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An extensive glossary of terms
relating to Jewelry and General Merchandise that will impress any
veteran in the trade. We have covered every Jewelry Trade term
including Precious Metals, Genuine Semi-precious Stones, Precious
Gems, Jewelry Making & Jeweler's References in the assembly of
all types of jewelry through out the history of human kind. We have
exposed Jewelry Fashion Industry words that cover close to the whole
gamut of the fashion accessory industry and some of the styles in
each period of history. |
Baddeleyite: A mineral with the same
chemical composition as cubic zirconia. It is powdered, melted down, and mixed with
oxides to make cubic zirconia.
Baguette: A gemstone cut in a narrow rectangular shape
reminiscent of a
loaf of French bread, from which it draws its name. Small
diamonds
cut this way are often used as accents for rings
and necklaces.
Bail: A metal loop used for connecting a pendant, watch, stone or other jewelry
piece to a chain or cord.
Bakelite: (also called catalin): A moldable plastic invented by Leo
Bakeland in 1909, it was
used in jewelry extensively during the U.S. Great Depression of the 1930's.
Bakelite can be molded, lathe-carved, and one color can be inlaid into another,
as in polka dots. The inlaid and carved pieces are especially popular with
collectors today. It has a distinct scent when rubbed similar to formaldehyde.
Bale: See Bail.
Band: A ring, (such as a traditional wedding band), that has the same
width all the way around.
Bangle:
A rigid bracelet that slips over the hand, or hinged oval worn
over the wrist that closes with a clasp.
Bar Brooch: A bar shaped, (long, narrow),
brooch which is often set with gemstones
or pearls.
Bar closure: A hinged bar which fits into a catch and is secured in
the catch with a pin.
Baroque: A pearl
with an uneven or craggy shape and/or surface. Also an irregularly shaped stone
or glass bead.
Barrel clasp: A method of securing two ends of a chain together by
having one half of a fitting screw into the other half. When the two halves are
screwed together they resemble a barrel.
Basalt: A dark volcanic rock, often with a glassy appearance, composed
chiefly of plagioclase, pyroxene, and olivine.
Base Metal: The collective term for any and all non-precious metals.
Basket: A fancy setting with a lacy or
basket-looking appearance due to numerous holes pierced in the side.
Bauxite: A clay-like mineral,
bauxite is the principal ore of
aluminum. It is composed
of aluminum oxides
and aluminum hydroxides. Bauxite is
used as an abrasive, a catalyst, and a refractory for the lining of furnaces which are
exposed to intense heat.
Bead: A small, usually round, object with a hole pierced through it to be strung as
a necklace, bracelet, etc.
Beads are commonly made from stone, shell, glass, or plastic.
Belle Epoque: See Edwardian.
Belly Ring: A form of body jewelry worn in or on the belly
button.
Beryl: The name of a family of stones, composed of a silicate of
aluminum and glucinum (beryllium),
that includes aquamarine,
emerald, and morganite.
Beryllium: Another name for Glucinum.
Betrothal Ring: A tradition dating back to as early as ancient Rome
where it was called an anulus pronubus, a betrothal ring is usually
a plain ring without a
stone presented by a man to his fiancée indicating their intention to marry.
Beveled: Any surface that is cut at an angle less than 90 degrees.
Bezel: Although it is now often used to refer to the entire ring setting,
the bezel is more accurately the term for the metal case which the gem is set
into. The ring of metal that surrounds the stone is called the "collet".
Birthstone: Birthstones have their roots in ancient astrology, and there have
been many birthstone lists used over the years. The most common one today is
based on a list first publicized by the
Jewelers of America in the 1950s:
January - Garnet
February - Amethyst
March - Aquamarine
April - Diamond
May - Emerald
June - Pearl or Moonstone
July - Ruby
August - Peridot
September - Sapphire
October - Opal
November - Citrine
December - Turquoise (or Blue Topaz)
Black Hills Gold: A style of jewelry made in the Black Hills area of
South Dakota featuring 10kt yellow gold with accents of
12kt rose and green golds usually featuring a grape and grape-leaf motif.
Black Onyx: Opaque black colored onyx.
Black Prince’s Ruby: Not an actual ruby, but a ruby-red color of
spinel.
Blemish: A flaw, such as a nick or scratch, on the surface of a stone.
Blister Pearl: A
pearl that forms attached to the shell.
Bloodstone: A variety of chalcedony that is dark green red spots
resembling blood.
Bloomed Gold:
The term used for gold jewelry that has been immersed in
an acid bath giving it a textured, slightly matte appearance.
Blue Lace Agate: A translucent light blue agate with milky white banding.
Blue Topaz: A topaz that is light brown or colorless when mined but turns a
vivid blue when exposed to heat. Blue Topaz is an alternate birthstone for December.
Body Jewelry: Jewelry designed to be worn on or in any part of the body.
