| Amethyst |
| Transparent and opaque varieties of crystallised quartz, purple or violet in colour. |
| Assay |
| A test of the purity of an alloy. A tiny piece is scraped from the piece of jewellery being tested and the percentage of gold or silver is then determined. |
| Base Metal |
| Metals which are commonly used to alloy gold jewelry, e.g. silver,copper, zinc, nickel, platinum and palladium. |
| Brilliant Cut |
| The term for a cut with 58 facets. These cuts are scientifically found to reflect the most light from within the stone and are considered to have the most brilliance of all cuts. |
| Baguette |
| Small stones which are rectangular and faceted. |
| Box Chain |
| A type of chain with links that are wide and square like boxes. |
Cabochon |
| An unfaceted form of cutting where the stone is given a rounded, convex shape and cut high or low for best effect. |
| Carat (gems) |
| Unit of weight for gemstones with 100 points to a carat, with one carat
equalling one-fifth of a gram |
| Carat (gold) |
| A measure, from 1 to 24, used to indicate how much of a piece of jewellery
is gold and how much is alloy. Carat is the term used to define the measure of weight of a diamond. One carat is the equivalent of 200 milligrams. One carat can also be divided into 100 "points." A .75-carat diamond is the same as a 75-point or ¾-carat diamond. |
Clarity |
| One of the "4 C's," clarity refers to the presence (or absence, ideally) of identifying characteristics, called inclusions, in the stone. Diamonds with no or few inclusions receive a higher rating for clarity and are more valuable than those with noticeable inclusions. The grades of clarity vary from F (Flawless) and IF (Internally Flawless) through to I (Included). Clarity scale I can be seen by the human eye without magnification. |
| Color |
| One of the "4 C's," color refers to the presence (or absence, ideally) of a particular color in a diamond. The scale ranges from D (colorless) to Z. An ideal diamond will have as little color as possible. The closer to white or "colorless" the stone appears, the more valuable it is. Fancy colors are not included in this color scale and are considered extremely rare. |
| Cut |
| One of the "4 C's," cut refers to the angles and proportions a skilled craftsman creates in transforming a rough diamond into a polished diamond. Based on scientific formulas, a well cut diamond will internally reflect light from one mirror-like facet to another, and disperse and reflect it through the top of the stone. This results in a display of brilliance and fire. Diamonds that are cut too deep or too shallow lose or leak light through the side or bottom, resulting in less brilliance and ultimately value. |
| Channel Setting |
| A setting where stones are inlaid into grooves in the metal. Usually a
number of uniformly sized small stones are set in a row. |
| Cubic Zirconia |
| Also known as CZ, cubic zirconia was born as a more affordable alternative for genuine diamonds. It is the most prominent choice among all fake diamonds. They come in every color imaginable at a fraction of the cost of other precious gemstones |
| Curb Link Chain |
| A type of chain where the links are oval and twisted so they lie flat. |
| Diamond |
| A precious gemstone composed of pure carbon. Hardest of all known substances.
