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Baguette - A gem with a narrow rectangle
shape.
Birthstones - A set of twelve gemstones that are associated
with births during a specific zodiac sign or month of the year. Stones vary by
culture.
Bezel - The bezel is the part of a cut stone that protrudes
above the edge of a setting. The bezel is also known as the crown.
Black Hills Gold - Only jewelry manufactured in the Black
Hills of South Dakota can be sold under the name " Black Hills gold." It is
designated as the official jewelry of the state of South Dakota .
Body Color - The examination of a diamond, by an experienced
eye, under consistent lighting, against a white background, and checked against
"master" diamonds.
Brilliance - The total amount of light reflected from both the
interior and exterior surfaces of a diamond.
Carat (ct.) - A unit of weight used to measure diamonds and
gemstones. The weight is often stated in fractions of a carat. A carat is
divided into 100 points, so that a diamond of 25 points equals 1/4 carat and of
50 points equals 1/2 carat.
Certification - When an independent company evaluates the
quality of a diamond and the retail replacement value, and places this
information in a certificate of authenticity.
Channel setting - the pattern in which jewels are set where
they are held in only by a slight rim of metal (gold, platinum, etc.) which
runs along the edges of the channel. Channel-set jewels are usually round or
baguette shaped.
Clarity - A term used to describe the absence or presence of a
gemstone's internal and external flaws called inclusions. The grade ranges from
internally flawless (IF) to imperfect (I3).
Color - A term used to describe the natural body color of a
diamond. The more colorless a diamond, the rarer and more expensive. They are
with a range from D (least color) to Z (most colors). Color ratings of G
through L are the most common.
Created - A gemstone made in a laboratory with the same
properties as a genuine gemstone. They are also known as synthetic.
Crown - The faceted part (between the flat table and the
girdle) of a gem or diamond.
Cubic Zirconia - A man-made gemstone that is a simulation of a
diamond.
Cushion Cut - the design in which a stone is cut that is very
similar to a princess cut but it has rounded edges (please see the illustration
below).
Cutlet - The small facet on the pointed bottom of the
pavillion on a diamond.
Cultured Pearls - Like natural pearls, cultured pearls grow
inside a living organism. However, they do not begin as accidental intruders to
the shell. Instead, humans insert mother-of-pearl beads or other shapes into a
mollusk. Over time they become coated with nacre. The depth of the nacre
coating depends on how long the beads are left in place before being harvested.
Cut - A gemstone's cut is what gives it sparkle. The stone
admits light through the top, it bounces around inside and comes back out at
the top. In this way the maximum amount of light is reflected.
Diamond - A transparent gem made essentially of carbon which
has crystallized under immense heat and pressure in the earth's crust. It is
the hardest of all known natural substances. Hardness enables the diamond to be
cut with precise accuracy.
Facet - A flat polished surface or plane on a diamond or
gemstone.
Fire - This is a diamond's ability to break up white light
into the rainbow of colors of the spectrum, or its dispersion.
Fractures - Whitish interruptions on the surface of a gemstone
where light does not pass through.
Fracture Filling - A treatment applied mostly to diamonds,
where fractures on their surface are filled with a substance that blends with
the gem to improve clarity.
French wire - Lightweight, clasped earring design.
Freshwater Cultured Pearl - A pearl from a freshwater mussel
or clam, instead of an oyster.
Freshwater Pearl - A natural or cultured pearl that grew
inside of a freshwater mollusk.
Genuine - A gemstone or diamond found in nature.
Girdle - The narrow rim around a stone where the crown and
pavillion meet. The portion which is usually grasped by the setting or
mounting.
Gold Filled - An item with a sheet of gold applied to its
surface by soldering, welding, pressure or heat. Newer items contain markings
that indicate how much and what type of gold was used in the layer. A marking
of 1/20 12k G.F. means that the piece is at least 1/20th 12k gold by weight.
