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- Abalon - The colourful, pearly interior of a molusc shell
Agate - type of chalcedony quartz found in a variety of colours and patterns, frequently with varying colour layers
Alexandrite - A mineral which changes colour or appears to change colour as the source of light changes. Found in Russia, Sri Lanka and Brazil
Alloy - A mixture of two or more metals
Amber - Fossilised resin in shades from honey through to yellow and reddish brown
Amethyst - Transparent and opaque varieties of crystallised quartz, typically purple or violet in colour
Ametrine - A variety of quartz that contains both amethyst and citrine sectors in the same crystal
Andalusite - An orangey brown, yellowish green or gold mineral, named after Andalusia, where it was first discovered. Sometimes called 'poor man's alexandrite'
Antique style - Process by which something takes on an aged look. Usually a darkened or tarnished appearance
Applique - An ornamental piece that's created separately and then applied to a piece of jewellery
Aquamarine - A blue semi-precious stone in the beryl family
Armoire - A moveable cabinet to store your jewellery with several doors and shelves
Art Deco - see deco style
Austrian crystal - Imitation of natural or rock crystal (quartz). see also crystal
Aventurine - Translucent greenish quartz mineral, internally granular. Often mistaken for jade, another green stone
Azurite malachite - A mineral which is characterised in appearance by bands of light and dark blue
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- Baguette - Small stones which are rectangular and faceted
Bail - A folded metal loop, from which a pendant, watch, stone, etc. may be hung on a chain or cord
Band - A ring which is the same width on top of the ring
Bangle - A stiff bracelet that slips over the hand or is clasped on
Base metal - Any non-precious metal
Basket - A fancy setting with numerous side piercings to provide a lacy or basket-look appearance
Bead - A stone cut in the shape of a small sphere
Belcher chain - Made up of links that are round or oval and uniform in size
Bell cap - A vertical drop setting that resembles of bell
Beveled - An angled part or surface, usually an angle other than a right angle
Bezel - A setting where a collar of metal encircles and raises the centrepiece
Blueberry Quartz - This stunning blue-violet quartz is actually an intense shade of amethyst and is an incredibly rare gem. Technically it's truly a blue amethyst, but blueberry quartz describes the colour perfectly. It's currently only found at the extremely deep Minas Gerais mine in Brazil, and makes up less than 0.01% of total quartz production. The seam is found at about 150m below ground, making it difficult and time-consuming to extract. Despite claims to the contrary, blueberry quartz is a real gem, not simulated, and is truly beautiful and rare.
Box and tongue clasp - A clasp in which a V-shaped wire fits into a small tube and locks into place
Box chain - A type of chain with links that are wide and square like boxes
Brilliant cut - A round cut of 58 facets, mathematically devised to produce the greatest brilliance
Brooch - An ornamental piece of jewellery with a pin and clasp to be attached to clothing, etc
Button Earrings - A flat, usually round earring that sits on the earlobe and has no dangling parts
Byzantine chain - A chain with close-fitting links that create an intricate design and form a tubular or flat chain
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- Cabochon - A domed gemstone. Highly polished curved surface without faceting
Cameo - A carved gem or shell, in which the outer layers are cut away so that the design stands out in relief against a background of a different colour
Carat (gems) - Unit of weight for gemstones with 100 points to a carat, with one carat equalling one-fifth of a gram
Carat (gold) - A measure, from 1 to 24, used to indicate how much of a piece of jewellery is gold and how much an alloy
Carnelian - Pale red quartz. Most carnelian comes from Brazil, India, Siberia, and Germany
Cat's eye - A stone with a distinctive, sweeping band of light across its centre, ranging in colour from green to brownish gold
Case - The box-like piece that holds the watch mechanism
Chalcedony - Refers to various types of coloured quartz, usually those with a milky appearance like carnelian, agate, cat's eye, and jasper
Chandelier style - Drop earrings or pendants in a chandelier-like design
Channel setting - A setting where stones are inlaid into grooves in the metal. Usually a number of uniformly sized small stones are set in a row
Charm - A decorative pendant or trinket to be worn on a bracelet, necklace or earring
Charm bracelet - A link bracelet to which charms can be attached
Chevron style - A design consisting of short lines joined at angles to form rows of 'V's
Chrysoprase - A variety of chalcedony which is apple green in colour
Citrine - A brownish-orange quartz type
Clasp - Any type of attachment that connects the two ends of a piece of jewellery
Clip-back - Earrings designed for non-pierced ears. Works like a hinge to secure the earring to the earlobe
Cloisonne - Decorative enamel work which is set in thin strips of wire
Cluster - A setting in which stones are grouped together
Cluster ring - A ring with a setting in which stones are grouped together
Cocktail ring - Large ring set with precious or semiprecious stones
Collar - A band worn close to the neck
Concave - Curving inward, like the inner surface of a ball
Convex - Curving outward, like the outer surface of a ball
Coral - The skeletal remains of marine animals, in a range in colours including red, pink, and salmon
Corundum - A gem mineral of crystallised aluminium and oxygen. Ruby and sapphire are the most valuable corundum
Crown - Upper part of a gem
Crystal - A top-quality colourless, transparent glass resembling natural or rock crystal. Made through an ancient process that involves lead oxide. To be crystal, there must be a minimum of 10% lead. See also Austrian Crystal
Crystalline - Formed by crystallisation, or similar to crystal in texture
Cuff link - A decorative fastener worn to close the French cuff (a cuff without buttons) of a shirt
Cultured pearl - Created through a painstaking process of mimicking the natural pearl process in live molluscs. A pearl is formed as a result of implanting a piece of mantle from a mollusc into another host mollusc
Curb link chain - A type of chain where the links are oval and twisted so they lie flat
Cushion cut - A square cut with rounded corners
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Dangle - See drop
Deco style - Derived from Art Deco, a style which originated in France in the 1920s and 1930s. Characterised by abstract designs and linear, geometric patterns
Demi-hoop - see half-hoop design
Denim lapis - A pale variety of lapis lazuli from Chile; the same colour as denim cloth
Diamond - A precious gemstone composed of pure carbon. Hardest of all known substances. Rated 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness
Diamond cut - cuts made into the surface of the metal to create a pattern and to make the surface reflect more light
Diamonique (R) - Diamonique is a simulated gemstone that resembles the finest natural diamonds
Diopside - A mineral which ranges in colour from white, to deep green to almost black
Drop - A small ornament suspended from a piece of jewellery
Drop earring - Any earring which hangs below the earlobe. Also called a dangle earring |
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