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GLOSSARY
Alloy
-
a metal made up of a mixture of two or more different metals. Common
examples of alloys include bronze (a mixture of copper and tin), brass
(copper and zinc), and pewter (tin with antimony, copper and sometimes
lead).
Base
Metal - non-precious metals used as a core for plating and gold-filled
items. Brass and nickel are common base metals in jewelry.
Cabochon
- a round or oval stone, cut and polished with one flat side (the
back) and one smooth domed side (the front or face). A faceted cabochon
is cut with faceted surfaces around the edge of the stone.
Chatoyancy (chatoyant) - having a changeable luster, like a cat's
eye.
Facet
- a flat, polished surface cut into a stone or bead.
Finding
- the catch-all term used to describe metal jewelry components.
Clasps, connecting rings, the pins that hold the beads, ear wires
and posts are all findings.
Gold
- a yellow colored, soft, shiny metal commonly used in jewelry.
The purity of gold is measured in "karats." 24 karat (or
24k) denotes pure or fine gold; 12k is 50% gold; 14k is about 58%
gold. Gold that is less than 24k is actually an alloy; the remaining
percent of the material consisting of other metals, such as copper,
silver and zinc.
Gold-filled
- a thin layer of gold bonded to a base metal core. In gold-filled
products, the gold layer must be at least 1/20th (5%) of the overall
product, by weight. Any purity of gold may be used; most gold-filled
products are made with either 12k or 14k gold. The purity of gold
used can be determined by the notation in front of the words Gold-filled.
14/20 Gold-filled and 14k Gold-filled both refer to a gold-filled
product in which 14k gold has been bonded to the base metal core.
Likewise, 12/20 Gold-filled and 12k Gold-filled indicate that 12k
gold has been
used.
Gold-plated
- a very thin layer of gold bonded to a base metal core. The layer
of gold in Gold-plating is only required to be seven-millionths of
an inch thick. (The layer of gold in gold-filled products is about
one hundred times thicker than gold-plating.)
Opacity
- the quality of not allowing light to pass through (the quality
of being opaque).
Opaque
- not allowing light to pass through; solid.
Sterling
Silver - see Silver
Silver
- a white colored, soft, shiny metal, commonly used in jewelry.
Like gold, silver is available in different levels of purity: the
purest form, Fine silver, is 99.9% silver; Sterling silver is 92.5%
silver, with other metals (usually copper) making up the remaining
7.5%; Coin silver is 90% silver with 10% copper. Nickel silver is
an alloy of copper (65%), nickel and zinc - no silver at all.
Silver-plated
- a very thin layer of silver bonded to a base metal core.
Translucent
- allowing some light to pass through; objects seen through translucent
material are diffused or indistinct.
Transparent - easily seen through; allowing light to pass through
without obscuring the ability to see objects on the other side.
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