Jewelry Definitions

Agate A striped version of chalecedony quartz. Formed in many layers of colors and textures by filling in a cavity or indentation of another rock. When it is sliced it's concentric bands become obvious, these bands resemble the inside of a tree trunk and each band can be various colors and sizes.

Asscher-Cut Diamond A cut by Joseph Asscher when in 1902 he developed a square cut diamond with 72 facets. The cuts wide step facets and and deep clipped corners make it resemble an octagon.

Baguette Type of gemstone cut to look like long rectangles. "Baguette" means "rod" in French. Baguettes are popular often used on each side of a focal diamond.

Birth Stones A set of twelve gemstones that represent births during a specific zodiac. Stones chosen very by culture.

Carat Weight of a gemstone, it's the equivalent of 200 milligrams and is often given rounded to the nearest hundredth of a carat.

Clarity A term used to tell the internal and external flaws of a gemstone. A higher clarity means fewer flaws and has a higher clearness.

Culet A tiny facet at the bottom of a gemstone, though not all gemstones have a culet, a culet helps prevent damage to the gemstone.

Diffusion Applying a temporary coating to a gemstone to enhance it's coloring.

Fractures Imperfections on a gemstone's surface that show up as a slightly white because light does not pass through them.

Gold Filled An item with a sheet of gold applied to it's surface.

Gold Plated A metal item that has a very thin layer of gold applied to it. The thin layer usuaally wears away more quickly than the gold in a gold filled item.

Jet A piece of jewelry made from black fossil coal or wood that can be carved easily.

Karat A system used to state how much pure gold is in an item. 24 karat gold means pure gold while 18 karat gold means 18 parts gold and 6 parts of another material etc.