Anderson's Jewelers


Jewelry Glossary

Agate	A form of crypto crystalline quartz or chalcedony, most often banded, onyx, aventurine and carnelian are varieties, mostly fashioned as cabochons and beads
Alexandrite	A rare gemstone that changes color from green in natural light to red in artificial light, not to be confused with the more common Alexandrite-like synthetic sapphire which has a purple to blue color change
Amber	Yellow to brown gemstone less common in red, green or gray, organic gem from fossilized tree sap, resin or gum, most common cut in cabochon form
Amethyst	Purple gemstone, member of the quartz family, varies in color from light to dark purple, February birthstone, Moh's hardness 7
Aquamarine	A transparent, very light to medium-dark blue to greenish blue variety of beryl, March birthstone
Art Deco	A style of jewelry common in the 1930's featuring angular designs with white metals, sapphires, jade, black onyx and pave and bead set diamonds
Art Nouveau	A style of jewelry common from early 1890's until the 1910's featuring flowing lines of women, butterflies, birds and other figures mainly in yellow gold, many pieces feature enamels and gemstones
Aventurine	A translucent speckled green form of quartz, most often found in beads and cabochons
Baguette	A style of step cut, usually for small rectangular stones mostly used as accent stones, Primarily used for diamonds
Bail	A flat or round wire used primarily as a connecting loop between a pendant and chain
Bakelite	A trademarked name for an opaque plastic or synthetic resin used in the creation of jewelry
Bangle	A narrow non flexible bracelet made from flat or round wire, sometimes many are worn together
Base Metal	Any non-precious metal
Basket Setting	A style of prong setting with open work sides
Bead Setting	A style of setting where the small prongs that hold the stone are made with a beading tool
Bezel	A solid rim of metal that holds a gemstone
Black Onyx	The popular name for black chalcedony, usually artificially colored
Black Opal	An opal with black or dark gray body color
Black Pearl	A pearl with a black or almost black body color
Bloodstone	A dark green opaque chalcedony with spots of red Jasper
Blue-white	An outdated term used to describe a diamond without body color, flagrant misuse has made the term meaningless
Bow	The ring on a pocket watch used to attach it to a watch chain
Box chain	A square link chain
Brilliant cut	The most common cut of diamond consisting of 58 facets: 1 table, 8 bezel facets, 8 star facets, 16 upper girdle facets, 16 lower girdle facets, 8 pavilion facets and 1 culet
Brooch	A piece of jewelry with pin and catch for attaching to a women's clothing
Brush finish	A soft, dull finish on a piece of jewelry
Cabochon	An un-faceted cut of stone with a domed or convex top and often a flat and unfinished back
Cairngorm	Same as Smoky quartz, especially if mined in Scotland
Cameo	A carved gem that is actually a miniature base relief sculpture, cameos are commonly carved from layered stones such as shell and onyx, but is also seen in coral, lava and other stones
Carat	A unit of weight for diamonds and other gemstones, one carat equals 200 milligrams
Carbon Spot	A black appearing inclusion or imperfection in a diamond
Carnelian	An orange-red, brownish red to orange brown form of chalcedony
Casting	Forming a piece of jewelry by pouring molten metal into a mold the shape of the desired object
Chalcedony	A crypto crystalline subspecies of quartz, such as agate, onyx, carnelian, jasper
Channel setting	Stone set between two bars of metal with their edges almost touching
Choker	A style of necklace worn close to the neck, usually 15 or 16 inches long
Chrysoberyl	A gem species of which alexandrite and cat's eye are members, also found in green, brown and yellow
Citrine	A transparent yellow to red orange to reddish brown variety of quartz, birthstone for November
Clarity Grade	The relative position of a diamond's clarity on a flawless to imperfect scale, a flawless diamond having no inclusions or imperfections and an imperfect diamond having inclusion visible to the naked eye.
