.999
fine gold: used as the common abbreviation for pure, or 24kt gold.
Pure gold is too soft for most practical jewelry purposes.
10kt: used as the common abbreviation for jewelry manufactured
with 10 parts gold and 14 parts alloy.
14kt: used as the common abbreviation for jewelry manufactured
with 14 parts gold and 10 parts alloy.
18kt: used as the common abbreviation for jewelry manufactured
with 18 parts gold and 6 parts alloy.
22kt: used as the common abbreviation for jewelry manufactured
with 22 parts gold and 2 parts alloy.
Ancient Jewelry: jewelry that was produced during centuries BC
or early centuries AD items. This also refers to North and South American
jewelry of a pre-conquest era. Peruvian and Mayan jewelry fashioned before
the Spanish Conquest and the American Indian artifacts from before the
Western expansions and explorations.
Artificial: a general term for any man-made gem material.
Antique Jewelry: defined in several ways. First, as jewelry produced
by older methods before 1900; jewelry produced before 1830 at the beginning
of the Industrial Revolution; and jewelry pieces that are primarily from
the Victorian and Georgian styles.
Beads: small pieces of material, including glass, plastics and
gemstones that are drilled completely through for threading on string
or wire.
Bezel setting: the technique of setting a stone without prongs and
relying on the tension of the metal surrounding the stone to hold it securely
in place. A bezel-set stone will be flush with the metal it was set into.
Blemish:
a flaw, scratch or abrasion on the external surface of a diamond or colored
stone.
Body Color: the basic color of a diamond.
Brilliance: the total amount of light returned to the eye by reflections
from within the stone and from its surface. Brilliance is maximized in
any stone by cutting to the correct proportions.
Brilliant Cut: although most often used in reference to a Round-shaped
diamond, a brilliant cut stone is any cut that utilizes 58 facets, including
an Emerald-shape.
Cabochon gemstones: refers to the a style of cutting gems, beads
or stones. Cabochon stones are cut into a convex form and highly polished.
Cameos: generally carved from shell, lava or coral are layered stones
with a designs engraved in multiple layers within a stone.
Carat: the term used in reference to the weight of a diamond. One
carat equals 200 milligrams or 0.2 grams. There are 142 carats in one
ounce.
Center Stone: the major or dominant stone in a piece of multiple
stone jewelry.
Channel setting: the technique of setting a stone in a "strip"
manner by using metal on two of the four sides to hold the stone securely
in place. A channel-set stone will be flush with the metal it was set
into.
Clarity: clarity characteristics are classified as blemishes or
inclusions. The clarity grade given to a diamond is used to define how
many inclusions the diamond has. The clarity scale ranges from Flawless
(FL), to Severely Included (I3). A diamond graded as Flawless has no internal
or external flaws visible to the trained eye under 10X magnification.
A Diamond graded as Severely Included has many flaws that are clearly
visible to the trained, unaided eye without the use of magnification.
Cloud: the term Cloud describes a small cluster of inclusions inside
a diamond that have a hazy or milky appearance.
Collectible Jewelry: pieces such as Art Nouveau, Retro, Art Deco
and Edwardian that were made in the early 20th century
Color: determined by the depth of color, or lack of, in a diamond.
The Gemological Institute of America Color Scale ranges from D, which
is colorless and runs to Z, which has s distinct yellow color.
Comfort Fit: a style of ring that has a rounded interior designed
to provide additional comfort for the wearer.
Costume Jewelry: made from a base metal, rather than a precious
metal such as gold, silver or platinum.
ct: used as the common abbreviation for CARAT in reference to diamonds
and gemstones.
ctw: used as the common abbreviation for CARAT TOTAL WEIGHT in
reference to diamond or gemstone jewelry that contains multiple stones.
Culet: the small, flat facet on the bottom of a stone.
Cut: the term commonly used by consumers to describe the actual
SHAPE of a stone. However, within the jewelry industry the term Cut is
used to refer to both the shape of the stone (marquise, round, etc.),
and the make of the stone, which defines the exact geometric proportions
to which a diamond or colored stone is cut. The final, overall look of
a stone depends primarily on the stone cutter's skill.
Cut - Ideal: Ideal Cut Diamonds are perfectly proportioned with
good to excellent polish and symmetry. The beauty of a Diamond will be
maximized in an Ideal Cut stone.
Cut - Very Good: Very Good Cut Diamonds are cut to strict requirements,
but not as perfectly proportioned as the Ideal Cut. These strict requirements
will still deliver maximum fire and brilliance in a stone.
Cut - Good: Good Cut Diamonds are cut to acceptable industry proportions.
These Diamonds generally have very good brilliance and fire, and are an
excellent choice for most jewelry buyers.
Cut - Fair: Fair Cut Diamonds are cut to maximize the weight of
the stone. Although these stones are generally less expensive than diamonds
cut to higher proportion standards, they will not display the fire and
brilliance of a more properly proportioned stone.
Cut - Poor: Poor Cut Diamonds and cut below industry standards
and generally look lifeless to even the untrained eye. Diamonds that are
cut Poorly are not recommended for most jewelry buyers.
