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Jewelry Info Center > Silver Jewelry Glossary
Silver Jewelry Glossary
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Interested in giving silver jewelry as a birthday, anniversary,
Christmas, or other type of present? Silver jewelry is greatly
appreciated by both male and female; it can be crafted in
any style, and suited for any occasion! Here are some terms
that can help you in your search:
· AMBER
Amber is translucent fossilized tree resin (from conifers),
a natural hydrocarbon that comes in many colors, including
yellow, reddish, whitish, black, and blue. Amber is flammable.
Rubbing amber produces static electricity. The word electricity
comes from the Greek word for amber, "elektron."
It used to be thought that amber possessed magical powers
that protected the wearer from evil. Pressed amber consists
of small pieces of amber that have been fused together to
form a larger piece. Fake amber is easily made from plastics,
and buyers must beware of cheap imitations sold as natural
amber. Amber has a hardness of 2.5 and a specific gravity
of 1.05-1.10.
· AMETHYST
Amethyst (Greek for "not drunken") is a form of
the mineral quartz, and is a relatively common gemstone. Amethyst
is usually purple, but can range in color from pale lavender
to a very deep, reddish purple to a milky color to green.
Deeper-colored amethysts are more highly valued. The ancient
Greeks believed that amethyst made one immune to the effects
of alcohol. Synthetic amethysts are hard to distinguish from
the real stone.
· CONCH
Conch is a marine animal (a mollusk) with a large, beautiful
pearly shell that varies in color, but if often white or pink
(pink is the most valued color). Queen conch has a large,
pink shell. Conch shell is often used to make jewelry. Conch
is made into beads and cameos. Conch has a hardness of 2.85
(it is relatively soft).
· CUBIC ZIRCONIUM
Cubic zirconium (also known as cubic zirconia) is an inexpensive,
lab-produced gemstone that resembles a diamond. Cubic zirconia
was developed in 1977.
· EMERALD
Emeralds are a very hard, green precious stone (beryl, Be3Al2Si6O18,
colored by chromium and some vanadium impurities). Flaws and
cloudiness (called jardin) are very common in emeralds, so
many emeralds are oiled, irradiated, and dyed to improve their
look. Synthetic emeralds (developed by Carroll Chatham in
the 1930's) have fewer imperfections and are very hard to
distinguish from natural emeralds. Emeralds belong the beryl
group of stones which also includes aquamarines, morganite,
and chrysoberyl). Emeralds have a hardness of 7-8 and a specific
gravity of 2.6 - 2.8. Emerald (and all forms of beryl) have
large, perfect, six-sided crystals. Emeralds were long thought
to have healing powers, especially for eyesight. During the
renaissance, emeralds were used as a test for friendship among
the aristocracy; an emerald given to a friend would remain
perfect as long as the friendship endured.
· FOSSILIZED IVORY
This material affords the same flexibility as deer or elk
antler for the very same reasons. Most fossilized ivory originate
from Alaska in the form of walrus teeth or ancient mammoth
tusk
· FRESHWATER PEARL
A freshwater pearl is a pearl that was harvested from a freshwater
mussel (a mollusk). These pearls are frequently shaped like
crisped rice cereal, and are less valuable than oyster pearls.
Biwa pearls are very good quality freshwater pearls.
· GARNET
Garnets are any of a group of semi-precious silicate stones
that range in color from red to green (garnets occur in all
colors but blue). Some garnets used as gemstones include pyrope
(the deep red garnet), almandine, spessartine, grossular,
the iron-aluminum dark red garnet (also known as the carbuncle
stone), Uvarovite (rare), and the lustrous Andradite (which
includes the valuable green demantoid garnet, Topazolite ,
and Melanite). Red garnet is the birthstone for January. Garnet
has a hardness of 6-8 and a specific gravity of 3.5 - 4.3.
The formula for garnet is: (Mg, Fe, Ca or Mn) with Al2Si3O12.
· GEMSTONE
A gemstone (also called a precious stone) is a mineral that
is valuable, rare and often beautiful. A few organic materials,
like amber, coral and pearls are also considered gemstones.
· HAMMERED METAL
Hammered metals have been formed, shaped, or decorated by
a metalworker's hammer. The surface of hammered metal is covered
with crater-like depressions made by a hammer. Many hammered
metals are used in jewelry including gold, silver, brass,
aluminum, etc.
· HEAT TREATMENT
Heat treatment is the heating of stones to a high temperature
in order to enhance the color or clarity. For example, blue-green
aquamarine becomes blue with heat treatment and brown zircon
becomes blue or clear.
· INLAY
An inlay is a piece of material (often stone or glass) that
is partially embedded in another material (usually metal)
such that the two materials make a level surface.
