Glossary of jewelry terms

Amethyst - is the purple gemstone variety of quartz.

Apatite - is a member of the group of phosphate minerals.

Aquamarine - a member of the beryl family and varies in color from a watery almost transparent blue to blue-green to absolute blue.

Birthstone - a gemstone related with the calendar month of birth or a Zodiac sign.

Carat - is the standard measure of weight used for gemstones.

Diamond - is a form of crystalline carbon. Today diamonds are prized based on the “4 C’s” of color, cut, and clarity and carat size.

Emerald - a gemstone of the beryl family, fine emeralds are among the most precious gemstones.

Facet - a flat polished surfaces cut of a gemstone, which permits the cut gemstone to glisten and mirror light.

Fracture - a crack or break in a different direction than naturally occurring gemstone crystals.

Gemstone - any precious stone, rock or mineral, which may be used as a jewel when cut and polished.

Gold - one of the three precious metals.

Hardness - a compositions hardness assessment specify the materials resistance to chipping and scratching, in regards to jewelry.

Hue - the identifiable color categorization given to a gemstone based on the seven colors found in the color spectrum.

Inclusion - any foreign body enclosed in the mineral or gemstone.

Jewelry - ornamental adornments worn on the body.

Karat - a variation of the word carat, used to describe the purity of gold.

Labradorite - a type of translucent feldspar, which present brilliant iridescence and used in jewelry making.

Opal - a formation from decaying rocks that merged with ground water and fashioned a silica gel that casehardened in underground cavities and fissures.

Opaque - a gem that does not allow light to pass through it.

Pearl - a natural gemstone created when an oyster is provoked by a bits and pieces that find their way into its shell.

Petalite - is a gemstone member of the feldspathoid group.

Platinum - one of the three precious metals.

Precious metal - metals esteemed for their color, pliability, and rarity, they are gold, silver and platinum.

Rubellite - is a gemstone member of tourmaline mineral group.

Ruby - the red gemstone member of the corundum family.

Sapphire - a gemstone of the corundum family, even though blue is the color most frequently related with sapphires, they occur in a variety of colors from green, orange, pink and white.

Silver - one of the three precious metals.

Spessartite - a red to brownish-red garnet.

Spinel - it is found in a variety of colors including blue, green, brown, black, and the precious red variety.

unstone - a variety of oligoclase, which can be translucent and ranges in color from golden, orange to the reddish browns.

Table - the large, flat, top facet of a cut gemstone positioned in the center of the crown.

Tanzanite - is the blue/purple variety of the mineral zoisite

Tone - refers to how light or dark a gemstone appears.

Width - the horizontal dimension across the widest region of a piece of jewelry.