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Pictorial
Glossary of Jewelry Terms
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14K by
weight 14 parts gold to 10 parts other metals, or 58.33% pure gold.
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18K
by weight 18 parts gold to 6 parts other metals, or 75.0%
pure gold, marked 750 or 18K. |
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22K by weight
22 parts gold to 2 parts other metals, or 91.66% pure gold, marked 22K.
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585 14K by is
at the 58.5% standard and is marked 585. |
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750 18K gold is
marked 750, being 750 parts gold per 1000 |
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STERLING
SILVER 925, meaning 925 parts silver per 1000
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ALLOY
a fusion of compatible metals (or minerals) while molten, to enhance the
hardness or other properties of the resulting combination of metals. |
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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. |
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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. |
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BAGUETTE
A small rectangular shaped gemstone. A term derived from the French,
meaning long and thin as in baguette breads. Baguettes are step cuts,
similar to Emerald cuts, but generally small in size. Tapered baguettes are
also common in jewelry, where the short sides are not even in length causing
the two long sides to taper towards the shorter end. |
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BANGLE A stiff
bracelet that slides over the hand. Bangles may be completely solid, hinge
or open at the ends. It is very common to see people wearing several bangle
bracelets together. |
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BAROQUE PEARL The term
baroque describes the shape of a pearl. An out of round, irregularly shaped
pearl is said to be baroque. |
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BASE METAL Any
non-precious metal, Copper, Nickel, Bronze, Brass, Stainless Steel,
Aluminum, Lead and combinations of these are base metals often used in the
manufacturing of fashion jewelry. |
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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. |
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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. |
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BEZEL SETTING A gold
tube that a gemstone is set in. 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. Sometimes, a white gold bezel can actually make a
diamond look larger because the color of the metal blends with the diamond. |
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BRILLIANT CUT round
shaped diamond 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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Member
American Gem Society