Definitions of Jewelry-Related Terms

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Agate – A variety of chalcedony quartz.   When chalcedony is variegated with spots or figures, or arranged in differently colored layers, it is called agate.  Lore: believed to prevent insomnia and aid emotional healing, improves memory and concentration.  

Amazonite – A semi opaque pale green to blue-green microcline which is related to moonstone and labradorite.  Lore: dispels negative energy.

Amethyst – A form of quartz in shades of purple ranging from light lavender to deep purple.  Lore:  protects against illness, enables forgiveness and prevents addiction.

Ammonite – Fossil chambered nautilus usually with shades of cream and brown. 

Amulet – A pendant or charm that is worn for protective power. 

Apatite – A teal green, transparent stone which may also be colorless, pink or yellow.  Lore:  stimulates creativity, releases emotional distress. 

Aquamarine – Transparent to translucent blue to blue-green member of the beryl family (emerald).  Lore:  increases foresight, knowledge and inspiration. 

Aragonite – Transparent to translucent form of calcium carbonate (like coral) that ranges in color from honey to pale reds, blues and greens to clear or white. 

Aventurine – A granular, green or blue, semi translucent to mostly opaque quartz stone with mica flakes that cause a slight metallic iridescence.

Baroque – An irregular, rounded stone, pearl or bead with an uneven shape and/or surface. 

Bezel – A method of setting gemstones in which the stone is held in the mounting by a narrow band of metal surrounding the outside of the stone. 

Birthstone – There are many charts that describe stones and their relation to months of the year. Here are some:

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Blister pearl – A pearl that forms attached to the shell.

Blue topaz – A topaz that is light brown or colorless when mined but turns a vivid blue when exposed to heat. 

Boulder opal – Opal which forms on ironstone backing providing a more stable, durable stone  Lore:  Aids faithfulness and inner beauty. 

Briolette – A gemstone cut with triangular facets into the shape of a teardrop or elongated pendant. 

Bronze – An alloy of metal 60% copper, 40% tin.

Cabochon – A stone with a rounded surface and a flat bottom. 

Carat – A measure of weight used for gemstones.

Cameo – A style of carving in which the design is left and the surrounding surface is cut away, leaving the design in relief. 

Carnelian – A translucent red or orange variety of chalcedony.  Lore: believed to benefit the wearer’s health and love life and prosperity. 

Citrine – A variety of quartz that occurs in a range of colors from light yellow to brilliant orange. 

Chalcedony – A family of colored quartz stones including agate, onyx, carnelian, cat’s eye, and jasper that commonly have a milky or wax like luster. 

Coral – A form of calcium carbonate (like marble, aragonite) secreted in long chains by coral polyps, which live in colonies under the ocean.

Corundum – A family of stones composed of crystallized aluminum and oxygen that includes rubies and sapphires.

Cultured pearl – A tiny irritant from another mollusk can be inserted into the opening of a mollusk.  This irritant becomes the nucleus of a pearl once the mollusk secretes a lustrous substance (nacre) to cover the foreign body. 

Diamond – A form of crystalline carbon which is exceptionally hard with a high refractivity and brilliance  Lore:  enduring love. 

Drusy - Gemstone with a natural surface texture of small crystals. 

Emerald – Gemstone of the beryl family (aquamarine / topaz) which occur as a bright vivid green  Lore:  enhances love and contentment. 

Enamel – Colored, powdered glass fused onto metal to produce a vitreous or glass-like decorative surface. 

Engraving – The process of cutting or carving lines into a surface. 

Faceted – A gemstone carved with a regular pattern of many planes or facets. 

Fluorite – A mineral composed of calcium fluoride which is found in many colors such as white, yellow, purple, green, red, etc.

Freshwater pearl – A pearl produced by a mollusk that inhabits freshwater. 

Garnet – A group of stones that share a similar chemical structure. The colors can range from deep red to pink to orange to reddish brown to many shades of green  Lore:  Ensures enduring friendship .

Hammered – A texture applied to the surface of an object to give it a dimpled look. 

Iolite – Or water sapphire, is a silicate of alumina, iron and magnesia which is transparent violet-blue, but can be deep blue or light blue-grey. 

Iridescent - Display of lustrous rainbow-like colors. 

Jade – Semi-opaque to highly translucent microcrystalline stone which occurs in a wide range of colors from creamy white to pink to lavender to green and black.  Lore:  A symbol of love and virtue and thought to ensure longevity and strength.

Jasper – An opaque variety of quartz that may be red, yellow or brown and can be highly polished. 

Jump ring – A small oval or round wire ring used as a link. 

Karat – Used to describe the purity of gold.  It is often alloyed with silver, copper and other metals to improve strength and durability.  24K is 100% pure gold, 18K is 75% pure gold, 14K is 58.8% pure gold. 

