Abalone - the inside lining of a mollusk or shell which can be scraped off and used as inlay in jewelry

Aigrette - an ornament that is worn in the hair, often decorated with feathers or glitter. Very popular in the early 20th century.

Alloy - A mixture of two or more metals.

Annealing - this is a process of heating and pounding glass, metal or pottery to harden it.

Alpaca - this is an alloy that is made of approximately 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc, with 5 % tin. It is often used instead of silver and is found in many Mexican designs. Also known as German Silver.

Antique - Jewelry that is 100 or more years old.

Arabesque - is a design, often with flowing scrollwork, which has low relief curlicues.

Art Deco - This is a style that was popular in the early 20th century from 1910s-20s. It originated in France and is characterized by geometric designs and angles. Styles from this period have very few curves. The style became bolder and then eventually evolved into Art Moderne.

Articulated - jewelry that is made with hinged parts, so that it is moveable.

Art Modern - the period of time between 1935 and 1945. This jewelry started out with fairly delicate designs and progressed to much more bold and blocky styles.

Art Art Nouveau - Designs from the late 19th and early 20th century, to about WWII time, which made their way into jewelry making. Often characterized by curved, flowing, asymmetrical lines. Many designs feature leaves, flowers, insects, sensual women, etc. As compared to Art Deco, this style has lots of curves. Tiffany many many Art Nouveau designs.

Arts and Crafts - a period which started in the late 19th century. During this time, artisans wanted their work to look handmade.
Aurora Borealis - is a name for a particular type of rhinestone which has an iridescent finish which sparkles with a great variety of color. This iridescence is the result of a deposit of a very thin layer of metallic atoms on the lower surface of the rhinestone. It is susceptible to scratching, so it must be stored carefully. The process was created in 1955 by Swarovski in collaboration with Christian Dior.

Avolto - a jewelry style which uses wire to form a necklace into a particular shape.

Bakelite - a thermoset plastic made from phenol formaldehyde. Characterized by it's hardness and unusual finish, it is a highly collectible area of vintage jewelry collecting today.

Baguette - a narrow, rectangular stone.

Bail - a connecting piece at the top of a pendant or brooch so that it can be hung from a chain. Also referred to as bale.

Bar Brooch or pin - a long, narrow brooch or pin which is often set with gemstones.

Base Metal - a collective term used to refer to all nonprecious metals.

Beveled cut - a shape of stone where the surface has been cut at an angle less than 90 degrees. It is often seen in rhinestones and other gemstones.

Bezel - this is a setting used in jewelry, where a stone is held in place by a band (either plain or with a fancy edging, around the outside of a stone. See also Prong settings.

Boho - Short for Bohemian. This is an ethnic look that combines clothing and accessories similar to those worn by native people from around the world. Think back to the late 1960's to early 1970's era of flower children or "hippies." Boho is much like that style, with layered clothing and accessories made from natural materials and big, bold chunky styles.

Box setting - this type of setting holds a stone in place in a box shape with metal edges which are pressed down to hold the stone in place.

Briolette - this stone is pear shaped and faceted. Many early vintage rhinestone pieces feature briolette rhinestones.

Brooch - A jewelry piece which is pinned on to a sweater or at a shirt's neckline. It is like a pin, only larger.

Bronze - this is a very heavy metal composed of 60% copper and 40% tin. It is dull brown color and not particularly popular in jewelry because of the weight.

Brushed Finish - also called a satin finish. It is produced by engraving or scratching a series of tiny parallel lines into metal which gives it a textured finish.

Burnished Setting - a setting where a gemstone is held in place without the use of prongs or beads. It is set flush with the settings surface.

C Clasp - very popular on jewelry up until about 1900 when the safety catch was invented, this clasp consists of a piece of formed metal in the shape of a c, under which the pin part of the clasp sits. A c clasp indicates that the jewelry piece is old.

Cabochon - derived from the French word "caboche" which means knob or small dome. It refers to a domed stone with a flat back which can come in many shapes such as round, oval, tear shape, etc.

Cameo - a shell or other stone which has been carved into various shapes, particularly female heads, but also other figures. As carving progresses, the different layers are shown which gives wonderful detail to the finished piece.

Carat - a unit of weight used for describing diamonds and other precious gems. The metric carat of 200 milligrams was adopted by the USA in the early 1900s and is now universally used. Also known as karat.

Cartouche - a decoration often found on Victorian jewelry which is characterized by swirls and scrollwork in a symmetrical design.

Celluloid - a highly flammable early vintage plastic which contains camphor. It is very lightweight and was later discontinued in favor of heavier more durable forms of plastic such as lucite.

