Jewelry Terms and Jewelry Definitions

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Jewelry Terms & Definitions

Sometimes the terms used in the jewelry industry can seem as clear as mud. I'll try to clear up the mud as much as I can here. These are terms and definitions put as simply as I can figure out how without losing their meaning. If you have a question about a jewelry term, just contact me and I'll try to either let you know or find out for you.

Cabochon (Cab) - A gemstone cut with a rounded top (dome) and a flat bottom. They're often either round or oval, but can be other shapes as well. The stone in the photo on the left is an oval Pink Peruvian Opal cabochon.

Carat - A carat is a measure of weight. It's not the same as a karat. A carat is 1/5 of a gram in weight.

Designer Cabochon (Designer Cab) - A cabochon with an unusual but defined shape, such as teardrop, shield, bullet or others. The stone in the pendant in the photo is a designer cabochon.

Dichroic Glass - Dichoric glass was originally created for the space and laser industries, and was developed extensively by NASA. The word dichroic means "two colors" because of the two or more colors that the glass reflects and transmits. Because of its fascinating beauty, dichroic glass is used extensively today by glass artists and jewelry artists as cabochons and other shaped art glass. The cabochon to the left is dichroic glass.

Doublet (Dublette) - Is a gemstone made of two layers. The two layers of stone are permanently bonded together either for a special look or for durability. Some stones are commonly sold as doublets, such as charoite, because charoite is fragile and splits easily, so it is backed with a harder stone like agate to make it more durable. The stone to the left shows a doublet of plume agate over black obsidian, where the black obsidian makes the gorgeous white plums in the translucent agate stand out visually.

Faceted - A faceted stone has small, flat-cut surfaces that make a sparkling effect on transparent stones, although translucent and even sometimes opaque stones are faceted. Traditionally, diamonds, rubies and sapphires are faceted to show off their brillance. The stone in the photo to the left is a faceted amethyst.

Four C's - These are the factors that determine the value of a diamond or other gemstone. They are cut, clarity, color, and carat weight. Cut is how well the piece is shaped; clarity is how clear it is; color is how valuable a color it is; and carat weight is the weight of the stone.

Freeform Cabochon (Freeform Cab) - A cabochon with a free, undefined shape. The stone in the piece shown to the left is a freeform fire agate cabochon.

Gold Filled - Gold filled is where a layer of gold is permanently bonded to a core of base metal using heat and pressure. In the USA, to qualify as gold filled, the metal must be at least 1/20th gold by weight, so there is far more gold than in gold plating. This makes it durable and can be used in heirloom jewelry to pass from generation to generation. Gold filled can be in any karat gold, such as 14 karat gold filled, which is 14 karat gold over base metal. The earrings in the photo to the left are made of 14 karat gold filled wire.

Inclusion - An inclusion is a particle of foreign matter contained within a stone. Inclusions can be solid, liquid, or gas. Some inclusions decrease the value of a stone, but some, like rutile forming asterisms in star sapphires and needles in rutilated quartz and tourmalated quartz, are prized. The tumbled stones in the photo to the left are tourmalated quartz.

Karat - Karat is not the same as "carat". Karat is a measure of the purity of gold. 24 karat gold is pure gold. 14 Karat gold is 14 parts gold and 10 parts other metals.

Opaque - Opaque stones do not allow light to pass through them. Jasper, Seraphinite, Charoite and are examples of opaque stones. The pendant to the right is made of opaque seraphinite.

Sterling Silver - Sterling Silver is an alloy (combination) of silver another base metal, usually copper. In the USA, to be legally called or marked sterling silver, the metal must be at least 92.5% silver. It can be marked 925, .925 Sterling Silver, or Sterling Silver as long as it is at least 92.5% silver. Sterling silver is made because pure silver is very soft, so it is alloyed to make it stronger and more durable.

Translucent - Translucent stones allow light to pass through them, but the light is scattered (diffused). Some translucent stones include moonstones, opals, and carnelian. Lucite and other plastics can also be translucent. The photo to the left shows a translucent blue chalcedony stone -- see how the light is passing through the stone on the right, making the orangey glow.

Transparent - Transparent stones allow light to pass through them without scattering (diffusing) the light. Some translucent stones include diamond, zircon, emerald, quartz crystal, and ruby. Plastics like lucite can also be transparent. The top stone in the photo to the left is amethyst, and it is transparent. Note how you can see the wires of the pendant through the purple color of the amethyst.

Vermeil - Vermeil (pronounced "vermay") is a French word describing gold plated sterling silver. According to the FTC in 2008 Vermeil is: "An industry product may be described or marked as "vermeil" if it consists of a base of sterling silver coated or plated on all significant surfaces with gold, or gold alloy of not less than 10 karat fineness, that is of substantial thickness7 and a minimum thickness throughout equivalent to two and one half (2 1/2) microns (or approximately 100/1,000,000ths of an inch) of fine gold."

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