Gadroon: A series of small vertical, diagonal or twisted
grooves applied as a border decoration on silverware.
Gallery: A type of mounting with a pierced, openwork
design resembling the gallery, (rear platform), of an early
sailing ship.
Garland Style: A jewelry style popular in the early 20th century made possible by the
introduction of the widespread use of platinum and characterized by lightness and delicacy that employed motifs such
as garlands, ribbon bows, swags, and tassels.
Garnet: A family of stones having many varieties differing in
color and in their constituents, but all are silicates with the
same isometric crystallization and conforming to the same general
chemical formula. Garnet is a very commonly found in gneiss and
mica slate. The name is derived from its resemblance in color and
shape to the seeds of the pomegranate. The most common color of
garnets range from light red
to violet or plum-red, but can also be white, green, yellow,
brown, and black varieties. It seems as though every shade and
color of garnet is given its own name. Known varieties of garnet
include Andradite, Tsavorite,
Grossularite, Essonite,
Pyrope, Almandine,
Spessartite, Melanite,
Allochroite, Ouvarovite,
Demantoid, and Rhodalite.
(See individual listings). Garnets have a
hardness that varies between 6-8 on the Mohs scale. It was believed that the wearer of
garnets was kept in good health and protected while traveling. Garnets are worn
to signify truth and faith. Red garnet is the birthstone for January.
Gem: (Gemstone). A precious or
semiprecious stone that may be used as
a jewel when cut and polished.
Include diamond, beryl,
emerald, chalcedony,
agate, onyx,
tourmaline, chrysolite,
sapphire, ruby,
spinel, topaz,
turquoise, zircon,
cubic zirconia, jacinth,
hyacinth, carbuncle,
amethyst, alexandrite,
cat's eye, bloodstone,
hematite, jasper,
moonstone, sunstone,
and many others. Several organic materials like
coral and pearls are also
considered gemstones.
Genuine: Unless the word "genuine" is included in
the description of a piece of jewelry, it could simply be using
the term to describe the color of the piece rather than its actual
content. For example, "gold" meaning gold toned, rather
than actual gold. (See below) Or "amethyst" meaning amethyst
colored, rather than containing an actual amethyst stone.
Genuine Pearl: A smooth, round growth used as a gem, a
"genuine" pearl is one that formed naturally within
the shell of a mollusk due to an irritant rather than having the
irritant placed into the mollusk by hand or being made out of
plastic.
Gilding: An object decorated with a thin layer of gold,
gold leaf or gold foil.
Gilt: Gold plated.
Girandôle: A style of earring or brooch in which a large stone
or decorative element suspends three smaller pear-shaped pendants
of similar design.
Girdle: The outermost edge of a cut gem when
viewed from the side and top. It is the edge formed by where the top section
(crown) and the bottom section (pavilion) of the cut stone meet.
Glucinum: (Also called "Beryllium") A rare silver-white metallic
element
resembling magnesium. It is only found in nature combined with
other elements, usually silica or
alumina, in the minerals
phenacite, chrysoberyl,
beryl,
euclase, and danalite.
Gneiss: A form of granite, but having the component
materials, especially the mica, arranged in planes so that it
breaks rather easily into coarse slabs or flags.
Gold: A yellow precious metal
which is valued for its
beauty and purity since it does not oxidize or tarnish like most
other metals. It has been used for coins and jewelry for over 6000
years and from this has become regarded as a symbol of wealth.
Gold is very ductile and is the most malleable of all metals. It
can be cast into huge statues or beaten into wafer thin sheets of
gold leaf. This malleability makes it too soft to be used in
jewelry without being alloyed with other metals. (See
Karat).
Gold electroplating: Process by which sheets of gold of
at least 10 karats and no less than seven-millionths of an inch
thick are electro-chemically bonded to another metal.
Gold Filled: (Also "Goldfilled", or
"gold-filled", abbreviated g.f.) A piece of jewelry with a layer of
gold mechanically applied to the surface of a base metal,
(like brass or copper),
can be called Gold Filled if the amount of gold equals one-twentieth of the
total weight of the piece.
Victorian pieces are likely to be unmarked, but later pieces are
marked with the fineness of the gold layer, and the part by weight
of the gold. For example a piece marked "1/10 12K G.F."
is composed of at least 1/10 12K gold based on the weight of the
finished piece. An older unmarked
gold piece may often be identified by wear through to base metal,
especially when viewing corners or edges under magnification. Look
for a change to a darker, brassy colored material at these spots.
Gold plated: A piece of jewelry with a wafer thin coating of
gold electroplated or mechanically
plated onto a base metal.
Gold Tone: Jewelry finished with a gold color with almost no
appreciable measurement of weight in actual gold.
Gold Washed: Products that have
an extremely thin layer of gold, (less than .175 microns thick), applied by either
dipping or burnishing the metal, but not plated.. This will wear away more quickly than
pieces that are gold plated,
gold-filled, or gold electroplated.
Golden finish: Jewelry finished so that it has the look
of gold, but no actual gold content.
Golden Valadium: Stainless steel that has been electro-charged to
resemble real yellow gold.
Goldstone: See Aventurine.
Good Condition: A piece of jewelry in Good Condition will show substantial evidence of
wear. It will have a noticeable patina which may include numerous very fine pits
or lines. It will not have cracks, chips, obviously discolored or poorly
replaced stones, evidence of glue or other repairs, or other evidence of hard
wear considered to be damage. Damage of any kind is
separately detailed in the item description, and generally items with damage
appear at very reduced prices in the Bargain section.
Gothic revival: Jewelry that evokes
the feeling of medieval Europe in its use of styles, symbols, and
motifs. It began in the 18th century as part of the romantic
movement.
Gram Weight: The weight, in grams, of a
specific metal used in a piece of jewelry.
Granite: A common igneous rock composed of quartz,
orthoclase, and hornblende, often
accompanied by pyroxene or mica.
It is called granite because of the granular surface. Granite is
frequently used for buildings and monuments.
Granulation: A technique often used in Etruscan Revival
jewelry, granulation is the application of minute granules or grains of
metal to the surface of a piece of jewelry to form a decorative
pattern.
Greek key: A design motif attributed to the
ancient Greeks symbolizing the bonds of love, friendship and
devotion. Greek key designs are repeating patterns of interlocking
geometric shapes.
Green gold: An alloy made of gold
mixed with copper, silver, zinc and
often cadmium. The copper is what gives it the greenish tinge. It
is commonly used with enameling to strengthen the color of the
gold when set beside the bright enamels.
Greenstone: See Nephrite.
Grooved: The channel routed in a line.
Grossular: Resembling a gooseberry, as with a grossular
garnet, also called Grossularite.
Grossularite: A translucent
garnet of a pale green color like that of
the gooseberry, occurring alone or as a constituent of the common garnet. It may
also be pink, brown, or black.
Guilloché: A style of enameling in which a continuous decoration is
engraved by an engine-turned lathe
and then covered with translucent enamel so that the engraving can
be seen through the enamel.
Gypsum: A soft, white mineral composed of
hydrous sulfate of lime. It
is used as plaster of Paris.
Gypsy setting: A setting in which the surface of the
mount is virtually flush with the top of the gemstone.
