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Learning Center

Glossary of Jewelry Terms

ASTERISM     A "star" or pattern of rays, typically six rays, crossing in a single spot on a cabochon cut gemstone when viewed under a single source of light.  Star Sapphire is one of the best known examples of a gemstone that exhibits the phenomenon known as an asterism.

ANNIVERSARY BAND     Typically given for wedding anniversaries, a ring set with one or more rows of gems, usually Diamonds.  The diamonds may  go completely, three quarters or half way around the finger.  Any anniversary is appropriate for giving this ring, however, recently the Diamond anniversary band has been promoted in major advertising campaigns as the perfect gift for the tenth wedding anniversary.  An anniversary band can be used in addition to, or instead of a traditional wedding ring.

ASCHER CUT    

A square "step cut stone, similar to an Emerald Cut but square with cut corners making 8 edges around the girdle. 

BANGLE

A stiff bracelet that slides over the hand to put it on. . A "flexible bangle" is one which opens flat and is stiff when closed.  Bangles may be completely solid or open at the ends which pass each other creating a cuff style bracelet also sometimes called a bangle.  This style bracelet often twists on from the side of the wrist.  It is very common to see people wearing several bangle bracelets together.

BAROQUE PEARL     The term baroque describes the shape of a pearl.  An out of round,  irregularly shaped pearl is said to be baroque.

BASE METAL     Any non-precious metal other than the "Noble Metals": which are Gold, Silver, and the Platinum group metals.  Copper, Nickel, Bronze, Brass, Stainless Steel, Aluminum, Lead and combinations of these are base metals often used in the manufacturing of fashion jewelry.

BEAD SETTING     A method of setting stones even with the surface of a metal by raising beads from the metal itself.  The beads act as prongs to secure the stones.

BELCHER     A claw style ring mounting, common in rings for men.  The mounting is one piece with the prongs being part of the shank.

BERYL     A gem species.  Green Beryl is more commonly known as Emerald.  Emeralds blue or blue-green sister in the Beryl family is Aquamarine.  Pink Beryl is Morganite.

BEZEL SETTING

A gold tube like setting into which a gemstone is set.  Bezel setting is also the art of setting gemstones in a bezel.  The outer rim of a bezel is burnished, or bent over and smoothed out around the girdle of a gemstone.  A bezel setting is an extremely secure one, however the outer edge of the gemstone is completely covered making the diameter of the gemstone appear slightly smaller.  Sometimes, a white gold bezel can actually make a Diamond look larger because the color of the metal blends with the Diamond and the exterior diameter of the bezel appears to be the edge of the Diamond.

BRILLIANT CUT

A round shaped gemstone with 58 facets also known as a full cut..  A round, full cut Diamond is correctly called a Brilliant Cut.  The term refers to the shape of the gemstone, not quality or actual brilliance.  There are 16 upper girdle facets, 8 Star facets, 8 Bezel facets, and a table facet above the girdle.  Below the girdle there are 16 lower girdle facets 8 pavilion facets and a culet. (see Old Mine Cut and Old European Cut).

BRIDAL JEWELRY     A general term used to describe the category of  wedding rings, engagement rings, gifts for the bride or groom and gifts for the best man, maid of honor, ushers, bridesmaids and others taking part in the wedding ceremony.

BROOCH     A pin that is worn on clothing that is generally large in size.  The term pin refers to smaller pieces of jewelry worn on clothes.

BURNISHED SETTING

A method of setting in which the diamond is set flush with the surface of the metal, it is similar to a bezel setting, but the host metal is used to create the bezel.

BUTTERCUP     A six-prong setting, with tall prongs, resembling a flower. The setting is scalloped in design.

CABOCHON    A gemstone that is a polished domed shape on the top and flat on the bottom.  Opaque gems such as Onyx, and translucent stones such as Sapphires that will display an asterism (known as Star Sapphire) are typically cut as cabochons.

CAMEO     

A shell or other gemstone that is carved in relief.  When the material to be carved is  composed of two different colored layers, a raised design  in one color will contrast against a different colored background.

CARAT     A very accurate unit of weight used for gemstones.  The word Carat is derived from the Carob seed, which was used in the days of antiquity as counterweights on scales for small measurements because Carob seeds were extremely similar in weight.  A Carat is equal to 1/5th of a gram, or (200) milligrams, and there are about 140 Carats in 1 ounce.  The word Karat, which is used to describe the content of fine gold in an alloy is often confused with Carat, the unit of weight.

