jewelry terms

A
abrasion
Wearing away or erosion by friction.

abrasive
Substance used to grind or polish other materials.

alarm
Sounds a bell, buzzer or electronic beep at a preset time.

amethyst
Composed of the mineral quartz. It is a transparent stone,
lilac to purple in color. The deeper and richer the color, the
better the quality.

aquamarine
A transparent stone the color of sea water, from which it derives its name. The color
ranges from a watery to a greenish blue. The deeper the color of the stone, the
greater its value.
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B
baroque pearls
Any irregularly shaped pearls, but especially large, irregularly shaped cultured saltwater pearls. Semi-baroque pearls are closer to rounds.

baguettes
A gem cut in the form of a narrow rectangle. Faceted accent stone.

bezel set
The metal fully encases the gemstone outer edges.

bib
Multiple strands of pearls, each longer than the one above, nested together in one necklace.

blemish
Any imperfection on the outside area of a diamond.

box chain
Wide square links that form boxes.
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C
carat
The size of a stone by weight. Diamond weights are expressed in fractions or decimals. One carat equals 100 points or 1.00 carats.

cat's eye
An opaque stone, greenish to brown in color. It is cut cabochon so the gleam of the cat's eye will show as the light strikes the stone at various angles.

channel setting
A setting in which the diamonds are set side by side in a "canal" type setting. The setting protects the stones by recessing them in the mounting.

chevron chain
A chain in the shape of a V or inverted V. 2 diagonal strips meeting at an angle, usually with the point up.

choker
Pearl necklace 14 to 15 inches in length. It nestles at the base of the neck.

chronograph
Records the time of an event to tenths/hundredths of a second.

clarity
The abundance or lack of inclusions, including their size, number, and location in the diamond.

cluster setting
A setting in which many small stones accent a larger center stone.

citrine
An amber-colored stone of quartz. It is often mistaken for real topaz. Citrine is a transparent stone which is faceted like the more expensive topaz.

color
The natural body color of a diamond. The finest diamonds are colorless and very rare. Most diamonds show a little color.

countdown timer
Measures a period of time by counting backwards from a set unit to zero.

cubic zirconia
A synthetic stone that resembles a diamond. It is very durable and has brilliant sparkle.

cultured pearls
Pearls formed by a mollusk and composed of concentric layers of crystalline substance called nacre, deposited around an irritant placed in the oyster's body by man. The exterior surface of the pearl is a formation secreted by that mollusk alone. Cultured pearls may be of the saltwater or freshwater variety.

cut
The shape and dimension of a diamond. To stress the diamond's brilliance, proportions must be exact.
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D
date display
Shows any combination of the current day, date or month.

diamond
A transparent stone. The true beauty of a diamond lies in its ability to separate light rays into all colors of the spectrum and reflect these colors in a sparkling display. The value of a diamond is determined by its cut, color (or lack of color), clarity (or degree to which it is free from flaws), and carat weight. A diamond is the hardest substance known. On a hardness scale of 1 to 10, the diamond is a 10.

diamond accents
Diamonds carat total weight less than 1/10 of a carat.

diamond cut
Metal cut with facets like a diamond.

dog collar
Style of necklace with multiple strands of pearls fitting closely around the neck.
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E
eco-drive
Permanently rechargeable by converting light into electrical energy quickly and efficiently.

emerald
A member of the beryl family of gemstones. The beauty of an emerald is in its rich green color. Emeralds are very rare and are priced higher than diamonds of the same size and perfection. Emeralds are transparent stones, which do not reflect light, and which almost always have flaws. They are also brittle. They rate a 7.5 on a hardness scale.

emerald cut
Rectangular or square step cut with diagonally cut corners and two, three, or four rows of facets parallel to the girdle on the crown and pavilion. If the shape is square, it is called a square emerald cut. It is frequently used to fashion emeralds.
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F
fancy diamonds
Intensely colored diamonds such as canary yellow, or cognac colored diamonds. Fancy colored diamonds come in many colors with blue, pink, and red being the rarest.

filigree
Ornamental openwork of or intricate design. Usually applied to gold and silver work.

flat top setting
A setting which holds the diamond with four or six small beads around the edge of the stone.

