Glossary

AB
Short for "Aurora Borealis" (Northern lights), a term that denotes iridescence. Especially used by the manufacturer Swarovski in describing crystals which undergo a special firing process. The ability of AB stones to pick up color makes it popular in fashion and bridal jewelry.
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Abalone
An iridescent shell that is characterized by dark swirling colors including purple, green, and blue. Abalone, paua, and mother of pearl are all in the same shell family, but in fashion jewelry the iridescent white shell is referred to as mother of pearl, the dark shell as abalone, and the bluish shell as paua.
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Agate
A variety of hard stones in the quartz family that comes in a wide range of colors and are popular in making fashion jewelry. Most of the items under gemstone jewelry on this site are agate.
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Anklet
A fashion jewelry item that is like a bracelet, but designed to go around the ankle. The common length of a bracelet is 7 inches and the normal length of an anklet is 9 inches.
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Antique plating
A processes that darkens the recesses of jewelry to give an antique appearance. Sterling silver is antiqued with an oxidizing agent and fashion jewelry is often antiqued with a thinned paint. The high points are polished to contrast with the dark recesses.
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Aurora Borealis
A Latin term that refers to the northern lights and denotes iridescence in fashion jewelry. The term is most commonly used in reference to crystals or synthetic stones that are iridescent.
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Austrian crystals
Lead crystals that are faceted with a glass cutting machine and renowned for their sparkle. The process was invented by Swarovski in Austria.
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Aventurine
A translucent quartz that is found in different colors, but is especially popular in fashion jewelry in green because of its resemblance to jade.
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Bail
A finding used to attach pendants to a chain or necklace.
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Bali bead
Bali Beads are 0.925 sterling silver in a myriad of intricate designs, and are expertly handmade by Indonesian silver crafters. "Bali style" beads use designs that are not actually exclusive to Bali. These designs are hundreds of years old and have appeared throughout the middle east and Asia. The word Bali started being used to describe the style because tourists commonly bought silver jewelry items while vacationing on Bali beaches. Some Bali Silver is "antiqued" by allowing oxidation in the crevasses to add depth to the silver.
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Barrel clasp
A closure popular on necklaces that has a barrel shape and screws together.
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Birthstone
The modern birthstone chart was adopted by the American Association of Jewelers in 1912. Today, there are also widely accepted alternates.

Briolette
A style of gemstone or crystal, faceted with triangular or rectangular facets, and shaped like a pear or teardrop. The briolette is usually drilled or pierced sideways at the top.
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Brushed finish
A metal finish with fine brush marks.
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Burnished
A dark metallic finish with a deep bronze, copper, or brass color popular in vintage inspired fashion jewelry
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Cabochon
A domed gemstone. Highly polished curved surface without faceting.
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Carnelian
Believed to benefit the wearer’s health and love life. A semiprecious stone that varies from translucent to opaque and has color from yellow to reddish brown.
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Casting
Metal designs that are formed with a mold, generally using the lost wax method. Castings are used extensively in fashion jewelry because they can be mass produced much cheaper than stampings.
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Chandelier
Dangling earrings or necklace characterized by numerous small stones or beads that can freely move, much like a chandelier. This style is enjoying popularity in fashion jewelry.
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Coral
The skeletal remains of marine animals, and has a range in color from red, pink, and salmon.
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Corundum
A gem mineral of crystallized aluminum and oxygen. Ruby and sapphire are the most valuable corundum.
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Cubic zirconia
A synthetic stone that resembles a diamond and has properties very close to the properties of diamonds. Cubic zirconia is very popular for creating fashion jewelry that can pass for fine jewelry.
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Cultured Pearl
Created through a painstaking process of mimicking the natural pearl process in live mollusks. A pearl is formed as a result of implanting a piece of mantle from a mollusk into another host mollusk.
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Cz
A short term for cubic zirconia.
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Dangle earring
Any earring which hangs below the earlobe. Also called a drop earring.
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Earring back
A disk or bead that fits over an earring post and holds it securely in place.
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Ear wires
A wire used for pierced drop earrings that has the shape of a fish hook, especially popular in fashion jewelry. "Bali style" ear wires are similarly shaped. We provide a plastic keeper which attaches to the end ear wire after you place it in your ear. This prevents an earring from being lost while being worn.
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Electroplate
A process for plating fashion jewelry with a more expensive metal by using electric current, which enables the plating to accumulate a greater thickness than can be accomplished by acid or chemical plating.
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Emerald cut
A term that refers to the rectangular cut of faceted stones.