Channel setting - this setting is often used to set baguette and round stones. In this settings, the jewels are place in a metal channel, which has a slight rim which runs along the "channel" - thus the name.

Chaton - a faceted stone that is round in shape. Popular in rhinestone jewelry. Often set with prongs but can also be glued into the setting

Chatelaine pin - two pins or brooches worn joined together with a chain joining them.

Chaton setting - this setting holds a stone in place my a series of metal claws around a metal ring. It is also referred to as a coronet or arcade setting.

Choker - a very short necklace, which sits right at the neckline, generally less than 14" long.

Claw setting - In this setting, the stone is held securely in place by a series of metal prongs, called claws. There is no metal directly under the stone, since the setting is open. The claws grip the stone above the girdle. This setting is often used for transparent stones, since it lets light in under the stone.

Cloisonne - a design in which enamel is applied to metal, by first outlining the metal surface with gold or silver wire into a design. The space between the wires is then filled with email and fired to a highly polished, glassy sheen. Many cloisonne designs feature flowers, birds and butterflies.

Cluster brooch - a brooch, developed in the 14th century, in which a single large stone or gemstone is surrounded by a cluster of gemstones or pearls.

Costume Jewelry - Jewelry made from non fine or non precious materials.

Couture - very highly fashionable jewelry and clothing that has been created by leading fashion and jewelry designers. Also referred to as Haute Couture.  

Cultured pearl - a pearl which is made by "seeding" a mollusk or oyster with a grain of sand. The mollusk secretes layers of coating over time to protect itself from the irritation. Eventually, a real pearl is formed.

Damascene - the process of applying gold or silver on iron or steel to produce decorative patterns. Much Damascene jewelry comes from Spain or Japan. Reed and Barton also uses copper in their Damascene jewelry. Normally has genuine gold or silver content in it.

Dead stone - this is a term often used for foil backed rhinestones which have lost their original shiny finish. This usually happens when moisture comes in contact with the foil backing and damaging it. Dead stones can appear dull, gray, or yellowish.

Demi-parure - refers to a matching set of jewelry - often a necklace, earrings and a pin, all of the same design and made to be worn together. See also Parure. A true parure was manufactured together. Married parures are sets which were not produced together but look similar when worn as a set.

Depose - the patent or rights to exclusive jewelry made in France.

Door knocker earrings - an earring with a hinged bottom portion which hangs below the earlobe, in the shaped of an actual door knocker, hence the name.

Dress Clip - a clip which uses two thin prongs to attach to articles of clothing. See also Fur clip.

Duette - a combination pin on one pin back, made famous by Coro, and registered by them, but now commonly made by other designers.

Edwardian Period - this period is named for the time of the reign of Edward VII of England (1901-1910). It is also known as the "Belle Epoque." Edwardian jewelry is characterized by delicate and elegant designs, often with bows and filigree settings. It is also known for use of pearls and diamonds in the designs.

Enamel - a paste or powder of various colors is applied to metal and then fired in an annealing oven so that the glass is baked on to the metal. Often used in vintage brooches and earrings.

En bosse ronde - the process of applying enamel to a metal surface.

Engraving - the process of making a design in a hard surface, often metal, by cutting grooves into it.

Estate jewelry - a term that refers to jewelry which has been previously owned, not necessarily from an estate.

Fob - a Decorative ornament worn on a chain, and usually worn with a watch.

Facet - this is an angled, cut surface of a gemstone, rhinestone or diamond.

Fakelite - Faux bakelite which is a modern, mass produced product, neither true bakelite or vintage. See also French Bakelite.

Faux - a French word which means false, and is used to pertain to fake materials made to look like genuine stones. Often used with the words Pearl or turquoise.

Filigree - these are ornate, delicate settings which are produced by using thin strands of wire, which are intricately intertwined or bent into rosettes, swirls etc.

Findings - various jewelry components, such as hooks, bails, clasps, etc.

Florentine Finish - a crosshatched pattern which is tooled into the surface of a metal.

Fob - a Decorative ornament worn on a chain, and usually worn with a watch.

French Bakelite - modern mass produce jewelry, which has the look of bakelite, but it neither genuine bakelite or vintage. See also Fakelite

French Ivory - a plastic made to simulate ivory. First produced around the middle of the 19th century.

French Jet - black jewelry designed to imitate fossilized coal. Victorian women wore it as mourning Jewelry and it was made very popular by Queen Victoria.

Freshwater pearl - this is a pearl which has been harvested from a freshwater mollusk - a mussel. The shape of freshwater pearls is similar to a grain of crisped rice cereal, rather than round, and they are less valuable than oyster pearls.