CARBON     A Diamond is composed of pure Carbon.  Carbon, when subjected to tremendous amounts of heat and pressure, crystallizes.  Many Diamonds do not completely crystallize.  As a Diamond crystal forms, some Carbon may not be crystallized resulting in birthmarks known as inclusions.  Inclusions aid jewelers in identifying Diamonds and make every Diamond unique.  The best way to identify your Diamond is know what its inclusions look like, unless of course you are fortunate enough to own a flawless Diamond which has perfect crystal structure and no inclusions.

CASTING     A  process used to manufacture jewelry.  Molten metal is poured into a mold and allowed to cool resulting in raw piece of metal, also called a casting, which has taken the shape of the design in the mold.  Items can be cast one at a time or in very large quantities with specialized manufacturing techniques.

CHANNEL SETTING     

The art of setting gemstones in a channel, which is two walls of metal between which a gem is set so it appears suspended in a groove.  Channel setting is generally used for small stones of similar size, but graduated gemstones can also be channel set in this manner.  A piece of jewelry with a groove for stones to be set in is also referred to as a channel setting. 

CHASING     A very decorative engraving with intricate detail performed by a highly skilled craftsmen.

CHATOYANCY     A phenomenon caused by reflections from parallel needle like inclusions in a cabochon such as cat's-eye gemstone.  Chatoyancy can be seen in some flat gemstones but a cabochon cut enhances the effect.

CIRCA   Approximately.  Used as a description for approximate date of manufacture.  An antique item may be described as Circa 1920 to describe its age or the approximate period which it's design would be associated with.

CLARITY     The amount or absence of  inclusions or other imperfections within a gemstone determines its clarity.  A Clarity grade can be assigned to a gemstone based on the amount of imperfections, their size, relief (contrast and appearance), and location within a gemstone.  Clarity is one of the 4Cs used to grade Diamonds in the G.I.A. system of Diamond grading..

CLARITY GRADE     A category used to describe the amount or absence of inclusions within a Diamond or other gemstone.  The G.I.A. Diamond clarity grading scale consists of eleven clarity grades.  They are, in order of decreasing quality: FL (Flawless),  IF (Internally Flawless), VVS1 and VVS2 (Very Very Slightly Included), VS1 and VS2 (Very Slightly Included), SI1 and SI2 (Slightly Included), I1 and I2 and I3 (Imperfect).  Within the jewelry industry the clarity grade SI3 is used because the I1 and SI2 clarity grades encompass a vast range of qualities within their grades which can not be priced similarly based on the clarity grade alone.  The Diamond Council and many Gem Laboratories use the SI3 grade.  G.I.A., who has created the grading system however, has not acknowledged the SI3 grade to date.

CLASP     A lock or closure used to fasten a necklace, bracelet, etc. that makes it easy to put on or take off a piece of jewelry and is designed to prevent loss.  Typical clasps are a Lobster Claw, Barrel Lock, Pearl Clasp, or Spring Ring.  Clasps may be hidden or a featured part of an items design such as a toggle clasp, which is worn in the front, and is used on many necklaces and bracelets

CLASS RING     A  ring worn by graduates of high school or college depicting the school attended,  graduation year, school insignia, school affiliations to teams etc and/or gemstone for the school or birth month.

CLOISONNÉ     A type of enamel used in jewelry manufacturing.  A design is made on metal and small carved out areas called cells or cloisons are filled with enamel and heated in a kiln or oven.

CLOSED BACK SETTING     when a stone is set with no hole in the metal below it to allow light.  Unless a gemstone is set in a tight bezel, cleaning under stones set this way is difficult.  This type of setting is common used in the manufacturing of school rings.

CLUTCH     An earring back, also called a push back which uses friction to secure itself against an earring post and hold an earring against the ear

CLUSTER RING     A ring set with many gemstones.  The gemstones may be of similar or different colors or sizes.

COCKTAIL RING     A type of cluster ring, generally more elaborate.  An eye catching ring such as one you might wear to a cocktail party.

COIN SILVER    An alloy of 90% silver and 10% copper.  Most United states silver coins are made of coin silver.

COLLAR BAR     A bar worn beneath a tie, attached to the collar of a shirt.

COLOR GRADE      A category used to describe the amount or absence of color, typically yellow, within a Diamond or other gemstone.  A color grade describes the body color of a Diamond and not the colors that can be seen coming from a Diamond.  The G.I.A. Diamond color grading scale consists of twenty three grades represented by the letters of the alphabet beginning with the letter D and subcategorized as follows: COLORLESS (D,E,F), NEAR COLORLESS (G,H,I,J), FAINT YELLOW (K,L,M), VERY LIGHT YELLOW (N,O,P,Q,R), LIGHT YELLOW (S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z) 

COLORED STONES     All gemstones other than Diamonds, or colored Diamonds.