Diamonds grow in the earth more than 150 kilometers deep in the mantle and their growth rate may be highly variable depending on the local abundance of carbon, the temperature, the presence or absence of melt, and other factors. Many of the diamonds found at the surface of the earth or in mines are very old, perhaps 3 billion years. Diamonds are mined in their rough form and then cut and polished to reveal their brilliance. |
Emerald shape |
| A step cut gemstone that can be rectangular, square or even triangular, where the corners have been cut off for protection and easier prong setting. |
Eternity ring/Anniversary band |
| A narrow band of platinum or gold set with a full or half circlet of diamonds and perhaps colored stones, given by husband to wife as a pledge of continued love, to mark the birth of a child, or a wedding anniversary. |
Fancy shapes |
| Any diamond shape other than round; e.g., marquise, square, emerald, oval, heart and pear. |
| Figaro Chain |
| Similar in style to a curb chain, but instead of uniform links, the links
alternate in shape between long and round. |
Filigree |
| Lace-like ornamental work formed from intricately arranged inter-twined
wires. |
Gemstone |
| A naturally occurring mineral found in the rocks of the earth, the chemical composition and internal atomic structure of which make it suitable for jewelry use: color, clarity, hardness, rarity and availability. |
| Hallmark |
| The mark stamped on some items of gold and silver to certify the purity
of the metal. |
| Lobster claw clasp |
| A type of clasp that uses a tiny spring to keep the latch closed |
| Marcasite |
| Crystallised iron pyrites ("fool's gold"), cut or uncit. Marcasite
is a grey, lustrous mineral |
| Mother-of-Pearl |
| Hard, iridescent substance that forms on the inside layer of a pearl-bearing
mollusc. |
Nickel (Ni) |
| An elemental metal of important use in the jewelry trade. Pure nickel is white, hard, ductile and malleable. The principal use of nickel, when alloyed with gold, makes the latter harder, more ductile and paler; it replaces silver in white gold; it acts as a grain refiner, producing smooth surfaces after annealing or casting. |
| Onyx |
| A semi-precious white or grey stone composed of chalcedony (a variety
of quartz). The white variety is generally dyed black for onyx. |
| Pavé setting: |
| Many small gemstones placed in tapered holes creating a "pavéd" appearance. Usually diamonds are set in white gold to create a sparkled finish. |
Platinum (Pt) |
| A white metallic element, popular in jewelry making. In it's pure form, it is soft and malleable. Hardness is noticeably affected by rolling and heat-treating, also by the presence of impurities, even in small amounts. Alloys containing 10% iridium or 5% ruthenium possess hardness and working qualities highly desirable in jewelry making, and are known as "hard platinum." |
Precious metals |
| Metals prized because of chemical and physical properties such as resistance to corrosion, hardness, strength and beauty. Common precious metals used for making jewelry are platinum, gold, silver and palladium. |
Princess-cut |
| The Princess-cut is a very attractive square or sometimes rectangular cut, and it has some of the sparkle of a Round brilliant cut. Because of its design, this cut requires more weight to be directed toward the diamond's depth in order to maximize brilliance. It may have either 50 facets (21 crown, 4 girdle, 25 pavilion) or 58 facets (21 crown, 4 girdle, 33 pavilion), depending on how the pavilion is cut. Princess shapes of high cut quality usually have a table percentages between 60-75% and a total depth percentage between 65-80%. |
| Quartz |
| A crystalline mineral used for gems. Usually colourless and transparent. |
| Rose Quartz |
| Delicate pink quartz with a milky appearance. Popular for Valentine's
Day, Mother's Day and other gift occasions. |
Ring size |
| Proper ring size is based on the diameter of the wearer's finger and the size of her/his knuckle. The most common ring sizes range from 4 to 13. A size 4 ring has a circumferance equal to 46.5mm or 1-13/16 inches. There are many ways to determine a ring size. Click here to learn how. |
| Rhodium Plating |
| A technique used to plate white gold, giving it high reflectivity. |
| Sapphire |
| A highly valued and precious stone and a member of the corundum group.
Most commonly in blue. |
| Semi-precious |
| The second and largest of the three categories into which gemstones have been divided by traditional usage. Stones such as topaz, garnet and amethyst are regarded as semi-precious, rather than precious, for relative softness, inferior brilliance, comparative abundance, unfamiliarity or fashion. |
| Snake Chain |
| Chain with links that fit together to form a bendable, often tubular chain. |
Solitaire |
| A single-diamond engagement ring. |
| Sterling Silver (Ag) |
A metallic element, used in jewelry, coinage, dentistry, photography, etc. It is the whitest of metals, harder than gold, softer than copper, more malleable and ductile than any metal except gold, and probably the best conductor of heat and electricity. |
| Titanium (Ti) |
| A silvery gray, light, strong metallic element found combined in ilmenite and rutile and used especially in alloys (as steel) and combined in refractory materials and in coatings. |
| Topaz |
| A transparent gem. the most precious type is wine-yellow. Also found in
shades of white, blue, brown, orange and pink. |
| White Gold |
An alloy of gold, with nickel or palladium. |
| Yellow Gold |
| The most popular gold alloy. An alloy of gold, silver, copper and often zinc. |
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