freshwater pearls
Pearls occurring in mussels, not oysters, and found in freshwater lakes and rivers. They grow into many shapes, including "rice," "button," "winged," "oval," and "flake," and have a milky translucent appearance. They have been found most often in Japan, China, and the U.S. Freshwater pearls are always identified by jewelers as "freshwater" or "sweetwater" pearls, never just as "pearls."

full cut
A brilliant-cut diamond having 58 facets total.
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G
garnet
A transparent stone. It is usually red, but also exists in purple, yellow, green, and black. The garnet is a very attractive stone, with a hardness rating of 7.5.

gemstone
A mineral or petrified material that when cut and polished can be used in jewelry.

graduated strand
Pearl necklace in which pearls of gradually increasing size are strung with the smallest pearls near the clasp and the largest at the center.
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I
ideal cut
A cut of diamond with proportions and angles calculated mathematically to produce maximum brilliance. Created by famous diamond cutter Marcal Tolkowsky, this cut yields a smaller diamond from the rough crystal than other cuts do since more diamond weight is lost in achieving the highly desired brilliance and fire. Not all diamonds are cut to ideal-cut standards, but most approximate them as nearly as possible to achieve both weight retention and brilliance.

imitation pearls
Manufactured products composed of any material which simulates in appearance pearls or cultured pearls, without possessing their physical, chemical, or optical properties or their crystal structure. They are made most often by dipping a glass, plastic, or mother-of-pearl bead into a solution made from fish scales, which provides the pearly glow. Imitation or simulated pearls must be labeled as such.

inclusion
Any imperfection located inside a diamond, for example, a feather, pinpoint, included crystal, or knot.
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J
jade
A translucent to opaque stone which varies in color from pale to rich green. Stones of translucent, rich green are considered the most valuable.
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K
kinetic
Run entirely on self-generated energy from the natural movement of your wrist. They never need a battery change.
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L
lap timer
A secondary function of a chronograph that allows the timing of more than one event.

lariat
Pearl necklace 40 inches or more in length. Also called "rope" or "sautoir."

loupe
A hand-held means of 10x power magnification used to examine gemstones and their mountings.

luminous dial
Glows in the dark.

luster
The surface shine of a pearl.
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M

malleability
It can be hammered, stretched, formed, and molded into an infinite variety of shapes and items.

marquise
Cut Elongated, boat-shaped brilliant cut stone with curving sides and pointed ends.

matinee
Pearl necklace 20 to 24 inches in length.

millimeter
Diameter measurement of a pearl. It is approximately 1/25th of an inch.

moon phase display
Displays the 29-day lunar cycle.
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N
natural pearls
Pearls formed 100 percent by nature. It is suspected that a parasite or some foreign microscopic organism enters the mollusk and literally irritates it. In order for the mollusk to combat this irritant, it covers the foreign substance with many layers of nacre. Natural pearls are also referred to as "genuine" pearls or "oriental" pearls.
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O
onyx
An opaque stone. It is usually black; however, it can also come in different colors. For example, sardonyx is a variety of onyx that is red or brown.

opal
A mysterious stone which gets its beautiful play of colors from moisture in tiny invisible cracks within the stone. The opal varies from transparent to opaque. Its value is based on the beauty of its play of colors, with red being preferred as the dominant color. The cabochon cut best shows the opal's fiery light. Opal is extremely soft and therefore easily scratched.

oval cut
Brilliant cut with an elliptical girdle outline; also called an oval brilliant cut. Obsolete barrel-shaped cut, circular in section and covered with triangular facets.
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P
pave setting (pa-vay)
A setting which does not show between the stones, thus making the surface look "paved."

pear cut
Variation of the brilliant cut with a pear-shaped girdle outline and 56 to 58 facets. Also called Pendeloque or Tear-drop.

pearl
Natural formation of concentric layers of nacre, secreted by an oyster, clam, or mussel, when stimulated by the intrusion of a foreign element.

peridot
A dark green transparent stone. It has an oily appearance and scratches very easily.

perpetual calendar
Automatically displays the current date, adjusting for leap years.

platinum
A precious metal that is grayish white in color that does not tarnish.

princess
Pearl necklace 18 inches in length.

