Safety Catch: One of several
means of securing a brooch
to a garment. Before the invention of safety catches, the most
common means of securing a brooch
was a simple "C" catch
with no locking mechanism. A safety catch is simply a way to
secure the pin to the "C"
catch so that it doesn't come undone and does not need to
extend beyond the edge of the brooch.
Salt: A colorless or white crystalline
solid, composed of sodium chloride.
It is found native in the earth, and is also produced by the
evaporation and crystallization
of sea water and other water impregnated with saline particles.
Salt is used extensively in ground or granulated form as a food
seasoning and preservative.
San Marco chain: A unique kind
of chain wherein each link is
long and rounded, resembling a puffed grain of rice with a flat
bottom. The links are
arranged next to each other at a 45 degree angle and attached to
each other on the bottom by sturdy flat pins set at an opposite
angle.
Sand Casting: For hundreds of years
sand casting was the most popular of all casting methods. It
still plays an important role in the production of large metal
forms, (typically Iron, but
also Bronze, Brass,
Aluminum). Tempered sand
is packed onto wood or metal
pattern halves, removed from the pattern, and metal
is poured into resultant cavities. Molds are broken to remove
castings.
Sandstone: Just as the name
implies, sandstone is a sedimentary
stone made of sand that has been fused with some cementing
element like clay or quartz.
Sapphire: One of the four precious
gemstones. The other three
are diamonds, rubies,
and emeralds. Sapphire is a
member of the corundum
family which come in a variety of colors from white to orange to
green to pink. If a corundum
gemstone is red, it is a ruby,
but any other color are properly referred to as sapphires.
Sapphires have been synthesized since
the 1920's. Ancient Persians believed the blueness of the sky
was caused by the reflection from an enormous blue sapphire that
the Earth rested on. Blue sapphire is the birthstone
for September.
Sard: A deep orange-red to
brownish-red variety of chalcedony.
Sardonyx: A variety of onyx
consisting of alternating layers of sard and
white chalcedony.
Satin finish: A series of tiny
parallel lines scratched onto a surface with a wire brush or
polishing tool to produce texture
Saturation: A measure of the
intensity of color inherent
in a gemstone. Stones that
are well saturated with color
are more valuable.
Sautoir: (Soh-TWAH) A long rope
style necklace popularized
in the Edwardian era
because Queen Alexandra often wore them. They were usually
decorated with seed pearls and had a tassel
as a pendant.
Scalenohedral: A fancy
shape gemstone made up
of 12 facets, each shaped
like a scalene triangle. Crystal points with triangular facets
are said to be scalenohedral.
Scalloped: An ornamental
border consisting of a series of curved projections.
Scarab: An ancient Egyptian
fertility symbol based on a common dung beetle found in Egypt.
It was often carried as an amulet
cast from gold or carved from semiprecious
stones. The flat underside could have a design carved into it
that could be used as a signet.
Scatter Pin: A small pin,
usually featuring flowers, birds and insects, that is intended
to be worn in a group with many other scatter pins.
Scepter: A symbol of spiritual
and worldly power used as a part of royal insignia. A scepter is
really nothing more than a simple staff, but the ones used in
ceremony are usually highly decorated with precious
metals and gemstones.
The topping of a scepter varied in different countries and in
different periods. In the Middle Ages two forms were
distinguished: a long staff (baculum), otherwise called rod, and
a short one (sceptrum), although their meaning was identical.
The long staff, topped with a globe, is a typical attribute of
God in Carolingian painting. A scepter could be crowned with
three leaves or a lily, a globe, a bird, etc.
Schorl: Black Tourmaline.
Scintillation: See Sparkle.
Screw back: A type of earring
attachment for non-pierced
ears where the earring is
tightened against the earlobe by means of a screw with a flat
padded end.
Scrimshaw: A type of folk art
dating from at least the 17th century in which whale teeth,
whale bones and walrus tusks are engraved or lightly carved with
a picture or design. It was a way for sailors on long whaling
voyages to pass time but has become very collectible.
Seashell: Any of a number of
shells of marine creatures such as mollusks
or gastropods which can be used as jewelry.
See cowrie shell, olivelia
shell, abalone, ammolite,
etc.
Sedimentary: Rock formed by
layers of material that has accumulated and hardened over time.
Seed bead: (also seed-bead,
seedbead). Mass produced tiny glass or plastic beads
made by slicing tubes into tiny evenly spaced pieces. This makes
them oblong in shape, rather than round, and flat on the ends.
Seed beads can be strung
together to make a necklace
or bracelet, but are
commonly used as spacers for larger beads.
They can also be strung on a loom to make beaded bands and
belts.
Seed Pearl: A very small pearl
or imitation pearl popular
during the Victorian
period as accents set into gold
jewelry or woven into long
fringed necklaces called sautoirs.
Semi-Mount/Semi-Mounting: A
finished piece of jewelry
already embellished with gemstones
and/or engraving that is
simply waiting for the center stone. Pieces are sold this way to
allow the buyer to add a center stone of their own choosing.
Semiprecious: Any gemstones
valued for their beauty but which are not one of the four "precious
stones", (emerald, diamond,
ruby or sapphire).
