From Abalone to Zoisite, the jewellery glossary is packed with information on cuts, gems, settings, links and styles. Simply click on the letter group of the term you'd like explained... Convert bracelet and necklace lengths from inches to centimetres with our guide - click here

		Mabe - A Japanese term for half-sphere cultured pearls, which are cultured against the shell so that only half a cultured pearl is formed Malachite - A mineral which characterised by bands of light and dark green Maltese cross - A cross with four broad arms of equal length, with tops that look like inward-pointing arrowheads Marcasite - Crystallised iron pyrites ("fool's gold"), cut or uncut. Marcasite is a grey, lustrous mineral Marquise - An oval shaped gemstone, cut to have pointed ends. It's named after the Marquise de Pompadour, Mistress of King Louis XV Matte - A non-shiny, frosted surface Mesh - A chain which is fabric-like and woven of fine wire Metallic - A shiny, lustrous appearance Millefiori - Means 'thousand flowers' in Italian. A glass-making technique whereby rods of glass of varying colours and lengths are fused together, then cut into pieces to display ornamental cross sections Millgrain edge - Beaded or ridged, like the edge of a coin Mineral crystal - see quartz Mohs scale - A scale of mineral hardness devised by Frederich Mohs in 1812, ranging from talc (1) to diamonds (10). Moonstone - A translucent stone which is often bluish in colour; sometimes white Morganite - A pink variety of beryl. Found in California, Brazil and Madagascar Mother-of-pearl - Hard, iridescent substance that forms on the inside layer of a pearl-bearing mollusc
		Nacre - A shiny, iridescent substance made from the lining of mollusc shells or fish scales Nephrite - A hard type of jade with colours ranging from white to dark green and grey or brown to black Nugget - A lump or irregularly shaped mass
		Omega - Chain with a flattened, solid surface formed by the dense links Onyx - A semi-precious white or grey stone composed of chalcedony (a variety of quartz). The white variety is generally dyed black for onyx Opal - A non-crystalline, iridescent gemstone Opaque - Not transparent; does not reflect light Open work - A pattern of openings in an ornamental piece Overlay - A decorative layer Oxidation - Metal blackened by a reaction with oxygen. The appearance is achieved by a chemical process
		Panther link - A flat chain in which solid links are arranged like bricks Patent leather - Leather with a highly glossy finish Pave setting - A setting in which small stones are set as close as possible, so that the piece literally looks "paved" with stones Pearl - A smooth, round growth formed naturally within the shell of a mollusc and used as a gem Pendant - An ornament suspended from a simple chain Peridot - A transparent, olive green gem Point - Unit of weight for gemstones equal to one-hundredth of a carat Precious stones - Rare and costly gems such as diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires Princess cut - Similar to a brilliant square-cut gemstone Pyrope garnet - A deep red mineral, similar in appearance to ruby