ALEXANDRITE - - Alexandrite is noted for its color change in different forms of light. In sunlight alexandrite looks blue-green, but in indoor light the same stone changes to reddish-purple. Natural alexandrite with good color is very expensive today, as very little is still being mined.

ALLOY - - Mixture that contains two or more metals.

AMETHYST - - A form of quartz in shades of purple ranging from light lavender to deep, intense purple with subtle flashes of red.

ANTIQUED - - Process used to give jewelry an aged appearance.

AQUAMARINE - - A semiprecious stone that is blue in color.

AVENTURINE - - A green-colored translucent quartz mineral (sometimes mistaken for jade).

AVOLTO - - A jewelry style that uses a wire to form a necklace into a round shape.

BAGUETTE - - A gemstone, often a diamond, cut in a narrow rectangular shape. Small diamonds cut this way are often used as accents. A tapered baguette has one short end narrower than the opposite end, forming a trapezoid.

BAIL - - A loop of sheet metal or wire attached to a pendant to hang it from.

BANGLE BRACELET - - A circular rigid band that slips over the hand.

BASE METAL - - A non-precious metal.

BEZEL - - Rim of metal that surrounds and secures a stone.

BOULDER OPAL - - This bright and beautiful stone comes from Queensland, Australia. It forms naturally on another rock called ironstone. Boulder Opal has a body color that is darker than traditional opal, and its play of colors are generally more intense and vivid. Boulder Opal has the look of very rare and coveted Black Opal.

BOX CHAIN - - A chain with wide, square links that form boxes.

BRACELET - - Bangle: a circular rigid band that slips over the hand; Charm: charms suspended from a linked bracelet; Cuff: round or oval bracelet with clasp and hinge; Tennis: linked bracelet of set stones, where the stones are usually the same size.

BRAZANITE™ - - Brazanite™ is a member of the fluorite gemstone family. The color of brazanite™ ranges from teal green to Caribbean blue and deep purple and has the ability to change color when placed under different types of lighting.

BRILLIANT CUT - - A round-cut stone with 58 facets.

BROOCH - - Alternative name for pin.

BYZANTINE CHAIN - - A chain with close-fitting links, creating an intricate design that forms a tube.

CABLE CHAIN - - A chain with round links of the same size.

CABOCHON - - A stone with a rounded surface, rather than with facets. This style is commonly used with opaque to translucent stones such as opal, jade, and turquoise.

CAMEO - - A shell or gem material with two distinct colored layers. The top layer is carved and the bottom layer provides contrasting background.

CARAT - - Abbreviated "ct." and spelled with a "c" for gemstones ("k" is used for karat in gold). One carat is equal to 1/5 of a gram (200 milligrams). Stones are measured to the nearest hundredth of a carat. A hundredth of a carat is also called a point. Thus a .10 carat stone can be called either 10 points, or 1/10 of a carat. Small stones like .05, and .10ct, are most often referred to by point designations. A one carat round diamond of average proportions is approximately 6.5 mm in diameter, but this relationship of weight and size is different for each family of stones. (Ruby and sapphire are both heavier than diamond).

CHALCEDONY - - Colored quartz with a milky appearance.

CHANNEL SET - - A gem-setting technique in which a number of square or rectangular stones are set side by side in a grooved channel. Unlike most setting methods, the stones are not secured individually, so there is no metal visible between the stones.

CHOKER - - A wide necklace worn tight around the neck above the collarbone.

CITRINE - - A variety of quartz that is brownish-orange in color.

CLASPS - - The "barrel" clasp is used on most rope chains. The barrel clasp looks like part of the chain and makes it easier to get a pendant on and off. The barrel clasp makes the chain more secure. The "lobster claw" clasp is an interlocking catch with a spring mechanism and a safety lock. The "spring ring" clasp is used on lightweight chains. The "toggle" clasp consists of a ring on one end of a necklace or bracelet and a short bar on the other end. The bar slides through the ring to keep it closed.

CLOISONNE - - Decorative enamel set in thin strips of wire.

CLUSTER - - A setting of stones grouped together.

COCKTAIL RING - - Oversized ring with precious or semi-precious stones.

CORAL - - Coral comes in colors ranging from vivid orange to palest pink.

CORUNDUM - - A gem mineral. Ruby and sapphire are from the corundum family.

CUBIC ZIRCONIA - - The most successful simulated diamond. Properties such as refraction, hardness, and specific gravity are remarkably similar to diamonds.

CULTURED - - Term for pearl whose formation was started by the insertion of a piece of mantle tissue into the mother oyster or mussel.

CURB LINK CHAIN - - A chain with oval links that are twisted to lie flat.

CUSHION CUT - - A square cut with rounded corners.