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Faceted
A stone that has been cut with flat surfaces that are usually symmetrical. Facets reflect the light and attract attention to you when you move. In fashion jewelry faceted stones can range from very sharp and accurate, such as Swarovski Austrian crystals, to more smooth rounded facets found on semiprecious gemstones.
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Faux
A term that indicates an imitation or synthetic components. For example, the synthetic pearls used in bridal jewelry can be referred to as faux pearls.
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Filigree
Originally, fine wire designs that interlaced leaving small openings. In fashion jewelry today, filigree refers to delicate lace like castings that have numerous fine openings.
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Fleur de Lis
The royal insignia of France. A symmetrical symbol that means "flower of the lily". The symbol is popularly used in fashion jewelry designs and in the US is adopted by Louisiana and the city of New Orleans.
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Foldover clasp
A popular closure in fashion jewelry, especially for bracelets, that has a hinged piece that passes through an opening on the other end of the fashion jewelry and folds back and snaps.
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Freshwater pearl
We only use high quality freshwater pearls in our jewelry designs. They provide the beauty of pearls without the very high price of quality ocean pearls. They are harvested from fresh water mussels rather than an oysters and many time have an irregular shape. The primary sources for freshwater pearls are China and the United States. Pearls are organic and require a more specialized care than most other gem materials. They deteriorate in contact with chemicals like household cleaners, perfumes, cosmetics, and hair care products of all kinds. A good rule of thumb is that your pearls are "The Last Thing You Put On when dressing and The First Thing You Take Off" when you get home. Never apply perfume or hair spray when you are wearing pearl jewelry.
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Gemstone
A mineral or organic material that has the beauty conducive to ornamentation and jewelry crafting. Fashion jewelry makes use of semiprecious stones and inexpensive organic materials.
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Gold filled
Gold-filled beads are made by bonding surface layers of gold to a supporting layer of brass or silver with heat and pressure and then rolling, or drawing out, the metal to a desired thickness. The finished product has a surface layer of gold which is very thick compared to rolled gold plate or the heaviest electroplate ("gold plated") materials. Gold-filled jewelry is economical & durable - you can enjoy the look and feel of gold at a fraction of the cost. The gold layer will not wear off, as it may in plated products. It is a lifetime product.
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Gold plated
Gold plating is a technique where a thin layer (2 millionths of an inch thick) is plated over base metal. Not to be confused with Vermeil.
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Iridescent
A term usually applied to crystals or shells that sparkle with a rainbow of colors. Pearls, shells, and other components can have this changing luster, similar to the changing color seen on an oil slick. Iridescent stones are popular in bridal and crystal jewelry because they pick up a variety of colors, enabling them to match with different colored apparel. Aurora Borealis crystals exhibit this iridescence.
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Jasper
A family of semiprecious stones that are found in various opaque colors and are relatively hard. Jasper can be solid in color or spotted and banded. Red jasper and picture jasper seem to have a great popularity in fashion jewelry.
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Jet
A type of coal that can be polished, resulting in a pitch black stone. The term is often used in fashion jewelry to denote synthetic black stones.
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Karat or Kt
A measure, from 0 to 24, used to indicate how much of a piece of jewelry is gold content and how much an alloy. For example, 12 kt gold would contain 50% gold, and 50% other metals to increase it hardness and wearability.
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Lapis lazuli
A semiprecious stone azure blue in color, usually with brassy yellow pyrite flecks or veins.
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Lever-back earwire
The finding on an earring that is shaped similar to a fishhook and has a spring loaded closure that prevents an earring from being lost while being worn.
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Lobster claw
A very popular clasp used in fashion jewelry as well as fine jewelry, which has a teardrop shape. A small flap on one side is spring loaded and can be pushed in to hook a necklace or bracelet. The moving piece can be compared to the short side of a lobster claw, thereby getting its name.
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Malachite
A dark green semiprecious stone that has banding of lighter green. Malachite is found near copper and some believe smelting copper could have been discovered when a malachite amulet fell into a fire.
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Marquise
A stone shape that is elongated and comes to a point at each end. Marquise shapes are popular in rhinestone and crystal jewelry.
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Matte finish
A satin finish on plated jewelry that does not have the reflective quality of bright plated goods.
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Memory wire
A springy stainless steel wire that is mainly used for chokers and bracelets that is spread when jewelry is put on and then springs back to shape, enabling the items to stay on without the use of a clasp.
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Millefiori
A term that means "a thousand flowers" in Italian and refers to an art form of fusing glass rods together and cross cutting them to get designs that depict numerous flowers. The process was developed in ancient Egypt and Rome and again became popular in 16th century Venice, Italy. The process has become affordable enough at the present time to be used in making attractive fashion jewelry.
