THEANTIQUARIUS A-E ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JEWELLERY TERMS

Adularescence: term applied to milky moonstones

Aggregates: Minerals which form without showing their outer crystal shape

Aigrette: Hair Ornament

Albert: Watch Chain

Alexandirte: Type of chrysoberyl, green in day light and red in artificial

Alamandine: Purplish red variety of garnet

Amazonite: Opaque, blue and white coloured feldspar

Ambroid: Small pieces of amber pressed together

Ametheyst: Purple quartz

Amorphous: Without any crystal form

Angel Skin: Pale pink coral

Aquamarine: Pale blue-green beryl

Asterism: Term applied to the star effect seen in some stones e.g star sapphire

Adventure glass: Artificial spangled glass made to imitate green and golden adeventurine quartz

Baguette: Elongated rectangular cut diamond

Bakelite: An artificial resin or plastic dyed in various colours to immitate stones

Balas ruby: A term for red spinel, dating bak to the middleages

Baroque: Refers to pearls of irregular form

Basse Taille: Form of engraving ray and two-dimensional design into the back plate aand building up enamel in a translucent layer to produce a shimmering effect

Bi-refrigerence: The splitting of refracted light into two rays which give different readings on a refractometer. All crystals except those of the cubic system are bi-refrigerent and a measure of a stone's bi-refrigerenc is helpful in identification

Blister: Pearls which form in semi-circular shape, attached to the mantel of the oyster

Bloodstone: Dark green variety of chalcedony (agate) speckled with jasper

Bog Oak: Black oak, preserved in peat, used in victorian mourning jewellery

Bowenite:Yellowish-green form of the aggregate serpentine confused with jade

Brilliant-Cut: Form of diamond cutting with 58 facets. Scientifically cut to refract the most light in a diamond therefore used in most modern diamond cutting

Briolette: Form of cutting used for drop shaped stones Antique old cut diagrams / diamond cutting guide

Cabachon: Dome shaped cut used for opaque and star-stones of lesser quality

Cairngorm: Name given to clear brown or 'smokey' quartz crystals found in the cairngorms in scotland and used in scottish jewellery

Calibre cut: A method of cutting gemstones so they fit exactly into a tailored setting

Cameo: Form of cutting in relief, used particularly with agates and shells where the colour banding is incorporated in the carved design

Cannetille: Form of filigree gold-work in the late 18th and early 19th century

Carat: Methos of describing the weight of stones e.g 5 carats = 1 gramme.  Ratio of precious metals to its alloys, divided into parts of 24, i.e 18ct gold is 2/3 gold, 1/3 alloy. and anything of 22cts and over is considered 'fine' or pure gold

Carbuncle: Cabachon-cut almandine garnet (deep purplish-red colour)

Cat's Eye: Chatoyant variety of chrysoberyl. Other varieties of stone produce cat's eyes, but are normally prefixed by their particular species e.g quartz cat's eyes.

Champleve: Early type of enamilling where different coloured molton enamel is poured into hollowed-out sections of the metal design.

Chatelaine: Attachment to a lady's belt from which hung useful objects e.g keys thimble e.t.c

Chatoyant: term applied to the sharp band of whitish light which is reflected from the surface of some stones when cut en cabachon

Chelsea Colour Filter: Filter used for identifying certain gemstones, perticularly emeralds

Chemical Composition: The chemical make-up pf each individual stone, and formula.

Chrysolite: Name given to pale yellow chrysoberyls, frequently used in the 18th century spanigh and portugese jewellery

Chrysoprase: Pale green translucent variety of chalcedony (agate)

Citrine: Yellow variety of quartz

Classical: Should refer to greek roman eras, sometimes used loosly to denote 'in the classical style'

Clean: Stone with no flaws under 10x magnification

Cloisonne: Early type of enamilling where the design is formed by soldering metal thread to metal plate and the enamel then applied and polished flat

Closed Back: Jewellery which is set with stones in 'cups' of metal so that the reverse of the stone is not visible

Collet: Band of metal in which a gemstone is set

Cornelian: Translucent orange variety of chalcedony (agate)

Corsage: Jewellery attached to the bodice of a dress, generally fairly large piece

Corundum: Gem species of rubie and sapphires.

Crocidolite: Asbestos which has been fossilised into quartz

Crown: The top half of a brilliant cut stone, i.e the part above the girdle

Crystal: A piece of materail whose atomic structure is reflected in its outer form, which for definition purposes has been divided into one of seven different formations according to its regularity.

Culet: The bottom facet of a brilliant-cut stone

Cushion cut: Old form of brilliant-cut, developed in the late 17th century by peruzzi in venice Antique old cut diagrams / diamond cutting guide

Dead Pawn: Unclaimed pieces of american indian jewellery

Dear: See regard

Demantoid: Bright grass-green coloured garnet

Doublet: Two pieces of stone stuck together in imitation pieces of better quality or size. In the cause of an opal, a thin piece of precious opal is backed with opal matrix. Doublet may be true doublets or simulations

Electrum: A natural alloy of gold and silver, used by the greeks

Emerald-Cut: See step-cut

En Tremblant: See tremblant

Erotes: Greek name for cherubs

Essence D'orient: Substance made from fish-scales used for coating artificial pearls, simulating the lustre of nacre

Essex Crystal: rock crystal, cut en cabachon with a design engraved and painted on the reverse, popular in the victorian era

Best jewellery guide jewelry key words encyclopedia F-O

Best jewellery guide jewelry key words encyclopedia P-Z

old cut diagrams & dates learn your antique diamonds

Biography of Rubies

Birthstones Relating to the Signs of the Zodiac

Georg Jensen Biography

Biography of Diamonds and the diamond ring

Biogrophy of the feldaspar family Moonstones Labrodite

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