Fur clip - a clip which attaches to a fur stole with two thin prongs. See also dress clip.

German Silver - this is an alloy that is made of approximately 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc, with 5 % tin. Also known as Alpaca. It was invented in the mid 1800s in Germany as a substitute for silver.

Gilt - a term which refers to gold plated jewelry.

Givre - these beads which have a clear or light layer of glass over an inner colored core.

Gold Filled - this is a term for a thin outer layer of gold over a base metal. It is abbreviated GF. As an example 1/20 GF 12K must be al last 1/20th gold and it is layered with 12karat gold. To be classified as gold filled, a jewelry item must be at least 1/20th gold by weight.

Gold Plated - In this type of finish, a very thin layer of gold is applied on the surface, usually by electroplating. Jewelry pieces with this finish are often marked G.E.P, gold plated or gold electroplate.

Gold toned - jewelry which is finished to look like gold, but has no actual gold content. Also abbreviated at GT.

Gold Washed - Jewelry which has a very thin layer of gold - less than 175 microns thick - which is applied by dipping or burnishing but not plating the metal. This type of coating wears off more readily than gold plated or gold filled jewelry.

Gunmetal - this is a grayish alloy popular in the 1890s which is a mix of 90% copper and 10% tin.

Guilloche - this is a process of enameling, where translucent enamel (fused glass) is applied over a metal surface that has been engraved in some way - often with a spirograph design. It often has a rose or other floral design.

Hallmark - this is the term used for an official mark made on metal. It can indicate the type of metal or the manufacturer. Sometimes, the year of manufacture will be noted. Examples are: Sarah Cov, which is the Hallmark for the Sarah Coventry Company, 925 which indicates silver content, and a Pegasus horse, which is the hallmark of the Corocraft jewelry company. Many popular designers use hallmarks.

Hammered Finish - the process whereby a small hammer is used to make a series of indentations in a piece of metal. Often used with sterling silver jewelry. Hand Finishing - manufacture of jewelry in which the finish is completed by hand to allow the designer to control the finish on each individual piece.

Heirloom - a highly valued possession that is passed down among family members from one generation to the next.

Hematite - this is an opaque gem which is dark gray to almost place in color.

Inclusion - this is a small particle of foreign matter which is contained in a mineral. Many inclusions devalue a stone, but some are prized and make it more valuable - i.e. Star Sapphire.

Inlay - this is a term for a process in which a piece of material such as glass or stone is partially embedded into another material. The finished result is that the two materials make a level surface. Mother of pearl is often seen as an inlay in jewelry items.

Intaglio - A design made by cutting deeply on the obverse or back side of a stone or gemstone. The design is sometimes handpainted after carving.

Ivory - a smooth grained material made from the tusks of elephants and walruses. Creamy white in color, usually with a cross hatching type of grain.

Jappaned - a finish for jewelry made when the metal is coated in a shiny black coating.

Jet - This is fossilized coal which is also known as gagate. It is hard and light weight and is a lustrous black color. It was used in mourning jewelry during the Victorian period. Black glass and plastics are often made to look like jet. True jet is warm to the touch.

Karat - usually abbreviated as the letter "K", karat refers to the purity of gold. 24K is 100% pure gold. 18K is 18 parts gold with 6 parts other alloyed metals - 75% pure gold. 14K is 14parts gold and 10 parts other alloyed metals or 58.5% pure gold. Also spelled carat.

Lariat necklace - a necklace with open, decorated ends that are looped or knotted instead of clasped. It often has a central decorative finding through which the ends are threaded. Popular in western themed jewelry.

Lavaliere - this is a term for a pendant which has a dangling stone below it. The term was named for the Duchess Louise de La Valliere - a mistress of the French King Louis XIV.

Locket - a hinged, closed case, often with decorative design which opens to hold the picture of a loved one.

Marcasite - often used in sterling silver, and sometimes faceted - this mineral has the same composition as pyrite (fool's Gold) but has a different chemical structure. It is dark gray in color.

Marquis cut - an elongated, faceted oval cut, which tapers to a point. Similar to a navette cut, but slightly more rounded - named for the Marquis de Pompadour.

Matinee Length - this is a single strand necklace which is between 22-23 inches long.

Matte - a term which refers to jewelry which has a dull or flat finish rather than the normal shiny one.

Memento Mori - a jewel that is intended to be a reminder of death.

Memorial jewel - a jewel made in the memory of a loved one. It often contains a hair from that person.

Micro Mosaic Jewelry - Jewelry which is made by combining small glass tiles, which are called tesserae, into intricate designs. It was very popular with Italian artisans in the Mid 19th and early 20th century.