While all jewelry is technically worn on the body, the term "Body Jewelry"
is typically used when referring to belly rings, nose studs,
toe rings, tongue bars, and for
jewelry designed for pierced lips,
eyebrows, nipples, or any skin surface.
Bohemian Garnet: Term for the red pyrope
garnet found in much Victorian and turn of the
century jewelry.
Bolo: A braided leather loop worn about the neck and adorned with a slide,
(an ornament of silver, stone or other material fastened
so that it slides up under the chin), leaving the two leather ends hanging.
Bombé: The word itself simply means "curving or bulging
outward". In regards to jewelry it refers to a dome-shaped setting often seen
in rings and earrings from the 1940s
and 1950s.
Book Chain: A Victorian style
of chain made in gold, gold filled
, and sterling silver, in which each link is a rectangular,
folded piece of metal resembling a book. They were often elaborately engraved
and had large lockets attached.
Boron: A soft, brown, nonmetallic
element. It is extracted with some
difficulty and in its reduced state appears as a substance of a deep olive
color, in a semi-metallic form, and in colorless quadratic crystals similar to
the diamond in hardness and other properties. Boron is used in flares,
propellant mixtures, nuclear reactor control elements, abrasives, and hard
metallic alloys.
Bow-Guard: Originally just a wide leather strap worn on the left wrist to protect the
arm from bow strings, it is now usually decorated with a wide ornament of silver.
Box Clasp: A method of connecting two ends of a chain. One end has a
box with an opening which is notched on the top of the box. The other end has a
flat piece of metal which has been folded over to form a spring with a knob at
the end. The folded metal spring slips into the hole in the box with the knob
sticking out through the notch in the top. The compressed spring holds the two
ends in place. It is released by pressing the knob. The connection is usually reinforced by
a figure 8 catch.
Box-and-tongue clasp: See Box Clasp.
Box Chain: A chain in which each link is wide and square so that it
resembles a box.
Bracelet: A form of jewelry worn around the wrist.
Brass: An alloy made up of roughly
half copper and half zinc which has a nice yellow color.
Bridal set: An engagement and wedding ring that come in a set and
usually match or compliment each other.
Brilliance: The amount of sparkle a stone
gives off through reflection and refraction of light.
Brilliant-cut: A cut gemstone having 56 to 58 facets to maximize the
volume of light that is reflected from the inside and thus produce the greatest
brilliance. The most common shape of brilliant cut stones are round, which is
why this is type of cut is sometimes called a "round-cut", but oval,
marquise, pear shape
and heart shapes are
not unusual.
Briolette: A gemstone cut with
triangular facets into the shape of a teardrop or
elongated pendant.
Britannia Or Pewter: An alloy of tin, antimony,
and copper with a dull silver-color.
Britannia Silver: A silver alloy composed of 958 parts
silver in 1000 hallmarked with the figure of
Britannia. Britannia silver was mandatory in England from 1697 to 1720 to
prevent the melting down of sterling coins to
create silver objects.
Broker: See Agent.
Bronze: A very dense and heavy alloy of
60% copper and 40% tin. It has
a dull brown color and is not favored for jewelry because of the weight.
Brooch: An ornamental
piece of jewelry with a pin and clasp to be attached to clothing, from the French word
"broche", meaning "to pierce" or an object/weapon made for
piercing.
Bruiting: The term for shaping the girdle
of a diamond, the first step in the cutting process.
Brushed Finish: (Also known as “satin” finish). A series of tiny parallel
lines scratched onto a surface with a wire brush or polishing tool to produce
texture
Bud Leaf: The slang term given to the leaf of the cannabis plant,
which is the plant used to make hemp products. It is a popular motif in modern
jewelry. Also called a "marijuana leaf".
Buffalo Stone: See Ammolite.
Burnish setting: A setting in which the
gem is set flush
with the setting's surface without using
prongs to hold it in place.
Buttercup setting: A deep six prong setting
with prongs that flare from the scalloped looking
base resembling a buttercup flower.
Butterfly Chain: A chain composed of very tiny butterfly-shaped
links
with oval-shaped "wings". The butterflies are linked head to tail at a
slight angle very close to one another so that the wings form a long continuous
spiral along the length of the chain.
Butterfly clutch: A fitting that slides onto the back of an earring
post to secure it in place.
Button: A method of joining two parts of a garment together by means
of a toggle fastened to one side of the garment which is then pushed through a
slit in the other side of the garment. The toggle, called a "button",
is usually a disk and may be quite ornamental. Some buttons are worn strictly as
decoration rather than serving a functional purpose. The term "button"
is also applied to round pins that usually bear a slogan of some kind.
Button Earring: An earring with no dangling parts.
Byzantine Chain: An intricately designed chain. Two pairs of
oval-shaped links are linked together. Each pair is then parted to allow a large
thick oval link to be attached to the other pair.
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