Hair Jewelry: A style of jewelry popular in the mid-19th century.
Lockets of the hair of loved
ones were preserved in brooches under glass. The hair was
sometimes intricately curled or woven. These pieces were often
inscribed on the back to identify the donors. Later in the
century, hair was woven into watch chains, bracelets,
and earrings and given as tokens of affection. All forms of hair
jewelry are very collectible today.
Half-hoop: A bangle, bracelet,
or ring in which only half of the circumference of the piece is set with stones.
Half-hoop design: An earring which resembles a ring but
does not form a complete circle.
Hallmark: A form of consumer
protection against fraud, hallmarks are simply marks stamped onto
a precious metal by a legally appointed official after assaying to
denote the amount of precious metal contained in a piece. European hallmarks are legally
required and date
back to the early middle ages. Marks are not officially required in the
US but are carried by custom and practice. Marks may indicate the purity of the metal, the maker, the
country of manufacture, and/or the date that the piece was assayed
or had its design registered.
Hammered: A texture applied to the surface of an object
with a hammer to give it a dimpled look.
Hardness: The measure of a stone’s ability to resist
scratching, surface inclusions, abrasions or cracking. See Mohs scale.
Hardstone: The term used for any opaque stones used in
making cameos, intaglios,
or mosaics, such as agate,
carnelian, onyx, etc.
Head: The prongs that secure a stone onto
a setting.
Heart Cut: A "fancy cut" diamond or stone in the shape of a
heart.
Heishi: (hee-shee). The oldest form of jewelry in New Mexico,
pre-dating the introduction of metals. The literal meaning of heishi is
"shell" and specifically refers to pieces of shell which have been
drilled and ground into beads and then strung into necklaces. Centuries ago, the
shells used by the Pueblo Indians to make beads were obtained in trade from the
Gulf of California. The most commonly used are seashells of all kinds--dark and
light olive shells, spiny oysters, mother of pearl, and melon shell. Coral and
stones such as lapis, turquoise,
jet, pipestone and serpentine are also used to
create exquisite contemporary heishi necklaces. A string of good heishi will
have a uniform consistency. If you gently pull it through your hand, it should
feel like a single serpent-like piece. See Liquid silver and
Olivelia Shells.
Heliotrope: See Bloodstone.
Hematite: Iron ore consisting
of ferric oxide in crystalline form,
hematite is silvery, shiny opaque stone that becomes a red powder when ground
down. It manifests in splendent rhombohedral crystals that are very heavy and
cold to the touch.
Hemp: Any plant of the Cannabis family. The fibrous skin is used for
making cloth and rope. Hemp rope has become popular for necklaces,
bracelets,
and anklets. It is usually strung with brightly colored beads.
Herringbone Chain: A chain made up of short, flat, slanted parallel
links with the direction of the slant alternating row by row resembling the
spine of the herring.
Hessonite: A variety of garnet which is yellow in color.
Also called "Cinnamon Stone".
Hidden box clasp: A box clasp hidden under the last link of
chain so that when the chain is closed it looks uniform, except
for the release lever.
High polish: A piece of jewelry that has been polished to a
mirror-like finish.
Hoop Earring: An earring made from metal
wire or tubing that has been shaped like a hoop. Charms and other ornaments
are sometimes hung from the hoop.
Hopi Overlay: Jewelry made by Hopi Indians that employs
a method of creating jewelry called the Overlay technique. See
Overlay technique.
Hue: The specific color classification given to an
object based on the seven colors found in the spectrum; red,
orange yellow, green, blue, indigo, or violet. For example,
garnets are found in a variety of shades of red from pink to plum,
but all of these shades fall under the "hue" of
"red". The
more internally consistent a stone's hue is, the more valuable the stone is considered
to be.
Hyacinth: A variety of Zircon used
as a gem which can be brown, red,
orange, or an amber-like combination of yellow/orange/brown.
Hydrous: Simply means "combined with water"; especially water of
crystallization.