Milanese Chain - this chain consists of interwoven rows of small links which form a mesh design.

Milk Glass - This is a relative recent name for opaque, milky white glass. The glass is blown or pressed into a wide variety of shapes.

Millefiori - a type of glass ornamentation which is made from canes of layered colored glass which are sliced to form patterns. The patterns can be flowers or have mosaic effects.

Mizpah Ring - a wide gold ring which has been engraved with the word Mizpah which means "I will watch over thee." This ring was popular during the Victorian period.

Molded Cameo - this is a cameo which is made by a molding process, rather than hand carving from shell. Molded cameos are often made from porcelain, glass or plastic. Two colors are often used - one for the design and another for the background.

Mother of pearl - the inside linings of mollusks, abalone and other shells which is pearlized in finish. It is stripped or scraped from the shell and used as inlay in jewelry. See also abalone.

Mourning Jewelry - is worn when one is mourning the loss of a loved one. It is often black. Queen Victoria went into a very long period of mourning when her husband Albert died and wore much black clothing and mourning jewelry - much of it made from jet or fossilized coal.

Nacre - this is a crystalline layer which is secreted by oysters, mussels and other mollusks around a foreign object. Layers of nacre which form over a period of time create a pearl.

Navette cut - oblong, tapered slender cut similar to a Marquis, although more slender.

Negligee - this is a long necklace which normally ends with irregular lengths of tassels or drops

Niello - a method of decorating metal objects, using engraving techniques. Silver, copper, sulphur or lead are rubbed into an indented pattern and then fired. When the object is polished, darkened areas remain for a decorative effect.

Open back setting - a setting in which the back of the stone can be seen. Often used In D & E or Juliana Jewelry and carved cameo jewelry.

Opera Length - a single strand necklace which is 30-35" in length. It hangs to the breastbone.

Oriental pearl - a pearl which forms normally without human intervention or creation.

Ormolu - This term refers to jewelry which has gilded bronze or brass mounts. It comes from a term that the French call bronze dor. It is sometimes an alloy made from the metals copper, tin and zinc that is used to imitate gold. Ormolu can also be cast bronze or brass which has been plated (gilded) with a gold and mercury mixture. This gives it a gold-like look.

Oxidation - the process whereby a metal (often silver) blackens or tarnishes as a reaction to oxygen and sulphur. Also sometimes called a patina.

Pampilles - jewelry with a cascade of pendant stones. Very popular in Georgian jewelry. It was meant to look like rain drops.

Parure - This is a matching set of jewelry, usually a brooch, necklace, earrings and a bracelet, but can be even larger. Part of a parure is called a demi or semi parure.

Patina - this term refers to the change in the surface layer of jewelry as a result of the aging process. Sterling silver is particularly susceptible to developing a patina over time. Many collectors enjoy the patina of aged jewelry.

Pave - the process of setting stones (notably rhinestones), where a number of small stones are set as closely together as possible. Better pieces use a claw setting. Less expensive pieces often have the stones simply glued in.

Pietra Dura - This is similar to micromosaics, except that the piece is made of much larger pieces of hard stone such as calcedony, jasper, lapis lazuli, etc, set in a dark background, often black marble.

Pinchbeck - a substitute for gold invented by Christopher Pinchbeck in the 18th century, made from an alloy of copper and zinc.

Planishing - a hammering process which is done so that the piece of metal has a smoother finish.

Plique a jour - The process of applying enamel where a metal backing is lacking.

Poison ring - a ring made with a small hinged box in the setting which opens to a small chamber which could hold a poison pill.

Poison Pendant - a pendant similar to above but worn on a chain.

Posy Ring - a ring which has been engraved with a verse.

Pot Metal - a metal which does not have any gold, silver or platinum as a component. Sometimes referred to as white metal because of the finish. Popular in very early jewelry.

Precious Metal - any metal alloy which contains gold, silver or platinum that has a minimum amount of fineness which meets the standards detailed in the Precious Metals Marking Standards Act.

Princess length - a single strand necklace which is 18" long.

Prong - this setting has a series of metal prongs which grip around the side of stones. Better rhinestone jewelry is prong set, rather than glued.

Regard Ring - R E G A R D - a ring which has been set with precious stones, the first letters of which spell the word "regard." The stones are ruby, emerald, garnet, amethyst, ruby and diamond. This was a very popular ring in the second half of the 19th century and was meant to signify friendship.

Repousse - in this process, sheet metal has designs hammered into the back of it with special punches which form raised designs.

Retro - this is a term for chunky jewelry from the 1940s which was often geometric in design. The term is also used for modern jewelry of this style.