Clip	A piece of jewelry similar to a brooch but attached with a springed clip rather than a pin
Color grade	The relative position of a diamond's body color on a colorless to yellow scale, GIA's grading scale most common with a grade of D being color less and a grade of Z being very noticeably yellow or brown with all the letters in between representing an increasing level of yellow or brown
Colored Stone	A gemstone of any species other than diamond
Colorless	Devoid of any color as is pure water or a fine diamond
Coral	A gemstone consisting of calcium carbonate secreted by a coral polyp, a small sea animal; coral is usually white, pink, orange or black
Corundum	A mineral species of which sapphire and rubies are members
Costume jewelry	A term ordinarily used to describe jewelry comprised of imitation stones and base metal, however some older costume jewelry contains inexpensive gemstones and gold plated sterling
Cultured Pearl	A pearl produced by artificially inducing the formation of a pearl sac, usually by introducing a bead or piece of shell into a pearl bearing mollusk
Cut	The style or form in which a gemstone has been fashioned
Demantoid	The green transparent variety of Andradite garnet
Diamond	The most cherished and among the most valued gemstones, a mineral composed essentially of carbon in the cubic or isometric crystal system; Most common in colorless to slightly yellow or brown, also less common in orange, green , blue and red; birthstone for April; among the hardest gemstones with a Moh's hardness of 10
Doublet	An assembled stone of two material bound together with a colorless cement
Dwt.	The abbreviation for penny-weight which equals 1/20 of one troy ounce.
Ear nut	A fastener for a pierced friction-back post earring
Edwardian Era	An era of jewelry design between 1901 and 1910, increased use of platinum and elegant design highlight the period
EGL	European Gemological Institute
Emerald	A medium light to dark bluish green variety of Beryl; colored by chromium, a fine emerald is one of the most valued gemstones; the birthstone for May
Emerald cut	A form of step cut, usually rectangular but sometimes square in shape with step faceted sides and corners
Enamel	A vitreous glaze, which is applied to metal in the form of powdered glass usually applied with heat
Engraving	Cutting lines into metal which are either decorative or symbolic
Facet	A plain, polished surface on a gem
Fancy cut	Any style of diamond cutting other than round brilliant cut or single cut
Feather	An inclusion in diamonds that bears resemblance to a feather
Filigree	Ornamental work of fine wire bent into a design and attached to a metal background
Findings	Parts of jewelry produced in quantity used for the repair and manufacture of jewelry such as clasps, catches, spring-rings and ear-nuts
Flaw	Any internal or external imperfection on a fashioned diamond
Fob	An ornament attached by a short chain or ribbon to a watch to remove it from one's pocket
Foil back	A cut piece of faceted glass with a foil back used as an inexpensive gemstone substitute, common in costume jewelry
Full-cut	A brilliant cut diamond or colored stone consisting of 32 facets and a table above the pavilion and 24 facets and a culet below
Garnet	A name that encompasses a number of closely related gem species Several chemically similar elements replace one another freely in the garnet group giving them appreciably different appearances, colors most common are red, purplish red and brownish red but are less common in green, orange and yellow; species and varieties include pyrope, almandite, demantoid, spessartite, rhodolite, grossularite and others, Garnet is the birthstone for January
Gemologist	One who has successfully completed recognized courses of study in gem identification, grading and pricing, as well as diamond grading; e.g., a Graduate Gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America
Gemology	The study of gemstones, their identification, grading and appraisal
GIA	Gemological Institute of America
Girdle	The outer edge or periphery of a fashioned gemstone; the part usually grasped by the setting or mounting
Gold	A yellow colored precious metal and element used in coins and jewelry since prehistoric times; it's hardness of 2-2.5 is to soft for jewelry unless alloyed; gold is the most ductile and malleable of all metals
Gold-filled	A layer of karat gold, joined to a base metal alloy and then rolled or drawn to a desired thickness
Gold plate	A base metal upon which a thin plating of gold has been deposited by electrolysis
Hardness	The resistance a gemstone has to scratches and abrasions
Hematite	A heavy, metallic gray to black gemstone used in beads and often in intaglios
Inclusions	Natural particles or foreign matter which is enclosed with-in a gemstone
Intaglio	To carve or cut a design into a gemstone
Karat	A standard measure of fineness used for gold. 24karat is 100% pure gold, One karat is1/24th, 14karat is 14/24 pure gold and 10/24 is alloy (harder metals).