Depth: the actual height of a stone, measured in millimeters, from
the culet of a stone to the table.
Depth Percentage: the height of a stone divided by the width of
the stone. Proper depth percentage is extremely important in creating
the brilliance and fire in a stone because a depth percentage too high
or too low will cause lack of sparkle.
Dispersion: the spreading and separating of white light into its
component, spectral hues.
Ethnographic Jewelry: derived from and specific to a particular
culture or ethnic group.
Eye-clean: a Diamond or Colored Stone that has no inclusions visible
under 10x to the trained, unaided eye.
Facet: the flat polished surfaces on a Diamond or colored stone.
Fancy cut: used to described any shape other than a round stone.
Common Fancy Cuts are Oval, Pearl, Emerald, Heart and Marquise.
Fine jewelry: made from precious metals such as gold, platinum
and silver, and gemstones.
Fire: the spreading and separating of white light into its component,
spectral hues. Fire is always maximized by cutting a diamond to the correct
proportions.
Fluorescence: results from the interaction between the light's
energy and the atoms in the gems. Around 50 percent of gem diamonds fluoresce
strongly enough for it to be seen under special conditions and about 10
percent strongly enough to make a noticeable difference between the stone's
color in incandescent light (which is low in ultraviolet) and in sunlight
or fluorescent light (which are high).
Girdle: the narrow band of facets that surround the width of a
diamond or colored stone.
Gold Jewelry: the term used to describe jewelry whose main component
is gold.
Head: the component in a piece of stone-set mounted jewelry that holds
the stone.
Imitation: a gemlike material, either natural or artificial, which
is marketed as a lookalike for a natural gem.
Inclusions: internal trace minerals, fractures, crystals or other
natural occurring characteristics that contribute to the uniqueness of
a diamond or colored stone.
kt: used as the common abbreviation for KARAT in reference to karatage
in gold jewelry.
Make: the actual proportions to which a Diamond or Colored Stone
has been cut.
Metal Type: the type of metal used in manufacturing jewelry, usually
gold, silver or platinum.
Millimeters: the unit of measure most often used in determining
and referencing the size of stones, rings and other jewelry items within
the industry.
Mineral: a naturally formed, inorganic solid that has a definite
chemical composition, or a restricted range of compositions, and usually
a characteristic crystal structure. Naturally formed means that minerals
come from nature, not human technology. Inorganic means that the processes
of mineral formation do not involve living things.
Moh's Scale: a common scale used to determine the relative hardness
of minerals:
Diamond:10 Apatite:
5
Corundum: 9 Fluorite:
4
Topaz: 8 Calcite:
3
Quartz: 7 Gypsum: 2
Feldspar: 6 Talc:
1
Mounting: the industry term used to describe the metal portion
of jewelry that a stone is set into.
Pavilion: the bottom portion of 24 facets that join and extend
from just below the girdle to the culet of a stone.
Pearls: can be either natural or cultured and are formed by oysters
and other mollusks.
Period Jewelry: Period jewelry is jewelry that is no longer made,
less than 100 years old, and can be categorized by its specific style
and quality of craftsmanship.
Platinum Jewelry: jewelry whose main component is Platinum.
Point: a term used to describe the weight of a stone. One point equals
one-one-hundredth (1/100) of a carat. A quick and easy way to understand
point weight to carats is to equate it to a penny and a dollar. There
are 100 points in a carat, just as there are 100 pennies in a dollar.
Therefore, .50 points would be equal to 1/2 carat.
Polish: the grade that is give to the external finish of a stone.
Grades on the Polish scale range excellent to poor.
Prong: the portion of a head that extends over the stone. Most
heads have 4 or 6 prongs.
Prong setting: The technique of setting a stone by using slender,
long prongs of metal. By far the most common technique of stone-setting.
Ring Size: the measurement that determines the diameter of the
finger for the fit of a ring. Rings are manufactured in Women's Standard
Size 6 and Men's Standard Size 10.
Scintillation: the sparkling flashes you see when light is reflected
from a stone's facets as the stone or the light moves.
Shank: the metal portion of a ring that encircles the wearers finger.
In strict jewelry terminology the shank does not include the head.
Side Stone: refers to stones that are set either alongside or around
a center stone.
Silver Jewelry / Sterling Silver Jewelry: jewelry whose main component
is Silver.
Solitaire: The term most commonly used to describe a thin band with
a 4 or 6 prong head that holds a single stone.
Sparkle: the combination of fire and brilliance; the amount of light
that reflects out of a diamond.
Symmetry: the equality between corresponding parts of a diamond
and is important in creating an even display of brilliance, fire and scintillation.
Symmetry is graded on a scale from excellent to poor with diamonds ranging
from good to excellent in symmetry being the best choice for fine jewelry.
Table: the large, flat facet on the top of a diamond or colored
stone.
Table Percentage: determined by dividing the width of the table
of a stone by the total diameter of a stone.
Thickness: the measurement, in millimeters, that indicates the
width of a band or shank.
Victorian Jewelry: jewelry that was produced from 1837-1901 during
the reign of England's Queen Victoria.
Vintage Jewelry: jewelry previously owned from any time period.
Watches: any portable or wearable timepiece.