Nacre: The shiny iridescent
substance secreted by a mollusk
as a response to an irritant, like a piece of sand. Over time
layers of nacre build up to become a pearl.
Naja: (or "Najah") From
the Navajo word "Najahe", meaning
"crescent". A crescent-shaped silver
ornament believed to go back to Moorish designs that was
originally a forehead pendant
on horse bridles. It is now commonly found pendant from the
bottom of a squash blossom
necklace.
Navette: See marquise.
Necklace: A form of jewelry
worn around the neck. See Bolo,
Chain, Choker,
Collar, Diva
Fashion, Fetish Necklace,
Heishi, Hemp,
Jocla, Lariat,
Lavalier, Length,
Matinee Length, Mourning
Jewelry, Opera Length, Rivière,
Sautoir, Squash
Blossom Necklace, Y Necklace.
Needle Point: Stones shaped to a
fine point at both ends.
Negligee pendant: See Lavalier.
Neoclassical: New designs
inspired by artistic elements from classical antiquity, such as
urns, garlands, greek key, palmette.
Nephrite: A compact variety of tremolite
and a form of jade. Often
called "greenstone" though it can also be found in
shades of grey, brown, and black.
Nickel: A hard, bright,
silver-white metallic element
of the iron group that is
malleable, ductile, and resistant to corrosion.
Nickel Silver: An alloy
of nickel, copper,
and zinc, which is a white
metal but contains no actual silver.
Niello: A black metallic
alloy of sulfur,
copper, silver,
or lead, used as inlay
for an incised design on the surface of another metal.
Niello refers to both the substance and the process.
Nonmetallic: A material
which is not composed of metal.
Non-precious: Any metal
that is not considered to be a precious
metal or any gemstone
that is not considered to be a precious
gemstone.
Nose Stud: A simple style of jewelry
for pierced nostrils that has a single stone, pearl,
or metal ball on a straight post.
Nugget: The term used for a lump,
or irregularly shaped mass, of precious
metal.
