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News & Articles |
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| News & Articles >> |
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Glossary
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A
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AB
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Short for "Aurora Boreal" (Northern lights), a term that denotes iridescence, especially in crystals, rhinestone, or synthetic stones used in making costume jewelry. The ability of AB stones to pick up color makes it popular in rhinestone and bridal jewelry.
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Abalone
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An iridescent shell that is characterized by dark swirling colors including purple, green, and blue. Abalone, paua, and mother of pearl are all in the same shell family, but in fashion jewelry the iridescent white shell is referred to as mother of pearl, the dark shell as abalone, and the bluish shell as paua.
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Abalone pearls
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colored baroque pearls produced by an edible univalue mollusk which has an ear-shaped shell prized for its multicolored mother-of-pearl lining. These are found in America, New Zealand and Japanese waters. Seldom spheroid, they are usually flattened and ear or tooth- shaped.
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Abraded culet
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when the small culet facet becomes chipped or scratched by another diamond, or resulting from being carried loose in a diamond paper with other diamonds.
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Absorb
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to take up (e.g., a substance) or take in or gain energy from radiant energy (e.g., light)
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Absorption spectrum
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the pattern of dark vertical lines, bands, or areas (broad absorption), seen when light which has been transmitted or reflected from a gemstone is dispersed into its spectral components and examined using an instrument such as a spectroscope.
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Absorption Spectrum
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pattern of dark lines or bands seen in a continuous spectrum by absorption of certain wavelengths when a gem is viewed through a spectroscope.
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Acrylic
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A glassy thermoplastic used in making costume jewelry that can be opaque or transparent, such as synthetic crystals, and characterized by a greater density and weight than plastic and with a smoother finish.
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Adamantine
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diamond-like; The appearance of a material's surface in reflected light, as determined by the quantity and quality of light reflected. The luster of most cut and polished diamonds is described as adamantine luster.
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ADR
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(anomalous double refraction) – an optical effect resembling wiggly dark lines observed when using the polariscope with certain cubic or amorphous gems. It is caused by strain during crystal growth.
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Adularescence
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the characteristic bluish-white or milky sheen (schiller) moonstone.
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Aegis
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A breast ornament worn for protection or defense.
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Agate
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A variety of hard stones in the quartz family that comes in a wide range of colors and are popular in making fashion jewelry. Most of the items under gemstone jewelry on this site are agate.
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Aigrette
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A head ornament worn on a turban, hat, or in metal and jewels often shaped in the form of feathers.
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Albert
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A gold watch chain holding a watch at one end, and having a safety bar at the other.
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Allochromatic
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refers to gems colored by impurities, without which the gem would be colorless.
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Allochromatic
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when the transition element is present only as a minor impurity in the gem material, the material is allochromatic (allo=other; chroma=color)
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Alluvial deposits
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concentrations of material that have been separated by weathering from the host rock, then deposited by rivers or streams.
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Alluvial deposits
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sometimes environmental forces break down the kimberlite at the surface of the pipe, and diamonds get washed out of the pipe into riverbeds. These riverbeds (or ancient riverbeds) are referred to as alluvial or secondary deposits.
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Alluvium
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general term commonly used for deposits of rock debris (alluvial deposits) which have been transported by flowing water and laid down in stream, river, flood plain or lake beds.
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Amorphous
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see non-crystalline
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Amorphous
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without a regular internal atomic structure or external shape. A term referring to substances that do not have crystalline properties, such as glass, amber, and opal.
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Amsterdam
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in Holland; a traditional diamond cutting center that has declined markedly in recent years, although it was very important at one time.
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Amulet
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An object attributed with magical value worn on a person.
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Amulet Holder
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A container for an amulet. It can be worn around the neck, upper arm, wrist, ankle, or other body part.
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Anisotropic
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see doubly refractive
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Anklet
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A chain or other ornament worn around the ankle. Sometime termed a slave bracelet.
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Anklet
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A fashion jewelry item that is like a bracelet, but designed to go around the ankle. The common length of a bracelet is 7 inches and the normal length of an anklet is 9 inches.
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Anklet with Attached Toe Rings
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A composite ornament consisting of toe rings attached by chains or loops to an ankle bracelet.
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Antique
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Jewelry that exceeds one hundred years of age.