Kyanite – Translucent mineral that has color near sapphire blue to smoky blue to gray or green.  Color is often not consistent throughout but can be blotchy or in streaks.  Lore:  promotes communication, encourages tranquility and psychic awareness. 

Labradorite – A feldspar gem which displays a particular type of iridescence on a dark ground.  When light strikes in the right direction it displays striking rainbow-colored reflections  Lore:  Dispels negativity, provides clarity of thought. 

Lapis lazuli – Opaque deep royal blue with white or gold inclusions.  Lore:  protects the wearer from physical harm.                 

Mabe’ – Cultured pearl which is cultured against the shell so that only half a pearl is formed resembling half a dome. 

Moonstone – A gem of the feldspar family with an almost transparent ground, which is practically colorless, pale gray or yellow  tinged with white to silvery white or blue shimmer.  Lore:  calms emotions, cures headaches.

Moss agate – Transparent to semitranslucent agate with green moss-like inclusions.  Background color varies from milky clear to rusty brown.  Lore:  Provides healing and growth, promotes imagination and focus. 

Onyx – Chalcedony quartz  Lore:  helps to change bad habits, increases happiness and intuition. 

Opal – An amorphous non-crystalline variety of silica which is softer and less dense than quartz. 

Oxidation – A chemical process in which metal such as silver is blackened as a reaction to oxygen. 

Pearl – A natural gemstone formed when an oyster is irritated by a substance that gets into its shell  Lore:  A symbol of purity and true love.

Peridot – Typically olive green, peridot can be strong almost bottle green or yellowish green; it is a silicate of magnesium and iron  Lore:  good luck, success, peace. 

Peruvian opal (blue) – Translucent aqua blue member of the silica family. This stone also occurs as a lovely pink ranging from very pale to a soft raspberry     Lore:  Reduces stress, induces sleep and aids creativity and communication. 

Picture jasper – Opaque tan colored jasper with medium and dark brown patches that make “pictures”.

Quartz – Family of crystals composed of silica or silicon dioxide, most commonly colorless or transparent.  Crystalline varieties include:  amethyst, ametrine, citrine, rose quartz, and smoky quartz.  Crypto-crystalline varieties include:  agate, onyx, carnelian, chrysoprase, bloodstone and jasper. 

Rose cut – Gem with a flat base and triangular facets that rise to form a dome. 

Rubellite – Red tourmaline. 

Ruby – Member of corundum family which comes in colors ranging from white to orange to green to pink.   If corundum is red it is a ruby, but any other a colors are referred to as sapphires. 

Rutilated quartz – Needle inclusions in the quartz, golden or reddish brown  Lore:  Relieves loneliness and depression and enhances creativity. 

Sapphire – see above. 

Seed beads – Mass produced tiny glass beads. 

Sodalite – Opaque denim blue stone with white inclusions  Lore:  Balances thoughts and feelings, enhances wisdom, heals relationships. 

Sunstone – Transparent to translucent and varies in color from golden to orange to red brown.  Sunstone glitters due to other minerals suspended in the stone. 

Sterling silver – An alloy of pure silver and copper.  This blend contains 925 parts of pure silver to 75 parts of copper.  This blend lends strength to the otherwise too malleable fine (pure) silver.  Hallmarks for fine silver is .999, for sterling silver the hallmark is .925. 

Tanzanite - Transparent blue/ violet stone which displays different colors depending on the direction viewed.  This is a rare property that makes tanzanite easy to identify.  Lore:   Transforms negative energies into positive ones.  Assists in self-awareness and dispels lethargy.

Tiger eye – golden brown quartz with bands of fiber which reflects light  Lore:  Helps achieve clarity. 

Tourmaline – Transparent, with colors varying from forest green to pinkish red to golden brown to black with rarer blue color.  Tourmaline has the widest range of colors of any gemstone.  Some are “watermelon” which have green on the outside and pink on the inside others are black (schorl), blue (indicolite), red (rubellite)  Lore:  inspires creativity and strengthens the body and spirit. 

Turquoise – Hydrous aluminum phosphate stone colored by copper salts found in desert regions throughout the world.  Different colors of turquoise vary from opaque sky blue to nearly green occur in untreated turquoise. 

Translucent – Allows light to pass through, but not transparent.

Transparent – A substance that allows light to pass through easily and can be fully seen through. 

Tsavorite – Transparent bright green garnet. 

Unakite – Opaque stone composed of pink feldspar, green epidote and quartz  Lore: Enhances emotional balance and spirituality. 

Vermeil (Vehr-MAY) – A substantial coat of real gold which has been chemically bonded to sterling silver.

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