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Mohs scale
The German mineralogist Friedrich Mohs devised The Mohs scale. It is a method of classifying the relative hardness of minerals. Mohs took ten common minerals and put them in order of "scratchability". Each mineral will scratch the mineral below it on the scale but cannot be scratched by the mineral above it. Mohs scale:

Mother-of-pearl
Hard, iridescent substance that forms on the inside layer of a pearl-bearing mollusk and offers natural beauty to fashion jewelry creations.
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Murano
Venetian glass from the island of Murano, world famous for its quality beadmaking throughout the world. The term generally refers to glass characterized by gold, silver, or copper foil leaf imbedded into translucent glass.
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Nacre
A shiny, iridescent substance made from the lining of mollusk shells or fish scales.
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Omega chain
A popular chain used for chokers that has a convex shape (bows outward) and has rectangular links that show parallel lines all along the chain. Omega is an attractive chain used for chokers with slides, but is not very flexible.
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Opaque
A quality that describes gemstones, synthetic jewelry, or painted surfaces that denotes an inability for light to pass through the surface. The opposite quality is translucence. Turquoise or solid paint would be considered opaque. Crystal quartz or jewel-tone epoxy would be considered translucent.
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Opalite
An art form characterized by the use of frosted glass and a special process to it make iridescent, very similar to that of an opal. The fashion jewelry industry refers to creations with this frosted iridescent glass as opalite.
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Opera-length
A term applied to jewelry or accessories that denotes a longer than normal length. Opera length necklaces are generally over 48 inches long and opera length gloves go all the way up the arm (also referred to as 16 button).
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Pave’
A process of gluing stones to cover a surface, like a "pavement". Pave’ stones are popular in rhinestone, crystal, and bridal jewelry.
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Pear shape
A term that is interchanged with tear drop and refers to a stone or object that is pointed at one end and round at the other. Exciting designs can be created with pear shapes in tiaras, rhinestone jewelry, and fashion jewelry in general.
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Pearl clasp
A marquise shaped clasp that is usually filigree and has one end hook in the other and then is pushed in to lock. The clasp is often used on real pearls so that if the strand accidentally unlocks, the hook will keep the pearls from being lost. Fashion jewelry imitates this clasp to add realism and value to the design.
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Pewter
An alloy that is 90% tin and mixed with other metals to create a malleable medium for the creation of jewelry and gifts. Modern pewter normally does not contain lead, which was a component in earlier history. The finished product has a silverfish gray color.
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Plating
A coating that can apply to numerous materials used in fashion jewelry, but most frequently applies to metals. Plating is a method of adhering more expensive metals to the exterior of less expensive metals to give the color and appearance of the higher quality metal, for example, gold plating over pot metal.
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Pierced earrings
Designed for wear in ears which are pierced. A wire or post is inserted through the ear lobe.
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Post
A pin-like finding attached to an earring. It passes through the pierced earlobe, and may be held in place by a back.
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Quartz
The name is derived from a Slavic word meaning hard and applies to a family of semiprecious stones that are characterized by translucence. Crystal quartz, rose quartz, amethyst, aventurine, and cat’s-eye are part of this family.
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Rhodium plating
A plating that gives metals a silver tone finish. A rhodium finish is darker than a silver plated finish and darkens with time rather than tarnishing like silver plate. Fashion rings and brooches are often rhodium plated.
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Rose quartz
A semiprecious stone in the quartz family that is characterized by a soft pink color and a high translucence (ability to see through or pass light through).
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Satin finish
A flat or matte finish that is usually used on metals, but can be applied to other mediums in fashion jewelry. The opposite would be a shiny or bright smooth finish that has a high reflective quality. Interesting brooches, bracelets, and necklaces are created by combining satin and bright finishes.
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Semiprecious stones
Natural stones including amethyst, aventurine, carnelian, garnet, opal, rose quartz,etc. Some semiprecious stones are quite costly (up to thousands of dollars). They are used in fine jewelry as well as fashion jewelry.
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Silver tone
A term that generally denotes silver or rhodium plating that gives a silver color.
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Silver plate
A fine silver film deposited on a base metal through electroplating. Base metal may be nickel, silver, copper, or brass.
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Simulated pearl
Glass beads coated in the ground-up iridescent nacre from fish scales.
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Simulated stone
Synthetic stones that resemble genuine stones or semiprecious components. Lucite and acrylic are frequently used in fashion jewelry to create simulated stones and pearlized glass or acrylic is used to create faux pearls.