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Antique plating
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A processes that darkens the recesses of jewelry to give an antique appearance. Sterling silver is antiqued with an oxidizing agent and costume jewelry is often antiqued with a thinned paint. The high points are polished to contrast with the dark recesses.
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Antwerp
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in Belgium; the most important diamond cutting center in the world and a major distribution center for polished goods.
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Archer's Ring
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A ring worn on the thumb to aid in drawing the bow string, and to protect the thumb against its backlash.
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Archer's Wrist Guard
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A wristband, often highly ornamented, worn to provide strength. Called a ketoh by American Indians.
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Archimedes principle
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Archimedes principle states that when a body is immersed in a liquid, then the upward thrust of the liquid on the body is equal to the weight of the liquid displaced. (The determination of specific gravity by the hydrostatic weighing method is based on this principle)
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Art Deco
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The geometric style that succeeded Edwardian jewelry beginning in the teens, and reaching full flower in the mid 1920's. This style was characterized by zigzags and sharp angles rather than the curves of the previous era. Colored stones were utilized more, and the opaque stones such as jade, onyx and coral were set in geometric shapes. Sleek animals such as Borzoi and Greyhound dogs were featured in some designs. The style started out with relatively delicate designs, transitioning from the Edwardian, but more geometric and angular, and progressed to more the more bold and blocky style also called Art Moderne.
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Art Deco
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A popular style in jewelry history from around 1915 to 1925 that is recognized by its combination of geometric designs and straight lines. The look is popularly reproduced in costume jewelry today.
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Art Deco (1920-1935)
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Jewelry that was produced exhibiting a geometric and structural appearance.
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Art Nouveau
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A style of jewelry popular from the 1890s to around 1915 that was characterized by smooth flowing lines, natural colors, and depictions of sensuous women, flowers, and nature. Art Nouveau themes are popular with current fashion jewelry designers.
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Art Nouveau
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A flowing style with sinuous curves and naturalistic motifs that was popular from about 1895 to 1905. A common motif was a women's head with flowing hair. There are many reproductions on the market today.
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Art Nouveau (1890-1915)
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Jewelry that was produced exhibiting stylized use of intertwining and curvilinear ornamentation
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Artificial stones
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man-made crystals that have no natural counterpart (e.g., the diamond simulants: strontium titanate and YAG)
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Artificial treatment
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the enhancement of the appearance of a substance by heating, staining, coating, impregnation, irradiation or laser-drilling.
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Arts and Crafts
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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. The designers felt that their work should look handmade, and therefore they often left hammer marks on the piece. Although pieces were made of gold, silver was more commonly used to emphasize the craftsmanship of the piece rather than the intrinsic value of the components. Stones were commonly less expensive cabochon stones such as moonstone, mother or pearl, agates or amber. Enamel work was also used. Baguette A gemstone, often a diamond, cut in a narrow rectangular shape. Small diamonds cut this way are often used as accents. A tapered baguette has one short end narrower than the opposite end, forming a trapezoid.
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Assembled
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a composite assembled stone usually of two parts, crown and pavilion, cemented or fused together.
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Assembled gemstones
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any gem made up of two or more parts, which or fused together to form a single stone.
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Assorted materials
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minerals found growing together, though not necessarily intergrown.
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Asterism
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asterism is a reflection effect, generally four or six- rayed, from aligned fibers or fibrous cavities in a stone which has been cut en cabochon with the inclusions oriented parallel to the girdle plane.
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Attributed
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Jewelry that exhibits a style or partial marking indicating the maker.
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Aurora Borealis
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A Latin term that refers to the northern lights and denotes iridescence in costume jewelry. The term is most commonly used in reference to crystals, rhinestone, or synthetic stones that are iridescent.
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Austrian crystals
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Lead crystals that are faceted with a glass cutting machine and renowned for their sparkle. The process was invented by Swarovski in Austria.
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Aventurescence
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strong spangled reflection of light from plates or flakes of another mineral included in the stone (e.g., as seen in aventurine glass, aventurine quartz, aventurine feldspar (sunstone)).
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Aventurine
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A translucent quartz that is found in different colors, but is especially popular in fashion jewelry in green because of its resemblance to jade.
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Axis of symmetry
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one of the elements of symmetry, an axis of symmetry is an imaginary line through the center of a crystal, about which the crystal can be rotated so as to present the same appearance 2, 3, 4 or 6 times in one complete rotation (i.e., a similar face occupies a similar position, more than once in a complete rotation).
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