princess cut
(Many variations) popular square or rectangular modified brilliant cut ; usually with 57 facets (21 crown facets, 32 pavilion facets, and four girdle facets) but occasionally a 144-facet rectangular or square brilliant.
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R
rarity
It's scarce and even when found it takes three tons of ore to yield one ounce of gold.

refraction
The bending of light rays. The degree of bending is related to the change in speed at which the light travels when it enters the gemstone.

rope
Pearl necklace 40 inches or more in length.

ruby
The red variety of corundum. The color of the ruby is best when it is an intense red, not mixed or maroonish. The deeper the color, the more valuable the stone. In stones larger than three carats, a ruby is considered more valuable than a diamond because rubies of that size are extremely rare. The ruby is the second hardest substance known, rated a 9.
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S
sapphire
A variety of corundum. The sapphire differs from the ruby in color only. (The red color found in the ruby is much rarer, and therefore more valuable.) Like ruby, sapphire is a 9 on the hardness scale. The sapphire comes in many shades of blue, as well as in other colors and in colorless. However, the most desirable and most expensive is the transparent blue sapphire.

setting
The metal fastening designed to hold a gemstone in a piece of jewelry. See also Channel setting, flat top setting, pave setting.

shape
The overall form of a pearl. Shape affects value; the more symmetrical the shape, the more valuable the pearl. Typical symmetrical shapes are round, pear, teardrop, and oval.

shock resistance
Guards against damage from the ordinary bumps and impact of daily wear.

single cut
A diamond having only 16 facets, usually used for very small accent diamonds in a ring setting. This cut is less expensive than a full cut. Size A measurement of the weight and diameter of a pearl.

size
Contributes to the price. Because large pearls are difficult for oysters to grow, they are scarce and therefore valuable. In cultured pearls, larger nuclei implanted into the oysters produce larger pearls.

spinel
A transparent stone which varies in color, occurring in ruby-red, purple, sapphire-blue, and orange varieties. We carry only the synthetic stone.

spring ring clasp
A round clasp that opens with a coil spring.

strand
See graduated strand and uniform strand.

sun/moon indicator
Sun/moon signs on dial indicate the hours of daylight/darkness for a given day.

symmetry
The exactness of placement and shaping of opposed facets and other portions of a fashioned diamond. An asymmetrical diamond may have an off-center table facet or culet facet or may have an unevenly cut girdle or misshaped facets.

saltwater pearls
Pearls found in oysters in a seawater environment. See pearl.
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T
tahitian natural color
Large cultured pearls (usually 9mm or larger) whose black color is created naturally within the body of a mollusk. These are found primarily in the Tahitian Islands.

tanzanite
A gem that is deep blue in color and popular for its brilliance. Found in Tanzania in 1967.

tiger eye
Golden-brown to blue in color. When cut properly it has a narrow gleam of light that appears to move vertically along its surface as the stone moves.

time zone display
Indicates the local time in multiple time zones across the country or world.

topaz
A hard, brilliant stone with a wide range of color. While we do not carry the very expensive true topaz stone, we do carry the blue topaz and smoky topaz, which are varieties of the mineral quartz. Even though the quartz stones are less expensive than true topaz, they are genuine semi-precious stones and are very beautiful.

tourmaline
A stone that comes in many colors, the most popular of which is green. It has the interesting characteristic of containing more than one color in the same stone; thus it is possible to have a tourmaline that is red on one end and green at the other or that contains other mixtures of colors.

turquoise
Turquoise is opaque stone which has been popular for centuries. Colors range from an expensive sky blue to a less desirable green. Turquoise has a waxy luster and a soft surface that scratches easily. A tourquoise stone may possibly darken or turn greenish with age.
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U
uniform strand
Necklace which appears to be composed entirely of pearls of the same size, though there is generally a slight difference in size between the center and the end pearls for a more proportionate look.
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W
window
An optical "see through" effect observed in faceted gems that have a shallow pavilion angle and are not well proportioned, thus making the stone look watery and lack brilliance.
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Z
zircon
Contrary to popular belief, the zircon is a natural stone. More than any other natural stone, the zircon resembles the diamond in the quality of its light reflection, or "sparkle." Most zircons used in jewelry are given a heat treatment to make them colorless. They are brittle and can chip easily. We carry only the synthetic cubic zirconia.
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