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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. |
K: See Karat.
Karat: A variation of the word "carat",
(used to describe the weight of a gemstone),
"karat", with a "k" is used to describe the purity of
gold. Gold
is often alloyed with
silver,
copper, and/or other metals to improve
its strength and durability. Products made from
gold are marked to show how much actual gold
is contained in the product. Items marked 24K are 100% pure
gold. Items marked 18K or 750 have 750 parts
gold out of 1000, or 75% pure
gold. Items marked 14K are required by
United States law to have 585 parts
out of 1000, or 58.5% pure gold. 14K
gold that meets this requirement is referred
to as "Plum", (meaning "best choice"), gold.
Foreign industries which manufacture gold
jewelry may produce items that are only 12K to 12 1/2K and sell them as 14K gold.
When buying 14K gold jewelry, be sure to look for the 585 mark to assure the
proper gold content. Items marked 417 are
10K gold. Much of the
jewelry manufactured before the 20th century do not have these marks and must
be tested to determine purity.
Ketoh: See Bow
Guard.
Knife Wire: An extremely thin wire
holding a gemstone making
it appear to float.
Korite: See Ammolite.
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