· IRIDESCENT
An iridescent object displays many lustrous, changing colors.
Iridescence is caused by the reflection of light from the
jewel.
· LAB RUBY (SAPPHIRE)
A lab ruby (or sapphire) is a synthetic (laboratory-made)
stone. It has the same composition, hardness, and specific
gravity as natural rubies (or sapphires) but is much less
expensive than a natural stone (since they are relatively
inexpensive to create in the laboratory as compared to mining
gemstones). These lab-produced stones can be legally referred
to as "real" stones [as opposed to "natural"
(mined) stones].
· LUSTER
A stone's luster is its sparkle or sheen - the way it reflects
light. The luster depends on the nature of the stone's surface
reflectivity. Some types of luster include: adamantine (also
called brilliant or diamond like, like a faceted diamond),
earthy (with little reflectivity- also called dull, like shale
or clay), greasy (like nepheline or apatite), metallic (also
known as splendent, like pyrite or marcasite), resinous (like
amber), pearly (with an iridescent reflectivity, like pearls
or mica), pitchy (tarry minerals that are radioactive, like
uraninite), silky (with a fibrous structure, like some tiger's
eye or satin spar), vitreous (also known as glassy, like olivine,
transparent quartz, or obsidian), and waxy (like halite or
turquoise). A pearl's luster is derived from its nacre.
· ONYX
Onyx is a semi-precious stone that is black and white, generally
arranged in layers. It is a form of agate with parallel banding.
This structure lends itself to cameo making. Onyx is a species
of chalcedony (microcrystalline quartz).
· OPAL
Opals are semi-precious stones that are luminous and iridescent,
frequently with inclusions of many colors ("fire").
Opal is a mineral composed of noncrystalline (amorphous) silica
(and some water) and is a species of quartz. There are three
major types of opals: common opal, opalescent precious opal
(white or black, with a rainbow-like iridescence caused by
tiny crystals of cristobalite), and fire opal (a milky stone
that is firey orange to red in color with no opalescence).
Contra luz opals are transparent opals that show a brilliant
play of iridescence only when light shines through the stone.
Many opals have a high water content - they can dry out and
crack if they are not cared for well (opals should be stored
in damp cotton wool). Some opals are treated with oil, wax
or resin to enhance their finish. Opals have a hardness of
5.5 to 6.5 and a specific gravity of 1.98-2.50. Opals are
found in many places worldwide, including Kenya, Czechoslovakia,
Brazil, Peru, Honduras, Mexico, Canada, and the USA -- but
Australia has a tremendous variety of beautiful opals.
· PERIDOT
Peridot (also known as the "evening emerald" and
chrysolite) is a yellow-green semi-precious stone with an
oily luster; peridot is a transparent, green form of olivine.
Peridot exhibits double refraction; when you look through
the stone, things appear double. For example, when looking
into a faceted peridot gemstone, the number of bottom facets
appears to be double the actual number of facets. Most peridots
are from a volcanic island in the Red Sea, Zebergit/St. John,
the "Serpent Isle." Peridots have been found in
meteorites. Peridot has a hardness of 6.5. Peridot cat's eye
also exists.
· PLATING
Plating or electroplating (also called Galvanotechnics after
its inventor, Luigi Galvani) is a process in which one metal
is coated with another metal using electricity. In jewelry,
inexpensive metals are frequently electroplated with more
expensive metals, like gold (gold plating), copper (electrocoppering),
rhodium (rhodanizing), chromium (chromium plating), or silver
(silver plating). The thickness of the metal coat varies.
Electrogilded coating is the thinnest (less than 0.000007
inches thick); gold-cased metals have a coating thicker that
0.000007 inches.
· POROUS
Porous stones have tiny holes in them. These holes allow water,
oils, and other substances to penetratethe stone, frequently
changing their appearance over time. Many stones are porous,
including turquoise.
· RUBY
Rubies are precious stones and a member of the corundum family
(Al2O3). Rubies range in color from the classic deep red to
pink to purple to brown. Rubies are extremely hard; only diamonds
are harder. During the renaissance, people thought that rubies
could counteract poison. Laboratory-produced rubies were created
in the 1890's; they are difficult to distinguish from natural
rubies. The biggest ruby in the word is the Raviratna, which
weighs 3,600 carats. Rubies have a hardness of 9 and a specific
gravity of 3.9 - 4.1. Rubies are found in Afghanistan, Australia,
Brazil, Cambodia, India, Myanmar (Burma), Malagasy Republic,
Malawi, Pakistan, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Tanzania, Thailand,
United States, and Zimbabwe (Rhodesia).
· SAPPHIRE
Sapphire is a precious gemstone (a type of corundum) that
ranges in color from blue to pink to yellow to green to white
to purple (mauve sapphire) to pink-orange (padparadscha sapphire).