Some examples of semiprecious stones are amethyst,
aventurine, carnelian,
garnet, opal,
peridot, rose
quartz, etc.
Serpentine chain: A series of
small, flat, s-shaped links
set very closely together and held in place by a second set of
small, flat, s-shaped links
set very closely together underneath them.
Setting: The part of the jewelry
into which stones are set. Also refers to the mechanism used to
hold the stones in place, such as the bezel,
pave', channel,
and prong settings.
Shank: The part of a ring
that encircles the finger, does not include the setting.
Shoulder: The part of a ring
between the shank and the center of the setting.
Shekel: A Hebrew unit equal to
about a half ounce. A common estimate makes the shekel equal in
weight to about 130 grains for gold,
224 grains for silver, and 450 grains for copper.
A shekel is also a gold or silver
coin equal in weight to one of these units, especially the chief
silver coin of the ancient Hebrews. The
approximate values of the coins are (gold)
$5.00, (silver) 60 cents, and (copper
half shekel), one and one half cents.
Signet: A carved design, like an intaglio,
which was usually worn on a ring.
It was pressed into soft wax to authenticate a document. The
design was usually a coat of arms, family crest, or some other
type of insignia or monogram unique to the person using it.
Silica: Crystalline silica is the
scientific name for a group of minerals composed of silicon and
oxygen. The term crystalline refers to the fact that the oxygen
and silicon atoms are arranged in a three-dimensional repeating
pattern.
Silicate: Any of a large group
of minerals, forming over
90 percent of the earth's crust, that consist of silicon,
oxygen, and one or more metals,
(and sometimes hydrogen).
Silicon: A nonmetallic
element which is only found
as a compound with other elements
in nature. When artificially extracted, silicon appears as a
dark brown amorphous powder, or as a dark crystalline
substance with a metallic luster.
This substance is used in combination with other materials in
glass, semiconducting devices, concrete, brick, refractories,
pottery, and silicones. Its oxide
is silica, or common quartz,
and in this form, or as silicates, it is
the second most abundant element
in the Earth's crust, next to oxygen,
making up 25.7% of it by weight.
Singapore chain: A style of chain
wherein each link is composed of a series of flat, diamond-cut,
interwoven concentric loops.
Single-cut Diamonds: Genuine diamonds,
commonly used in watchcases, that contain only 18 facets.
Silver: One of the three "precious
metals" along with gold
and platinum which has
been used to make jewelry
for thousands of years. Silver has a lustrous
white color but needs polishing occasionally because silver
reacts with sulfur in the air to cause tarnishing.
It is harder than gold and
much more plentiful, but still too soft in its natural state to
be of much use as jewelry
without being alloyed with a
harder metal. (see Sterling
Silver). Silver has the highest thermal and electrical
conductivity of the metals
and is widely used in coinage, photography, dental and soldering
alloys, electrical contacts,
and printed circuits.
Silver tone: Jewelry
finished with a silver color with very little appreciable
measurement of weight in silver.
Silvery finish: Jewelry
that has the look of silver but no actual silver
content.
Simulated stones: Any natural
or synthetic substance which is meant
to resemble a gemstone. cubic
zirconia, for example, is a simulated diamond.
Simulated tortoise: A synthetic
material resembling the mottled brown and yellow color found on
tortoise shells.
Slate: A smooth, solid gray
fine-grained rock that can be split into thin layers.
Sliced: A bracelet
that is the same thickness all the way around and does not taper
at the edges; as though it were simply sliced off the end of a
cylinder.
Slide: An ornament with a tube on
the back. A cord or necklace
can then be threaded through the tube allowing the ornament to
slide along the length of the cord or necklace.
See Bolo.
Smoky quartz: A variety of quartz
that ranges in color from cloudy brown to a dark root beer shade
with a smoky appearance.
Smoky topaz: see Smoky Quartz.
Snap bar closure: The hinged bar on
the back of a lever back or omega
back earring.
Snake chain: Unlike most chains
which are a series of linked rings, a snake chain
is made up of round wavy metal
rings joined side by side forming a flexible tube with a smooth
scaly texture like snake skin.
Snow Quartz: see White
Quartz.
Soda: Any of various forms of sodium
carbonate used in making
soap, powders, glass, and paper.
Sodalite: An opaque
blue-white silicate of alumina
and soda with some chlorine,
(sodium aluminum
silicate and sodium
chloride). It looks
similar to Lapis, and is a
component of Lapis, occurring
in massive dodecahedrons and found in igneous
rocks. It has varying degrees of white veins of calcite
and an occasional speck of pyrite.
Sodium: A common soft, waxy,
light, extremely malleable silver-white unstable metallic
element of the alkali
group. It is always found as a compound with other elements
in nature, such as common salt, albite, etc.
Sodium burns with a yellow flame, and is so readily oxidized
that it combines violently with water and to be preserved must
be kept under petroleum or some similar liquid.
Soldering: A technique used in
making and repairing jewelry
whereby two pieces of metal
are joined by applying a molten metal
which has a lower melting point than the two metals
being joined.
