Education

 
Jewelry Industry Terms

The following index lists jewelry industry terms and definitions you might find helpful while reading through this web site and also when communicating with our office. If you don't understand a term and it is not listed below, please don't hesitate to give us a call. 1 800 833- GEMS

General Information

Carat metric unit of weight for Gemstones equal to .2 Grams. There are 100 points in 1 Carat. One carat is 1/ 142 of an ounce.
Gram metric unit equal to 5 Carats; 1,000 Gms. = 1 Kilogram; 453.6 Gms. = 1 lb. (AVD)
MM metric unit of approximately 4/100 inch; 25 mm = approx. 1", 1,000 mm = 1 meter or 39.97", 10 mm = 1 cm
Kt measure of Gold fineness equal to 1/24 pure Gold by weight in alloy. 18 Kt. Gold would be 18 parts Gold and 6 parts alloy. 10 Kt. may be stamped .417, 14 Kt. may be stamped .585, and 18 Kt. may be stamped .750.
Solid Gold item made of 10 Kt. or better Gold that is not hollow. Not to be confused with Pure Gold which must be 24 Kt. Gold.
TW total weight; indicates combined weight of 2 or more items.
Clarity Gem's relative freedom from internal inclusions and surface blemishes.
Hardness measured by the Mohs hardness scale from 1 to 10, the ability of a Gem to withstand scratching.

Different Types of Gem Cuts

Rough the natural crystal formation.
Faceted flat planes cut on the Crown (upper portion) and Pavilion ( bottom portion) of a Gem.
Table flat surface on top of faceted Gem.
Girdle edge around a Gem, either smooth or faceted, which separates the crown and pavilion.
Cutlet pointed tip on pavilion of faceted Gem.
Cabochon (Cab'-oh shon) smooth domed tone with a flat bottom.
Fancy a cut which does not fit the outlines of Round, Oval, Pear, Octagon or Emerald, Cushion or Marquise.
Calibrated Gems cut to specific millimeter (mm) dimension to fit standard mountings for jewelry.
Illusion / Fantasy
/ Lazer		 faceting which may include grooves or lazer cuts usually in asymmetric shapes.
Buff Top a slightly domed, smooth top with a faceted pavilion.
Slab a flat slice of opaque material.
Opposed Bar rectangular shape with faceting across top of the stone.

Mountings

Semi-Mount ring containing stones with space for center stone.
Head / Setting part of the mounting which holds the stone.
Shank part of ring which circles the finger.
Prong tips or clamps which hold the stone in place.
Bezel metal band which encircles the girdle of a stone.
Channel setting used to mount a series of precision cut stones in a row, held by grooves in sides of mounting.
Pave' beads of metal used to hold small stones in order to cover an area of mounting.
Tiffany traditional 4 or 6 prong setting for solitaire stone.
Buttercup deep, 6 prong setting resembling the flower.
Enhancer pendant attachment which opens to allow the pendant to be placed on Pearls, beads or a chain.

Bracelets / Necklaces

Bangle inflexible bracelet which either slips over the hand or is hinged for opening.
Cuff a wide bracelet which has a small flexible opening to allow it to be pushed tight against the arm.
Flexible a link which is not rigid.
Omega a flexible, flat link chain that forms a solid surface.
Tennis flexible bracelet, usually prong mounted, with matched stones.
Golf link bracelet with Pearls evenly mounted.

Earrings

Post Backs for pierced ears, a metal post which passes through the ear and fastens with a clutch back disk.
Post & Clip for pierced ears, a metal post with a movable clip fastener; the post can be bent down or clipped off for nonpierced ears.
French Screw Backs for nonpierced ears, a small clamp that holds the earring to the ear with a screw that can be tightened.
Top Wire for pierced ears, a curved wire which passes through the ear and attaches to the back side of the earring.
Shepherd's Hook for pierced ears, a long curved wire shaped like the hook of a shepherd's staff which passes through the ear.
Jacket decorative addition to be worn with a stud earring; the jacket has a hole that the post of the stud is inserted to hold both securely.

 
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