Locket	A hinged, closable pendant made to enclose a picture or lock of hair
Loupe	A small hand-held magnifier (usually 10 power) used to examine gems and jewelry
Luster	The effect produced by light reflected from the surface of a gemstone or pearl
Matinee	Term used to describe the length of pearls or a necklace( usually 24-26 inches long)
Melee	Small diamonds weighing from under .01 carats to .10 carats
Moh's scale	A scale for hardness used by gemologists. Scale is one to ten, ten being the hardest (diamond).
Mother of pearl	The iridescent interior shell layer from a pearl oyster
Mounting	The frame or setting that holds a gemstone in place
Nacre
Nickel silver	A composition that contains no silver, an alloy of nickel, copper and zinc
Obsidian	A natural occurring volcanic glass
Old European cut	An early form of brilliant cut with a round girdle outline but with a high crown, small table and large culet
Old-mine cut	An early form of brilliant cut with a cushion (rounded corner square) girdle outline, old-mine cuts usually have a high crown, small table and large culet
Onyx	One variety of chalcedony, most commonly dyed black in color
Opal	An amorphous mineral, popular in gemstones when it exhibits some play of color
Opaque	Lacking transparency, impervious to light
Opera	Term used to describe the length of pearls or a necklace (usually more than 30 inches long)
Orient	Term used to describe the iridescent play of light in pearls
Paste	An imitation gemstone made of leaded glass, used to describe any imitation gemstone
Pave	A style of gem setting where the stones are set very close together with a minimal amount of metal showing between them
Pavilion	The lower portion of a cut diamond below the girdle
Pearl	A calcareous concretion formed in the body of a mollusk and possessing iridescence (orient)
Pennyweight	A measurement of weight used with precious metal, twenty pennyweight equal one troy ounce, abbreviated dwt.
Peridot	A transparent yellowish- green mineral species, August birthstone
Pink sapphire	A light-red corundum, as distinguished from a medium-red or darker corundum which would be considered a ruby
Platinum	A soft heavy light gray precious metal usually alloyed with iridium to harden (10% iridium platinum)
Point	In weighing diamonds, 1/100 of a carat, a ten pointer would be .10 carats etc.
Polished girdle	A girdle that has been lapped to yield either a lustrous curved facet or a series of flat polished surfaces (faceted)
Prong	The projection of metal that overlaps the girdle of a stones and secures it in the mounting
Pyrope	An intense dark red species of the garnet group
Quartz	The most common and widely distributed mineral among the varieties are amethyst, citrine, agate, onyx, chalcedony, aventurine, bloodstone and many others
Refining	The recovery of precious metals from the mass of other alloys and combinations
Refraction	The bending of light rays as it passes from one optical density to another
Repousse	Raised and modeled designs and motifs
Rhinestone	Faceted glass with a foil backing used a gem imitation most commonly in costume jewelry
Rhodium	A metal in the platinum group most often used in plating to give a uniform color or to prevent tarnish
Rhodolite	A purplish-red species in the garnet group
Rhodonite	A translucent to opaque, pink to red brown ornamental mineral
Rose cut	An early form of stone cutting which consists of a flat base building to a dome of triangular facets
Rose gold	A gold alloy with a higher copper content giving gold a redder appearance
Rouge	A buffing compound used for polishing made of iron oxide
Ruby	A red variety of corundum, the birthstone for July, intense medium to medium dark purplish red is most desired
Safety catch	A catch that holds the point of a pin-stem in place
Sapphire	Any gem corundum other than red, the birthstone for September, most common in blue, available also in pink, purple, yellow, green and others
Sardonyx	A chalcedony with straight, parallel bands or layers of reddish brown to brown alternating with another color
Scarab	A gemstone fashioned into the shape of a scarab beetle which was worshipped by the ancient Egyptians as a symbol of fertility and resurrection
Screw back case	A threaded watch case where the case back is screwed on to attach to provide greater water resistance
Seed pearls	Small, round, nacreous pearls
Setting	A mounting or the portion of the mounting that holds the gem