DIAMOND - - Diamonds, a form of pure crystalline carbon, are prized because they are the hardest of all known substances (rated 10 on the Mohs scale) and have high refractivity and brilliance. Today, diamonds are valued based on the 4 Cs: color, cut, clarity, and carat size. Many diamond imitations have appeared over the years, with the most common today being the cubic zirconia.

EARRING JACKETS - - An accessory designed to decorate a stud earring.

ELECTROPLATING - - The process of covering a base metal with a thin film of gold.

EMERALD - - A gemstone of the beryl family; fine emeralds are among the most valuable gemstones.

EMERALD CUT - - A rectangular or square-cut stone with rows of step cuts along the edges and corners.

ENAMEL - - In its simplest terms, all enamel is produced by fusing colored powdered glass to metal to produce a vitreous or glass-like decorative surface.

EUROPEAN CUT - - The style of diamond cutting popular from approximately 1890 to the 1930s. Unlike the old mine cut preceding it, the European cut has a round girdle (perimeter) made possible by the introduction of the power bruting machine (bruting is the term for shaping the girdle of a diamond, the first step in the cutting process). The European cut can be distinguished by the size of the table (the top, flat facet) in relation to the diameter of the stone. In a European cut, the table is smaller in relation to the diameter of the stone. Also, the culet, the bottom facet, is often large, usually appearing to create a hole at the bottom of the diamond when viewed from the top. This is because the large culet lets light escape instead of reflecting back to the viewer.

FACET - - A flat surface, which is polished onto a gemstone.

FANCY CUT - - Any type of cut that is not brilliant (round). Examples include marquise, emerald, pear, heart, oval, square baguette, and triangle.

FIGARO - - A chain with long and round links that are not uniform in size.

FILIGREE - - Delicate, thread-like decoration.

FOB - - A short chain with a decorative seal or other device attached to the end.

FRESHWATER PEARL - - A pearl produced by a mollusk that inhabits freshwater.

GARNET - - A group of stones that share a similar chemical structure, the garnet family includes pyrope, almandine, and demantoid, among others.

GEMSTONES - - Rubies, emeralds, amethysts, and others. Often treasured as birthstones. Gemstones are priced and graded by carat weight.

GOLD - - Gold used in jewelry is almost always alloyed with other metals since gold in its pure form is very soft and malleable, and would not wear well by itself. (Note that karat with a "k" refers to gold purity, while carat with a "c" refers to the weight of a gemstone, e.g. a one carat diamond set in a 14 karat gold ring.) The karat number refers to the parts of pure gold per 24 in the alloy. Other countries used a marking system well before the United States. It is common in many countries to mark gold with a three-digit number, indicating the parts per thousand of gold. Thus, gold jewelry is often marked "750" for 750/1000 gold. (Equivalent to U.S. 18K). In addition to many purities, alloyed gold also comes in many colors. Variations in the metals alloyed with the gold account for the ability to produce white, pink, and even green gold, in addition to the familiar yellow gold.

GOLD FILLED - - In this technique, a sheet of gold is mechanically applied to the surface. Victorian pieces are likely to be unmarked, but later pieces are marked with the fineness of the gold layer, and the part by weight of the gold. For example, a piece marked "1/10 12K G.F.," is composed of at least 1/10 12K gold based on the weight of the finished piece. In the U.S., gold-filled pieces must be at least 1/20 by weight to be classified as gold filled. An older, unmarked gold piece may often be identified by wear through to base metal, especially when viewing corners or edges under magnification. Look for a change to a darker, brassy-colored material at these spots.

GOLDPLATE - - A layer of gold applied to base metal, usually by electroplating. This is usually a very thin layer, only a few microns, which is likely to wear much more quickly than gold filled.

HERRINGBONE CHAIN - - A chain with small, slanting links that appear flat.

INLAY - - The placing of material into the surface of another.

IOLITE - - A cordierite mineral used as a gemstone, typically deep blue or purplish blue.

JADE - - Either of two minerals, jadeite or nephrite, typically greenish in color. Highly esteemed as an ornamental stone for jewelry.

KARAT - - The fineness of gold (also see "carat," used for gemstones). 24K is pure gold. 18K is 18 parts gold, 6 parts other metals. 14K is 14 parts gold, 10 parts other metals. 12K is 12 parts gold, 12 parts other metals. 10K is 10 parts gold, 14 parts other metals.

LAPIS (LAPIS LAZULI) - - Deep-blue mineral, composed mainly of lazurite, that is sky-blue or azure in color.

LARIAT - - Long-strand, open-ended necklace usually looped in a knot or used with a slide so the two ends hang free.

LEAD CRYSTAL - - Colorless, transparent glass resembling rock crystal. Must be 10% lead to be considered crystal.

MABE - - Smooth half-sphere cultured pearls.

MARCASITE - - A crystallized iron disulfide similar to pyrite used for ornaments and jewelry.

MARQUISE - - Oval-shape gemstone cut with pointed ends.