Six-sided asterisms sometimes occur in star sapphires (caused
by inclusions of tiny, thin, parallel needles of rutile).
Sapphires are related to rubies. Sapphires were once thought
to protect the wearer from poisonous creatures. Sapphire has
a hardness of 9 and a specific gravity of 3.9 - 4.1. Sapphires
are often heat treated to improve their color.
· SETTING
A setting is a method of securing a stone (or other ornament)
in a piece of jewelry (or other object). There are many different
types of settings, including the collet (a strip of metal
surrounding the stone), the claw setting (in which prongs
of metal hold the stone in place), Tiffany (a high, six-pronged
setting), the cut-down setting (metal is worked around the
edge of the gem, reinforced with metal ridges), pavé-set
stones (stones set close together, showing no metal between
them), millegrain (the stone is secured by small beads [grains]
of metal), gipsy setting (with a recessed stone), and many
other types (including combinations of the above-mentioned
methods). Some settings are closed (there is metal behind
the stone), while others are open (there is no metal behind
the stone), letting light shine through the stone.
· SILVER
Silver is a fine, silver-white metal often used in jewelry.
Pure silver has a hardness of 2.5. Other metals are alloyed
with silver (usually copper) for silver used in jewelry making.
Silver tarnishes after exposure to air (a thin layer of silver-oxide
forms on the surface). Silver often occurs near copper lodes.
· SPINEY OYSTER
Spiney Oyster, Spondylus Brodnip Princess is found in the
Sea of Cortez, Baja California, Mexico. It appears in lower
Baja California Sur Mexico. It was discovered in 1976 and
began to be exported for jewelry making use in the Southwest
by Indian Crafts people. The shell comes in three colors red,
orange, and purple sometimes yellow and white. Spondylus Calcifer
commonly called Giant Pacific Rock Oyster is a purple that
is found in water from 0-60 ft. After 60ft of water the white
Spondylus appears and goes down to 90ft of water. After 90ft
of water the reds and the oranges appear.
· SYNTHETIC STONE
Synthetic stones are made in laboratories; these stones generally
lack imperfections. It is very difficult to distinguish a
synthetic stone from a natural stone.
· TOPAZ
Topaz (aluminum silicate fluoride hydroxide) is a very hard
gemstone that ranges in color from brown, to yellow to blue
to pink. Pink topaz is usually created by irradiating common
yellow topaz. Other colors are often created by heat-treating
and/or irradiating topaz. Imperial topaz is golden orange-yellow
topaz; it is the most valuable topaz Topaz has a hardness
of 8 and a specific gravity of 3.5-3.6. Topaz may have been
named for the legendary Topasos Island in the Red Sea.
· TOURMALINE
Tourmaline is a dichroic gemstone that comes in many, many
different colors; it also appears to have different colors
depending on the angle at which it is seen. Tourmaline has
the greatest color range of any gemstone - the lighter colors
are more valuable than the darker colors. It ranges in color
from pink to green to red (rubellite) to purple to blue-green
(indicolite) to colorless (achroite) to black. Watermelon
tourmaline is both pink and green. Tourmaline occurs as an
elongate three-sided prism and is mined in Brazil, The Ural
mountains in Russia, Namibia, Sri Lanka, and California. Tourmaline
was only discovered in the 1700's. Tourmaline has a hardness
of 7-7.5 and a specific gravity of 3.02-3.25. It is doubly-refractive.
· TURQUOISE
Turquoise is a non-translucent, porous semi-precious stone
(it is a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminum) that is
usually cut as a cabochon. Turquoise was believed to have
been first found in Turkey, hence its name (Turquie is the
French word for Turkey). The oldest turquoise mines are located
in Alimersai Mountain in Persia (Iran) and in the Sinai Peninsula
in Egypt. Turquoise is found in desert regions worldwide.
The finest turquoise is Persian (Iranian) turquoise; it is
robin's egg blue and has no matrix (streaks of the mother
stone from which they were found). North American turquoise
is greener and has a matrix streaks. Over the years, oil from
your skin is absorbed by the stone and it will change color
slightly. Turquoise has a hardness of 6 and a specific gravity
of 2.60-2.85. Turquoise is the national gemstone of Iran.
Turquoise is one of December's birthstones
· ZIRCON
Zircon (zircon silicate) is a lustrous gemstone that comes
in colors ranging from golden brown to red to violet to blue.
Pure zircon is colorless, but most zircon stones are brown.
Zircon stones can be heat-treated to become blue or colorless;
sometimes, heat-treated stones revert to their original color.
Clear zircon is sometimes sold (intentionally or otherwise)
as diamond. It has a hardness of 7.5 and a specific gravity
of 3.90-4.71.
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