| Bezel Setting: |
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A method of seating a stone within a circle of metal to hold it securely, to protect the girdle of the stone, to enhance its appearance, and as part of a design. |
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| Biwa Pearl |
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Named for Lake Biwa in Japan, this was the original site for culturing fine freshwater pearls. These pearls were easily distinguished by their smooth, luminous skin. Now the term is used to refer to nearly all such pearls. |
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| Brilliant |
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A round diamond, the most popular cut for diamonds. It is based on a mathematical calculation in which 58 facets are placed on a diamond by polishing. The best stones follow the formula most closely and reflect the most light. |
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| Cabochon |
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Polishing a gemstone to a smooth, rounded surface. Used only for colored gemstones in which the reflection of light is not crucial. The back of the stone is generally flat. |
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| Carat |
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Term describing the weight of a gemstone, not to be confused with karat. A carat is 1/140th of a ounce; each carat is further divided into points. |
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| Casting |
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Making a model or mold of wax or metal and creating multiple copies of the same item by using the mold repeatedly. |
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| Colored Gemstones |
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A term used to describe all gemstones, in place of the vague and somewhat negative term, "semi-precious." These stones are precious in their own right, and may even be more valuable than ordinary specimens of those known as "precious." Craft jewelers tend to use unusual colored stones, either clear, faceted stones such as amethyst, citrine, peridot, aquamarine, and tourmaline or opaque stones such as turquoise and agate. These stones may be faceted or cabochon cut, depending on the quality of the gemstone material as well as the design. For which they are intended. |
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| Cultured |
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Usually referring to pearls, but also now applied to certain colored gemstones. Cultured pearls are grown within the oyster, but are given a start by the insertion of a bit of shell or mollusk tissue. Cultured gemstones are grown in the laboratory using the same material as found in nature. |
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| Diamond |
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The hardest material known, diamond is a highly compressed form of carbon. The stone must be polished to bring out its beauty. Diamonds, in spite of the popular slogan, are not always forever. A diamond, which has grain like wood, can split along a cleavage line, either by accident or by the hand of the cleaver. |
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| Emerald Cut |
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Also known as rectangular cut, a geometric shape in which two sides of a stone are shorter than the other two. The result, in diamonds, is an elegant, but quiet stone. It demands a fine quality piece of rough because there is little chance of hiding inclusions. |
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| Enamel |
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A term that covers several methods of melting glass powders to form a colored surface. The most popular method in use today is Cloisonné. |
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| Engraving |
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A method of decorating the surface of metal or a gemstone from the front by incising a design into the surface. Small amounts of metal or gemstone material are removed in the process. |
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| Faceting |
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The cutting of a stone in which tiny planes are polished onto the surface to reflect light. Placement of facets is crucial in diamond polishing because light plays such a large part in a diamond's brilliance. In colored gemstones, placement of facets is done more for artistic reasons. |
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| Fancy Color |
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A term covering diamonds with strong body color. Diamonds occur naturally in a wide range of colors from yellow to pink, blue and green. The more intense the color, the more desirable. While an off-white diamond is far less valuable than one with no body color, an intense canary yellow diamond is highly desired. Pink diamonds were quite rare until the advent of diamond mining in Australia. That country's Argyle mine produces a small but steady supply of intense purple-pink diamonds. Two of the most famous diamonds in the world are fancies -- the Tiffany Diamond is a canary while the Hope Diamond is a deep blue. |
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| Fancy Cut |
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A trade term for any diamond cut other than the round brilliant cut. |
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| Freshwater Pearl |
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Mollusks that live in rivers and lakes can produce pearls like their saltwater shelled cousins. Mollusks are generally more delicate and the irritant that is inserted to start the pearl culturing process is usually a piece of mantle or tissue from a clam. Because the tissue is soft, the pearls tend to be irregular in shape. |
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| Gold |
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Pure gold, 100% gold, 24 karat gold that is at least 99.5% pure as it comes from the refinery. |
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| Green Gold |
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An alloy of gold and silver, copper and zinc that has a greenish cast; is used to complement certain gemstones. |
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| Inclusion |
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A trade term for any foreign material found within a gemstone. In diamonds, inclusions dramatically affect the ability of the diamond to reflect light. This has led to an elaborate rating system to describe the degree to which a diamond is "included." Also known as flaws. In emeralds, which are rarely without inclusions, elegant language such as 'silk' and 'jardin' (meaning garden) is used to turn a drawback into a virtue. |
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| Karat |
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A measure of the purity of gold based on a total of 24 parts. Pure gold has 24 parts of gold and is called 24 karat or 24k. Fourteen karat gold is 58% gold and is usually marked 14k; 18k or 18 karat gold is 75% gold and 25% other metals. In the United States, an alloy must have at least ten parts of gold in order to be marked as gold. Not to be confused with carat. |
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| Marquise Cut |
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A slender gemstone cut in which both ends taper to a point. |
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| Matte Finish |
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A muted surface finish achieved in a variety of ways such as sandblasting. |
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| Oval Cut |
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An egg-shaped cut in which both ends are gently rounded. |
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| Pavé |
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A setting technique in which small diamonds are placed closely together within a metal surface. The appearance should be that of all stones making the surface look paved with diamonds. |
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| Pear Shape |
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A cut in which one end is rounded while the other end comes to a point. Proportions can vary greatly and a pear cut should be well balanced. This is often the choice when a stone has inclusions at one end. By trimming the end to a taper, the inclusions are eliminated and the value of the stone is increased. |
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| Pink Gold |
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An alloy of gold that includes copper. |
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| Platinum |
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A silver-white, dense and strong metal. It is used in its nearly pure state in jewelry, and is alloyed with metals of the same group. It is favored for use in prong setting because it is extremely strong. |
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| Precious Gemstones |
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A term commonly applied to the 'big three' of the colored gemstone world -- ruby, sapphire and emerald. It is a misnomer, however, since any one of these three can be very poor quality and of little value, whereas a colored gemstone of another type can have higher value. |
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| Precious Metals |
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A term covering metals that are extremely resistant to corrosion by most means. The precious metals group includes gold, silver and platinum. |
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| Prong Setting |
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A system of holding stones in place by means of small metal wires that allow the greatest part of the stone to be viewed. |
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| Rough |
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A piece of gemstone material as it comes from the earth. As the rough is cut or polished, gemstone weight is sacrificed for symmetry and beauty. In the case of a diamond, at least half the weight of the rough is lost in the polishing. |
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| Saltwater Pearl |
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Pearls that are cultured in Japan, China and other areas, are farmed in bays or inlets of the ocean. Only in these conditions, and in these kinds of mollusks, can a hard object such as a clamshell bead be inserted to start the pearl culturing process. Using a round bead, the resulting pearl is likely to be round, or nearly so, which is not possible with the freshwater pearl. |
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| Simulated |
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A substance meant to look like another: for example, a cubic zirconium is meant to look like a diamond. It differs from cultured material in that it is a completely different material. |
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| Sterling or Silver |
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Silver is measured on a scale of 1000 parts. Sterling is 925 parts silver, 75 parts of alloy. Most silver jewelry is sterling and the terms are used interchangeably. |
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| White Gold |
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An alloy of gold and 'white' metal such as silver. |
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| Yellow Gold |
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Any alloy of gold in which the color remains true to the original color of the metal. Yellow gold may be as high as 24k or as low as 10k. It is not illegal to make items that are less than ten karat gold, but such items may not be marked as gold if they are for sale in the United States. |
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