Rhinestones - this is a type of highly reflective glass which is made to imitate gemstones. Original rhinestones were quartz stones or rock crystal found on the floor of the Rhine river. Swarovski is renowned for their high quality rhinestones. See also Aurora borealis.

Rhodium - often used for plating over other metals, particularly sterling, to give a tarnish free finish. Rivire necklace - a choker type with a continuous line of gemstones either of equal or graduated sizes of stones.

Rivoli Rhinestone - This type of rhinestone has a pointed end on both sides which makes it look somewhat like a saucer.

Rolled Gold - gold plating which was popular in the early 19th century.

Rondelle - a piece of metal or gemstone which is pierced and then strung on beads in a necklace.

Satin Finish - This finisha has a series of tiny parallel lines scratched into the surface of a metal to produce texture to the finish.

Sautoir - this is a term for a long necklace of beads, pearls or chains, which often ends in tassels. It was very popular in the 1920s.

Scarab - A stone made to represent an Egyptian beetle, semi precious stones are carved with a distinctive pattern. Sometimes in swiveled mountings so the intaglio on the reverse side can be seen.

Scatter Pins - this is a term for a series of small pins which are worn together in groups. Often figural or animal pins.

Screw back - the backing to an earring which is held tightly against the ear lobe by means of a screw with a flat rounded end. Sometimes hinged for comfort. This type of earring back was introduced in 1894.

Svign - a set worn on the ornaments. It has gemstones and is in the shape of a bowknot.

Silvertone - This is a jewelry finish which is made to look like silver but has no actual silver content.

Spray Brooch - a pin, usually worn at the shoulder, which is styled with a spray of flowers on stems.

Stick Pin - a long pin with an ornamental top which is worn vertically on a scarf, tie or jacket lapel,

Strap Necklace - a necklace worn during the Victorian period. It consists of a mesh chain which has pendants that suspend from short, fine chains, which resemble a fringe.

Tarnish - the darkening of a metal which causes a dull luster. Can usually be easily removed. See also patina.

Taxco - This is a town in Mexico famous for its sterling silver jewelry. Taxco sterling jewelry is highly collectible.

Tesserae - These are tiny pieces of glass combined to make intricate designs in Micro Mosaic Jewelry. Very popular with artisans from Italy.

Tiara - a head ornament, often highly jeweled, which is worn in the crown position. Many brides wear tiaras on their wedding day.

Tiffany setting - This is normally a rounded 6 pronged setting with thin prongs which flare out from the base. Introduced by Tiffany and Co. in 1886. Often used for large diamond solitaires today.

Torsade - this term refers to a necklace which is made of many strands which are twisted together, instead of hanging loosely. Has a rolled look to it.

Trade mark - this is an assurance of quality. It is a permanent record of the signature of the manufacturer and the origin. See also hallmark.

Trembler - this is a piece of jewelry which has a part which is set on a spring, resulting in this part moving as the wearer of the jewelry moves. Coro is famous for its trembler jewelry.

Triplet - This is a process whereby a stone is made by sandwiching three thin layers of stones together. The term is often used for opals which has only a middle layer of opal surrounded by other materials on the top and bottom of it to generate a particular color.

Tutti Frutti - vintage jewelry which is set with multi colored gemstones in the shape of flowers, berries and leaves. Can be in a basket design.

Vauxhall Glass - a type of glass named for a mirror glass made in Britain in the early 1700's, in Vauxhall, London. Commonly made in deep burgundy color, but there are other colors as well. It is quite hard to find because it often became damaged when worn.

Verdigris - over time, costume or fine jewelry can develop a green gunk disease known as verdigris. The presence of this green gunk means that there is metal damage underneath. See tips for cleaning verdigris on this page.

Vermeil - pronounced "vairmay", this is a term which refers to silver, bronze or copper with a thin layer of gold plating over the top. Commonly used with sterling silver jewelry to help with the problem of tarnishing.

Victorian - the period of time between when Queen Victoria first ruled in 1837 until 1901, when she died. The Victorian period was a long stretch of time and is divided into several smaller time spans and several design types.

Vintage - a piece of jewelry that is considered a classic, characterized by excellence, maturity, and enduring appeal. Most of the jewelry on this website is vintage jewelry.

White Metal - a metal which has no gold, silver or platinum in it, and has a white finish. Often called Pot metal.

Yellow gold - Gold which comes in several different shades of yellow in its natural state. It is fairly pure when it is first mined. It is usually allowed with zinc, copper or silver when it is used in making jewelry.

Zinc - this is a metal that is brittle at room temperature. However, it is malleable when it is heated. It is used in such alloys as brass, bronze and nickel silver.

Return to the top of the page