Solitaire: A single,
(solitary), gemstone
mounted in a simple setting, often found
in a ring or pendant.
Sparkle: A measure of the light
reflected out by a diamond
or stone as it is viewed from different angles.
Spessartite: A red to
brownish-red garnet composed
of alumina manganese.
Spinel: Probably named from the
Latin word "spina", (meaning "thorn"), for
its pointed crystals, spinel is a hard mineral
with octahedral crystals
occurring in igneous and carbonate
rocks. It consists essentially of alumina
and magnesia, but commonly
contains iron and sometimes
also chromium. It is found
in a variety of colors including blue, green, brown, black, and
the valuable red variety which resembles a ruby.
It was popular in medieval jewelry.
Split Ring: Most commonly used for
key-rings, a split ring is simply a metal
ring with a "split" around its circumference. The
split has an opening to the side of the ring at each end to
allow a key or other small ring to slide into the slit and be
pulled around the circumference of the ring until it reaches
opening at the other end of the split.
Spray Brooch: A type of brooch,
usually worn at the shoulder, which is characterized by floral
themes featuring long stemmed jeweled flowers and long leaves.
Spring ring clasp: A very common
kind of clasp used for
joining two ends of a necklace.
The clasp itself consists of
a hollow metal tube in a
circle shape with a gap in the side. The hollow tube contains a
small wire held in place by a spring inside the tube behind the
wire. The wire can be pulled back by means of a small knob which
slides along the outer edge of the circular tube. Releasing the
knob allows the spring to push the wire forward closing the gap.
The other end of the necklace
terminates in a small ring. By using the knob on the spring ring
to open the gap in the hollow circular tube, one can then place
the small ring through the gap and close the wire through the
ring securing it in place and closing the necklace.
Square cut: A style of gem
cutting resembling the emerald
cut.
Square setting: A square shaped setting
with a prong at each corner.
Squash Blossom Necklace: A
traditional piece of Navajo jewelry
based on an old and favored Spanish-Mexican ornament which was
actually not a squash, but a stylized version of the
pomegranate. A shape that the Spanish Conquistadores used as
buttons on their trousers. The squash blossom necklace is
composed of beads resembling
squash blossoms placed at regular intervals with a naja,
(crescent shaped pendant),
at the center.
Stabilized Turquoise: Turquoise
is very porous by nature which allows it to absorb any
pollutants that it comes in contact with, including oils from
the skin. Stabilized turquoise
has been treated by various methods to reduce the porosity, thus
making less changeable over time.
Stack rings: Two or more rings
that are designed to be stacked on the same finger at the same
time.
Stainless steel: An extremely
durable alloy of steel and chromium
which can be polished to resemble a precious
metal and is virtually immune to rust, discoloration and
corrosion.
Stamping: Using a punch
or die to cut or emboss a sheet of metal
with a mark.
Star garnets: Almandines
that exhibit an asterism.
Star Sapphires: Natural sapphires
that exhibit an asterism.
These can be quite valuable if the star is centered and
well-defined.
Stater: A silver
coin from ancient Greece.
Step cut: See Emerald
Cut.
Sterling Silver: Like gold,
silver can be alloyed
with other metals to improve
its durability. Sterling silver is the industry standard
containing 925 parts silver and 75 parts
of another metal, usually copper.
Pieces made from sterling silver are marked 925 to assure silver
content. Sterling silver can be used to plate other metals.
Stick Pin: A pin
with an ornament on the top worn vertically on a scarf, tie, or
lapel. Also called a "tie pin"
or "lapel pin"
Stippled finish: A texture
formed by a series of pricks made with a steel punch.
Strass: A brilliant
glass with high light refraction
and exceptional iridescence,
(essentially consisting of a complex borosilicate
of lead and potassium),
used to manufacture artificial gemstones.
Named after its inventor, a German jeweler, F. Stras. See also Rhinestone.
Stud: A simple style of earring
for pierced ears that has a
single stone (such as a pearl)
or metal ball on a straight post
with no dangling parts. (See also Button
earring).
Sulfate: A salt
containing sulfur dioxide.
Sulfur: An abundant, pale yellow,
nonmetallic element
used in black gunpowder, rubber vulcanization, the manufacture
of insecticides and pharmaceuticals, and in the preparation of
sulfur compounds such as hydrogen sulfide and sulfuric acid.
Sulphur: A variant spelling of sulfur.
Sunstone: A variety of oligoclase
which can be transparent
or translucent and
varies in color from golden to orange to red-brown. Sunstone
glitters due to hematite
or goethite crystals suspended in the stone. It can be found in
Canada, Oregon, India, Norway, and Russia. Sunstone is brittle
and has a hardness of 6 on the Mohs
scale.
Symmetry: How similar one side
of an object is to the other side. The lengths and angles on
each side of a faceted gemstone
are closely compared. The more uniform the cut,
the higher the value of the stone.
Synthetic: Gemstones
produced in a laboratory rather than found in nature. Synthetic gemstones
are not "fake", since they have exactly the same
chemical characteristics as the natural stone, but they are
usually flawless and much cheaper than the real thing. The most
common synthetic gems are emeralds,
rubies, sapphires
and opals.