Gold Plating (Electroplating) - When a base metal is covered
with a thin layer of gold by the process of electroplating. The thin layer
normally wears away more quickly than gold in a gold-filled item. The layer of
gold must be at least .00001 of an inch thick, and cannot be called karat gold.
Heat Treatment - Commonly used to change or intensify the
color of a gemstone. The change alters a stone's structure and is usually
permanent.
I.G.I. - International Gemological Institute. The world's
largest, independent appraiser of diamonds.
Inclusions - Internal flaws in a gemstone such as specks,
carbon, tiny bubbles, hairlines and other imperfections of crystallization.
Sometimes referred to as the "fingerprints" of a stone because each stone has a
unique set of inclusions and rarely duplicated.
Karat (k) - The percentage of fine gold in an object. 24k gold
is pure, but pure gold is too soft to be used for jewelry so other metals are
added. All gold is measured in terms of 24 parts. For example, if an item is
listed as 14k, it is comprised of 14 parts of gold and 10 parts of some other
metal.
Laser Drilling - A process used to remove inclusions (flaws)
from diamonds, improving their clarity.
Lever back - A lightweight design of an earring with a secure,
hinged closure.
Lobster Claw Clasp - A secure type of closure for necklaces
and bracelets.
Loupe - A special magnifying glass that enables you to take a
closer look at a gemstone or other object. It makes internal flaws and surface
blemishes more apparent for assessing color, cut and other aspects of the
stone.
Mystic Fire Topaz - This a topaz stone that has been color enhanced by a
coating it with a fine layer of metal atoms. The mystic fire topaz stone has
red, green, violet and blue color streaks in it.
Natural Gemstone - A gemstone formed in nature, with no
assistance from humans.
Natural Pearl - A pearl that begins as a piece of grit or
other foreign substance that makes its way into the shell of a marine or
freshwater mollusk (oysters, clams). A defense mechanism kicks-in to coat the
particle with layer after layer of a substance called nacre, eventually forming
a pearl.
Oiling - A method used to seal a stone such as an opal from
water loss. It is also used to fill fissures on the surface of emeralds,
improving their clarity.
Organic Jewelry - Jewelry made from or produced by once living
organisms.
Pavillion - The bottom portion of a cut stone, beginning at
the girdle and going to the point at its end.
Scintillation - Winking or flashing of light from the facets
of a diamond as it moves. Scintillation explains why diamonds are much more
beautiful when they are in motion.
Screw back Post - A secure type of earring backing.
Secure Safety Clasp - A secure type of levered closure usually
used for bracelets.
Types of Cuts - The design of a diamond or gemstone. Some
popular styles are: Princess, Cushion, Emerald, Oval, Marquise, Pear, and
Radiant, Heart and Round.
Simulated - A gemstone that is usually man-made that looks
like a genuine gemstone but does not have the same properties. For example, a
cubic zirconia is a simulation of a diamond.
Solid Gold - 24-karat gold. Technically refers only to pure or
24-karat gold. It can, however, also describe karat gold that does not have a
hollow center and has at least 10-karat gold content.
Solitaire - A ring or other piece of jewelry containing a
single diamond or gemstone.
Spring Ring Clasp - A secure type of round, hinged closure
used for necklaces and bracelets.
Synthetic - A gemstone created by humans in a lab. Synthetic
stones mimic the structure of natural stones. It's often difficult for
gemologists to tell a synthetic from a natural stone. (Also see created)
Table - The flat top of a cut stone, sometimes called its
face.
Total Weight - Total weight (T.W.) refers to the total weight
of all the diamonds in a piece of jewelry. For example, a cluster ring with a
number of small diamonds may have a total weight of 1/2 carat.
White Gold - Adding alloys (other metals) in varying mixtures
can actually change the color of gold. Pure gold is mixed with the alloys
nickel, zinc and copper in order to obtain the white color.
Yellow Gold - Yellow gold is pure gold mixed with alloys other
than nickel, zinc and copper (which gives us Karat gold.)
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