Shank	The part of a ring that encircles the finger, exclusive of the setting
Shoulder	The upper portion of a ring shank, near the setting
Signet ring	A ring engraved with initial, monogram, crest or coat of arms
Silver	A soft, white metallic element used in the manufacture of jewelry, silverware, coins and many branches of science, usually alloyed to harden it for use in jewelry and tableware
Single cut	A simple form of gem cutting that has a circular girdle, a table, eight bezel facets and eight pavilion facets, and sometimes a culet. It is mostly used for small diamond melee
Smoky quartz	A smoky grayish-brown, smoky yellow to almost black variety of quartz
Soldering	Joining metals together by melting between them an alloy that flows at a lower temperature than those being joined
Solitaire	A ring or piece of jewelry containing a single gem
Spinel	A mineral species that has transparent red, orange blue, violet and purple varieties
Spodumene	A mineral species that occurs in a transparent form in light tones of red, lilac, violet, green or yellow
Spread stone	A faceted gem that has been cut with a larger table and a thinner crown to retain greater weight
Star ruby	A cabochon cut ruby with six rays
Star sapphire	A cabochon cut sapphire that normally has six rays, rarely twelve
Sterling silver	A metallic alloy consisting of 92.5 % silver and 7.5 % copper, the latter for hardening purposes
Stone gauge	A device used to measure gemstones, such as a Leveridge gauge
Swivel	A clasp most commonly used at the end of a pocket watch chain to attach to the watch
Symmetry	When referring to a faceted diamond, the term means the exactness of placement and shaping of opposed facets and other portions of the stone
Synthetic stones	Man-made stones that exhibit the same structure, composition and chemical properties of a natural stone, most common are synthetic spinel and synthetic sapphire
Table	The large facet the caps the crown of a faceted gemstone
Tarnish	A coating on metals caused usually by the oxidation of the constituents. The black tarnish on solver is silver sulphide.
Tiffany setting	A six-prong setting, generally round in shape and flaring out from the base to the top and having long slender prongs to hold the stone.
Tiger's eye	A yellow or yellowish brown ornamental and gem variety of quartz
Toggle	A long bar shaped piece of metal used with a large receiving ring to form a clasp.
Tone	The attribute of color that determines it's position on a light to dark scale
Topaz	A species of gemstone most common in yellowish brown, pink and light to medium dark blue colors. Most blue topaz is heat treated from a colorless or yellow rough
Tourmaline	A mineral species, gem varieties of which are transparent and of all major hues, although most commonly green or pink, one of the birthstones for October
Translucent	Passing light imperfectly, a translucent material transmits light, but objects cannot be resolved through it
Transparent	Passing light clearly, Objects can be seen through it
Treated stone	A gemstone heated, stained or coated to improve or alter it's color
Trillion	A triangular shaped cut usually faceted
Triplet	An assembled stone of three parts held together by a colorless cement
Turquoise	One of the most important opaque gem minerals, the best quality is an intense blue, between light and medium in tone; light blue green varieties less desirable, one of the December birthstones
Tweezers	A tool for quick and efficient handling in watch and jewelry work
Variety	In gemology, a division of a species, based on color, optical phenomena or other distinguishing characteristics of appearance
Vermeil	Silver that has been gilded
Watch	A portable timepiece
Wedding ring	A round band of precious metal given to the bride and groom as part of the wedding ceremony, it may or may not be set with gems.
White gold	Karat gold that is alloyed with nickel and sometimes zinc, copper, tin, etc. It is tougher and harder than yellow gold.
White opal	Opal with a body color of any light color as distinguished from a black opal
Yellow gold	Karat gold alloyed with copper and silver in approximately equal qualities
Zircon	A mineral species that yields exceptionally brilliant, transparent gemstones. Most popular in blue, which is one of the December birthstones, not to be confused with Cubic Zirconia a diamond simulant.