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Slide
A pendant with a bail or loops on the back that allows the fashion jewelry to slide on a choker, chain, or cord. Slide and pendant are generally interchangeable, but the term, slide, seems to be more prevalent on the East Coast.
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Sodalite
A medium to dark blue semiprecious stone that contains patches and veins of white (white calcite) and copper. While sodalite can also be found in gray and white, blue is generally used to produce jewelry. It is a component of lapis lazuli.
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Split ring
A small ring with a cut that allows the ring to be spread to connect jewelry components and then closed again. The piece is also referred to as a jump ring.
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Spring ring clasp
A round tubular closure used for necklaces and bracelets. A spring loaded pin is pulled back with a tiny lever, allowing an opening to hook the loop on the other end of the jewelry, after which the pin springs back into place.
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Stamping
Designs created in fashion jewelry by using a press and molds. Stampings can be flat and have cutouts or can be embossed with three dimensional relief. Thin sheets of brass are often used for this process and the stamped item is plated and polished, then in some cases epoxied, creating some of the highest quality fashion jewelry. "Best Brand" is the leading manufacturer using this technique.
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Sterling silver
Silver that is at least 92.5 percent pure with 7.5 parts of another metal, usually copper, to make the metal harder and more wearable.
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Swarovski
Swarovski is an Austrian company that makes high-quality rhinestones, beautiful cut crystals, costume jewelry, and other glass-related items. The company was founded by Daniel Swarovski (1862-1956), the son of a glass faceter. In 1892, Daniel developed a new mechanized technique for faceting glass crystals, creating a sparkling, diamond-like "chaton." He then started a factory (and company) in Wattens, Austria (in the Tyrolean Alps) in 1895. In the 1970’s, the company expanded to the Providence, Rhode Island, USA - they later moved to Cranston, Rhode Island. In 1955, Swarovski and Christian Dior developed the iridescent Aurora Borealis stone. The company began a line of rhinestone costume jewelry in 1977. Since 1988, the Swarovski logo has been a swan (before 1988, the logo was an edelweiss flower).

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Teardrop shape
A shape that is pointed on one end and round on the other. Teardrop and pear shape are interchangeable and generally apply to rhinestone, crystal, or other stones. Fashion jewelry makes wide use of this shape in earrings, pendants, and drops on necklaces.
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Tennis bracelet
Originally a bracelet made of a row of uniform sized diamonds. Fashion jewelry attributes the name to single line rhinestone bracelets and cast bracelets with a row of crystals. The name originated when a tennis match was stopped to find a bracelet dropped by Chris Evert.
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Tiger’s eye
A semiprecious stone that is brown to golden yellow in color and has the appearance of a moving eye. Tiger’s eye is one of the most popular semiprecious components used for fashion jewelry and one of the most recognized.
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Toggle clasp
A closure that is used for bracelets and necklaces consisting of a ring on one end and bar on the other. The bar slides through the ring vertically and then lays on the ring horizontally to keep it from coming back through. Toggle clasps are usually bulky and are much easier to fasten than smaller clasps.
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Turquoise
The most popular and recognized semiprecious stone in America. Turquoise ranges in color from sky blue to bluish green and can be clear blue or with black or copper matrix. Fashion jewelry uses genuine turquoise, reconstituted turquoise, turquoise chip, treated stones, and synthetic stones. Genuine stones can be identified by their cool feel.
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Vermeil: (Vehr-MAY)
Vermeil is produced by electroplating 22k gold on sterling silver. By FTC standards, vermeil has a 100 millionths of an inch layer of karat gold heavily electroplated over sterling silver; much heavier plating than standard gold plating (2 millionths of an inch) and wears off much more slowly. Vermeil is used on many clasps and findings and is a beautiful alternative to the more expensive karat gold. Please treat your 24k gold vermeil pieces with the utmost care.
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Victorian
A style of jewelry popularized during the reign of Queen Victoria of England (1837-1901). The long period included a number of trends that were influenced by events of the time, the life of the Queen, and the taste of the English. Filigree and thin gold stampings produced large pieces with minimal gold in the early era because of a gold shortage. Hidden message wee popular, resulting in multicolor bracelets that spelled words with the first letter of each gemstone. In mid-reign, architectural discoveries inspired designs based on antiquities. British presence in India and Egypt inspired designs in these motifs and the death of Prince Albert resulted in somber designs with dark stones. The late reign saw a trend of jewelry produced as art rather than for intrinsic value.
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Y-Necklace
A necklace with a long row dropping in the center, forming a Y shape, that became popular when the style was worn on a weekly TV show. This style gets its name from its shape which features its own delicate dangle forming a Y-shape around the neck. Usually 16 to 18 inches in length.
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