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925:
Sometimes used to designate sterling silver- 925 parts silver and 75 parts alloy per 1000 parts.
585:
Sometimes used to designate 14 kt Gold.
750:
Sometimes used to designate 18 kt Gold.
Beryl:
A mineral. If blue it is called Aquamarine. If pink it is called Morganite. If green enough it is called Emerald.
Bezel setting:
A setting that consists of a strip of metal going all or most of the
way around a stone. Pros-protects stone better than prongs, wears longer. Cons-heavier, must usually be custom made.
Cabochon:
Cut with a smooth domed top. Like most opals.
Carat:
Gemstone weight- 1 carat = 0.2grams 5 carats = 1 gram
Cast:
Produced by pouring molten metal into a mold. Used for mass production. For one of a kind cast piece, all molds should be destroyed.
Channel setting:
A setting whereby the stones are set in a channel or grove, often in rows.
Corundum:
A mineral. If red, it is called a ruby. If it is any other color (blue, green, yellow, clear, orange etc.) it is called a sapphire.
Created:
Man made. Grown in a laboratory of the same materials as the real thing. Sometimes difficult to tell from the real thing with the naked eye.
Crown:
The top portion of a gemstone. Click here for diagram.
Ctw:
carats total weight (2 or more stones)
Dwt:
See Pennyweight.
Etched:
Stone-Crystals in the ground are sometimes dissolved by acids or alkalies creating a sculpted surface.
Metal
-a prosses using acids to texture or sculpt the surface of the metal.
Faceted:
Cut with a multitude of flat surfaces such as a diamond.
Gem/Gemmy:
Glassy in appearance. Transparant.
Handcrafted:
Created from scratch using a minimum of power tools. No two are exactly alike.
Ideal cut:
Cut at the perfect angles to give the stone the most brilliance it can achieve, rather than cutting it a little deeper and thus a little heavier.
Karat:
Used to specify gold quality- 24kt = 99.9% 18kt= 75% 14kt =58.3%
Pavillion:
The bottom portion of a gemstone. Click here for diagram.
Pennyweight:
Approximately 1.555 grams
Prong setting:
A setting that uses thin strips of metal (usually 4 or 6) to hold a stone. Pros-bottom of stone exposed, uses less metal. Cons-wears out faster than bezel.
Quartz:
A mineral. If purple, it's Amethyst. If Yellow, it's Citrine. If brown, it's Smokey.
Simulated:
Man made. Not of the same material as the stone it is copying. Cz's are colored to look like real stones.
Sterling:
95.5% silver 7.5% other metal.
Stress Fracturing:
Stress fracturing is a problem associated with white and lower karat
gold. Golds of 10 kt or less are susceptible. White gold often has this problem. Stress fracturing is caused by chemicals that dissolve the alloy out of the gold which, of course, weakens it. This is most often seen as a prong tip on a white gold setting that is suddenly missing. Chlorine is one chemical that can cause this problem.
Texture:
A surface treatment on the surface of the metal. Brushed, hammered, stippled, stamped & filed are a few.
Treated/treatment:
If a gems color or clarity has been enhanced by any means other than cutting and polishing. Heating-dyeing-irradiating-filling are a few.
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