Glossary

Aventurine: Translucent greenish quartz mineral. Often mistaken for jade, another stone of a green color.

Bali Bead: Sterling silver beads of various shapes and sizes originating in Bali. Often used as spacers or accents around stones.

Calcite: A common, soft mineral that comes in a rainbow of colors. It may be completely transparent or opaque.

Carat: Unit of weight for gemstones with 100 points to a carat, with one carat equaling one-fifth of a gram.

Carnelian: A type of chalcedony that is usually red with orange or brown undertones. Once believed to benefit the wearer's health and love life. Most carnelian comes from Africa and Europe.

Chalcedony: Various types of colored quartz, usually those with a milky appearance like carnelian, agate, cat's eye, and jasper.

Citrine: A type of quartz that can vary from a pale yellow to a brownish-orange. Although, often cut as a gemstone, citrine is actually somewhat rare in nature.

Cubic Zirconium: CZ, for short, is a synthetic gem composed of zirconium oxide, a diamond substitute.

Extender Chain: A chain that may be attached to another in order to provide a longer length.

Faceted: A gem of plane faces or facets.

Fish Hook (Earwire): A fishhook-shaped finding used to make earrings with the hook end passing through the pierced ear.

Freshwater Pearl: An irregularly shaped pearl formed naturally by a mussel living in a lake or river.

Gold Filled: Base metal (usually brass or copper) covered by sheets of gold in a mechanical bonding process.

Hoop Earring: A circular-shaped earring made from metal wire or tubing. Variations include the traditional shape as well as hoops with charms and other ornaments to be hung from the hoop.

Jade: An ornamental gemstone, typically greenish in color. Prized in Asian cultures, it was traditionally associated with the five cardinal virtues: charity, modesty, courage, justice, and wisdom.

Karat: A measure, from 1 to 24, used to indicate how much of a piece of jewelry is gold content and how much an alloy.

Labradorite: A faceted gemstone that ranges from the typical blues and violets through greens, yellows and oranges.

Lariat: An open-ended, long strand necklace. Sometimes looped into a knot or used with a slide so that the two ends hang free.

Lever Back: An earring with a back that bends and latches behind the ear.

Lobster Claw Clasp: A clasp used for necklaces and bracelets that features an elongated hook (like a lobster claw).

Majorica (Majorca/Mallorca) Pearl: A pearl coated in many layers of a man-made shell. The technique for producing the pearls originated on the island of Majorica, off the coast of Spain, a century ago, and remains a closely guarded secret. The pearls produced through this process are perfectly round and are available in a wide variety of colors and sizes.

Mother-of-pearl: Hard, iridescent substance that forms on the inside layer of a pearl-bearing mollusk.

Pearl: A smooth, round growth formed naturally within the shell of a mollusk due to an irritant and used as a gem.

Pendant: An ornament suspended from a chain.

Post: A pin-like finding attached to an earring. It passes through the pierced earlobe, and may be held in place by a back.

Quartz: A crystalline mineral used for gems, usually colorless and transparent. Quartz is the most common mineral on the face of the Earth.

Sterling Silver: Silver that is at least 92.5 percent pure with 7.5 parts of another metal, usually copper, to make the piece harder. All sterling silver findings bear the 925 mark to ensure quality.

Swarovski Crystal Pearl: Similar to a Majorica pearl, a Swarovski crystal is coated with a man-made shell.

Turquoise: A stone that is greenish-blue in color. The name comes from a French word that means stone of Turkey, from where Persian material passed on its way to Europe.

Y Necklace: This style gets its name from its shape that features its own delicate dangle forming a Y-shape around the neck. Usually 16 to 18 inches in length.