from ₹1,800.
Dainty 18Inch Black Beads Necklace With White Pearl & SP Emerald Beads
Simple 18Inch Black Beads Necklace With White Pearl & SP Ruby Beads
Delicate 17Inch Black Beads Necklace With 9mm Round White Pearl
Trendy Pearl Necklace in Pearls and Rose Quartz
Elegant 4.5mm Round White Pearls Necklace With Raam Darbar Kaasu Pendant
Radiant 4mm Round White Pearls Necklace With Lakshmi Kaasu & SP Ruby Beads
Exquisite 6.5mm Midnight Blue Pearls Double Knotted 20 Inch Necklace
Pretty Peach Pearl Necklace With Zircon Roundels
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Semi-Round
Very slightly out of true — round to the eye, measurably not. The best value in the whole shape range.
Roundish
Recognisably round in outline but visibly imperfect on close inspection.
Off-Round
A catch-all for pearls that aim at round and miss. Covers semi-round through roundish.
Matching
How consistently the pearls within one piece agree on size, colour, lustre and shape. A grading factor in its own right.
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.