CORUNDUM     A gem species that is found in many colors.  Red Corundum is called Ruby and all other varieties are called Sapphire.  Blue Sapphire is best known, however Pink Sapphire, Green Sapphire, and Yellow Sapphire are also relatively popular.

COSTUME JEWELRY     Any jewelry made from materials other than the noble metals (gold, silver & platinum).  Costume jewelry can also be very expensive, especially when associated with a designers name.  Costume jewelry is usually trendy, in fashion, and often much bolder in shapes, materials, and size because of lower material costs.  

CT.     Common abbreviation for Carat

CTTW.     Common abbreviation for total carat weight when more than one gemstone is present.  Also may be CTW.

CUBIC ZIRCONIA     A man-made material, created in 1977, usually facetted so it will be similar in appearance to a Diamond.  Very inexpensive.

CUFF BRACELET     

A type of bangle bracelet that does not meet and is put on from the side of the wrist instead of being slipped over the hand.  Some styles of cuff bracelets can be worn above the elbow

CUFF LINK     A piece of jewelry usually designed with a post and hinge that goes through the two button holes on a shirt (French cuffs - without buttons) and the hinge opens to create a "T" that secures the shirt cuff.

CULTURED PEARL     A genuine pearl formed within a mollusk such as an Oyster.  In a cultured Pearl, a bead known as a nucleus is inserted into a mollusk to start the process that creates a Pearl, and in nature a grain of sand or some other irritant that enters a mollusk starts the process that results in a natural Pearl.  Layers of "nacre" are secreted by the mollusk as a natural reaction to a foreign body and are built up layer after layer.  The length of time a pearl is allowed to grow and/or the size of the nucleus will determine the size of the Pearl that will be harvested.  Cultured pearls are cultivated on farms in fresh water or saltwater.

CURB-CHAIN     A flat link chain with rounded edges also called a service chain because it was used by many serviceman for religious medals and other jewelry

CUSTOM DESIGN     Any  jewelry made to order.

CUSHION CUT     An emerald cut or square cut gemstone with rounded edges.  Cushion cut stones are found in many antique style pieces of jewelry.

DIAMOND CUT     Small scallop like bright cuts in metal created with a diamond cutting tool that create the illusion of Diamonds being set into the metal..

DIAMOND GRADE  A value used in a Diamond grading system to categorize the color or clarity of a Diamond, (See Color Grade or Clarity Grade).  The Gemological Institute of America (G.I.A.) developed a system that is the most respected, and is the standard used by most jewelers  

DIE CASTING     A method of casting where the metal to be cast is forced under pressure into a mold, usually made of metal..

DIE STRUCK     A manufacturing process employing machinery that applies great pressure to metal against  a die or between two dies. The high pressures creates a denser product than the casting method of manufacturing and can be used to create large quantities of identical items with great precision and fine detail.

DOUBLET     A stone made of two pieces.  Any natural or synthetic materials may be used in any combination.  Usually the lower half of the stone is synthetic, glass or composite and a more valuable gemstone is used for the top.

ELECTROFORMING     A jewelry manufacturing process, similar to electroplating,  that creates a lightweight layer of gold or silver over a wax model which is then melted out of the finished piece.

ELECTROPLATING     The Process of  placing a thin layer of metal upon another metal by suspending an item to be plated in a solution containing the plating material.  An electric current is then applied to the solution causing the negatively charged plating material to adhere to the positively charged item being plated.  The amount of time used in the process determines the thickness of the plating.

EMBOSS     To apply a finish from the back of a material which creates a raised design on the surface of a material.

EMERALD CUT     

A rectangular shaped gemstone.  A style of faceting that creates a rectangular gemstone, usually with cut corners to prevent chipping.  The pavilion facets run parallel to the girdle, in steps and is also known as a step cut..  

ENAMEL     Glass or similar material fused to the surface of metal

ENGRAVING     A process of etching a design, initials, family crest or anything else into the surface of metal.   The traditional method of hand-engraving is becoming less common as it is replaced by sophisticated computerized techniques.  An experienced and skillful hand engraver is difficult to find these days.

ESTATE JEWELRY     Any previously-owned jewelry offered for sale again.  Also describes jewelry purchases from the estate of someone who is deceased.  All antique jewelry which is resold is estate jewelry, however all estate jewelry is not necessarily antique.

ETCHING     A process similar to engraving in which acid is used to etch a design into the surface of  metal, glass or gemstones.  Wax is often used to protect areas that are not intended to be etched. 

ETERNITY RING

 A ring set with gemstones that go all the way around, having no beginning or end (eternity)

[ Glossary Page 2 ]

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