American Gem Society: a professional organization formed in 1934 by several independent jewelers and the founder of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA)
The process of darkening the recessed areas of gold or silver jewelry, in order to enhance the visibility of the engraving, thus giving the piece an aged, or
A style characterized by angular geometric shapes, zigzags, bold colors, molded or faceted Czech glass beads, plastics (such as celluloid or Bakelite) and chrome
A design movement that began in the late 1800s as a rebellion against the mass-produced, machine made designs of questionable aesthetic value, common in the late Victorian era
A mineral consisting of a silicate of beryllium and aluminum of great hardness that occurs in colorless hexagonal prisms when pure and in various colors such as: green, blue, yellow, or pink, when not pure
Brilliant cut is the standard cut style for diamonds and consists of a total of 58 facets: 1 table, 8 bezel facets, 8 star facets, 16 upper-girdle facets on the crown, 8 pavilion facets, 16 lower-girdle facets and usually a culet on the pavilion or base
A layered stone, frequently made from banded agate or sea shell, that has been carved with either a woman's profile (most common), a man's profile, a natural scene, or themes involving the Greek or Roman Gods and Goddesses
A variation of quartz, citrine can take on many colors, ranging from: light yellow to a brilliant orange, which may sometimes be confused with fine imperial topaz
A very hard mineral that consists of Aluminum Oxide occurring in massive and crystalline forms and often containing trace amounts of Iron, Titanium, Vanadium and Chromium
A body that is formed by the solidification of a chemical element, a compound, or a mixture, and has a regularly repeating internal arrangement of its atoms and often external plane faces
An ornamental jewelry piece which contains two, often decorated, pieces of precious or semi-precious metal connected by a bar which passes through a buttonhole
A style that began during the final years of Victoria's reign and continued until shortly before World War I when the more geometric influences later to be called Art Deco began to make headway.
A movable, trembling effect, generally achieved through the use of coiled springs of metal, mounted underneath the portion of the brooch that is intended to move
The style of diamond cutting popular from approximately 1890 to the 1930s, typified by a round girdle, a smaller table in relation to the diameter of the stone, and a large culet
A term used to describe a gemstone that lacks discernible internal or external blemishes when viewed by a gemologist using no less than 10x magnification
A brilliant-cut diamond (or colored stone) with the usual total of 58 facets consisting of: 32 facets and a table above the girdle; and 24 facets and a culet below
A general term which includes diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, chalcedony, agates, heliotropes, onyx, tourmaline, chrysolite, rubies, spinel, topaz, turquoise, zircon, and more.
The outer edge or periphery of a fashioned stone, the portion that is usually grasped by the setting or mounting, the dividing line between the crown and pavilion, or the rim or edge of the diamond
A term for a piece made up of a base metal, coated in a thick layer of gold (at least 10k and 1/20th of the total weight of the piece) bonded to its surface
Evaluation and results assigned by independent gemologists that allow sellers to assign pricing to diamonds and gemstones, achieved from comparison with master stones
A jewelry technique in which designs are artfully etched into a piece using hand-held tools (scraper, spit stick, scorper, graver) rather than a laser, casting machine, or chemicals
A decorative technique, in which part of the surface of a piece of jewelry, furniture, or ceramic is cut away and a stone, mother of pearl, or some other substance is embedded into the hollowed-out area so that it is level with the surface of the piece
A style in which rows of square princess cut diamonds or other gemstones rest perfectly flush against one another, within a metal border or frame with no metal separating them
A dense, black variety of lignite (fossilized coal) that can be highly polished and is often made into mourning jewelry, toys, or buttons, or used in inlays
A casting process where a carved or cast wax original is encased in clay or other investment, before being melted at a high temperature, and replaced with molten metal
A finish created by using either a chemical process or an abrasive material to scratch the top layer of the piece, creating a dull and non-reflective surface
A broad, gold ring engraved with the word MIZPAH. Mizpah is a Hebrew word that means 'watchtower' and is loosely interpreted as 'May God watch over you'.
A term used to describe a surface with a lustrous, cloudy, rainbow-like array of colors, similar to what one might see in an oil slick or mother of pearl
A general term used for jewelry that is made from a living organism (such as pearl), jewelry with floral or plant-like designs, or jewelry that is eco-friendly
The discoloration that forms on metals such as silver and bronze, but is often planned for in the artist's design and can be introduced artificially through the use of chemicals
A raised, high relief design on the front of a metal object made by hammering, embossing, or punching the reverse side of the metal to form the design from the back side out
A method of joining two objects together by making hole in each piece, before passing a screw--composed of the same metal as the piece--through the holes to join the parts
A style of stone cutting that produces a gemstone with a flat, multifaceted base and semi-dome-shaped top that is covered with a varied number of triangular facets and terminates in a point
A casting method in which tempered sand is packed onto wood or metal pattern halves and then removed from the pattern, before metal is poured into the resultant cavities and the mold is broken to remove castings
A private seal once impressed into wax to authenticate a document, which was often formed into a finger ring with the seal forming the bezel of the ring
A general term for natural or synthetic substance which are meant to imitate authentic gemstones but are a cheaper version with a different chemical makeup
A technique used in making and repairing jewelry whereby two pieces of metal are joined by applying molten metal, which has a lower melting point than the two metals being joined
A minimalist earring style that includes a focal point attached to a post, which goes through the earlobe and connects to a removable back that keeps the earring in place