MATINEE LENGTH - - Used to describe a chain or single strand of pearls or beads that is 20" to 24" long.

MESH - - Fabric-like chain woven from very fine wire.

MOHS SCALE - - The gem trade standard for hardness. The higher the Mohs scale number, the harder the stone. The highest Mohs scale rating is 10 (diamonds). Any piece of jewelry with a Mohs scale rating of less than 7 is easily scratched (coral, opal, pearl, turquoise). Gold, silver, and platinum rate 2 1/2 to 4.

MORGANITE - - A pink gemstone from the beryl family.

MOTHER-OF-PEARL - - Hard, iridescent substance that forms the inner layer of certain mollusk shells.

OMEGA - - Flat chain with a solid surface formed by the links.

ONYX - - Variety of chalcedony found naturally in white or gray. White onyx is dyed black for black onyx.

OPAL - - Iridescent silica found in many varieties and colors, typically milky white.

OPALITE - - A human-made opalized glass resin that is fused with metal to create an opalescent effect. For care, use a soft cloth with water and a mild detergent.

OPERA LENGTH - - Used to describe a chain or single strand of pearls or beads that is 28" to 30" long.

OVERLAY - - Decorative layer.

OXIDIZING - - Darkening the surface of metal by chemical or heat application.

PAVE - - Pronounced (pah-VAY). A gem-setting technique in which the stones are set low and very closely spaced, so that the surface appears to be paved with gemstones. Most commonly seen with diamonds, but may be used with any stone.

PEARL - - A natural gemstone formed when a oyster is irritated by a substance that gets into its shell. If the irritation is a naturally occurring grain of sand, it is an Oriental pearl. If it is produced by purposefully inserting a mother-of-pearl bead, a cultured pearl is formed. A pearl that forms attached to the shell is a blister pearl, while a pearl that forms a half dome is a mabe (pronounced mah-bay) pearl. Baroque pearls are irregularly shaped rather than round. South Sea pearls are mostly round and large in diameter. They are grown primarily in Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and other areas of the South Pacific. Tahitian pearls are the dark variety of South Sea cultured pearls created with a black-lipped oyster. They range in color from light gray to deep green to gunmetal gray. Freshwater pearls come in various colors and are grown in bays, lakes and rivers primarily in Japan, China, Europe and the United States.

PERIDOT - - Transparent olive-green gem.

POINT - - Unit of weight for gemstones equal to 1/100 of a carat.

PRINCESS LENGTH - - Used to describe a chain or single strand of pearls or beads that is about 18" long.

RHODIUM - - A metal part of the platinum family. Silver, gold, and even base metals were often rhodium-plated during the '30s and '40s to give them the white, shiny look associated with platinum.

ROPE LENGTH - - Used to describe a chain or single strand of pearls or beads that is 45" to 120" long.

SAPPHIRE - - A gemstone of the corundum family, although blue is the color most commonly associated with sapphires, they come in a range of colors from white to orange to green to pink. In fact, if a corundum gemstone is red, it is referred to as a ruby, but any other color, including the light pinkish "rubies" in inexpensive jewelry, are properly referred to as sapphires. Sapphires were first synthesized in the 1920s, so it takes an expert to determine if a sapphire is natural. Natural sapphires sometimes exhibit a star effect and can be quite valuable if the star is centered and well-defined. In 1967, the synthetic Linde Star Sapphire hit the market, and many star sapphires found today are these synthetics.

SIGNET - - A ring with an insignia, monogram, coat of arms, or family crest.

SPINEL - - A gemstone found in a variety of colors; the most valuable resembles ruby red.

STERLING SILVER - - To qualify as "sterling," a piece must be composed of at least 92.5% pure silver (the rest is typically copper).

TAXCO - - Pronounced (TAHKS' coh). The small town in Mexico where American William Spratling set up his workshop in 1929. Many other silversmiths eventually set up shop, making Taxco the center of silversmithing in Mexico.

TIFFANY SETTING - - The high-pronged setting most common today for large stones such as a diamond solitaire, this setting was introduced by Tiffany & Co. in 1886.

TOPAZ - - Transparent gem in white blue, brown, orange, and pink. The most precious topaz is yellow in color.

TRILLION CUT - - Modified brilliant-cut triangular stone with 44 facets.

TROY WEIGHT - - Gold and silver are measured in troy weight, a system that includes pennyweights, ounces, and pounds. Gold is also commonly measured in metric grams. A pennyweight (abbreviated dwt.) is equal to 1.5552 grams.
24 grains = 1 pennyweight = 1.5552 grams
20 pennyweight = 1 troy ounce = 31.1035 grams
12 ounces = 1 pound troy = 373.24 grams

TSAVORITE - - A variety of garnet that is transparent and emerald green in color.

VERMEIL - - Pronounced (Vehr-MAY). Silver with gold plating.