Alloy: A metal made by combining two or more metallic elements. This is done to give greater strength or resistance to corrosion.
Asscher‐Cut: a step or trap cut with rectangular facets that emphasize depth and draw the eye into the stone
Baguette: small, usually rectangular, step-cut diamonds or gemstones with straight or tapered edges.
Bangle: a rigid bracelet or anklet typically without a clasp
Bezel Setting: A diamond or gemstone is wrapped with the metal, where only the crown and table can be seen.
Blemish: An imperfection on the surface of a diamond.
Brilliance: The amount of sparkle or shine which is reflected from the diamond.
Brilliant‐Cut: A circular cut for diamonds and other gemstones in the form of many-faceted pyramids joined at their bases, the upper one truncated near its apex.
Cathedral Setting: A jewelry setting designed to mimic cathedrals, using arches to frame the gem as the focal point of the jewelry.
Channel Setting: A type of ring setting where stones on the shank of the ring are set along a track between two walls of metal.
Clasp: A mechanism that allows a necklace or bracelet or any piece of jewelry requiring to be wrapped around to easily be put on and taken off without causing any damage.
Cleavage: The ability of certain gemstones to split naturally along certain planes based on its internal crystalline structure.
Cluster Setting: A smaller diamonds are set closely together to resemble a larger diamond
Crown: The facets or portions of a gemstone, located above the girdle
Culet: A flat face on the bottom of a gemstone.
Facet: A flat, polished surface on a cut gemstone typically with three or four sides.
Flawless: A term used to describe a gemstone that does not have any discernible flaws.
Flush Setting: A setting style where the diamond or gemstone is set into a drilled hole in the band, so the stone sits within the band of the ring and does not significantly stick out.
Four Cs: Four characteristics of a diamond used to establish the quality of a diamond. The C’s stand for color, clarity, cut and carat weight.
Girdle: The outer edge or band of a faceted stone and is the largest diameter of the stone.
GIA Certified: GIA certified diamonds or gemstones undergo GIA’s rigorous grading process and reports
Halo Setting: A ring of small accent stones, typically pavé diamonds, that encircle a larger center stone.
Hardness: How well a diamond or gemstone resists scratches. Hardness is measured by Moh’s scale from 1-10. 10 is the hardest and 1 is the softest.
Ideal Cut: An ideal cut diamond has the highest quality of proportions, symmetry, and polish, and returns the maximum amount of light from the top of the diamond.
Invisible Setting / Hidden Setting: A setting designed to make it appear as though there is no setting behind the stone. This is achieved by setting a diamond or gemstone is set in an arrangement where the metal cannot be seen.
Infinity: An infinity setting features a unique, beautiful design with an “8”-shaped pattern made up of two interlinking bands.
Karat: The standard measurement for gold, where 24 karats is pure gold. 14-karat or 18-karat gold is mixed with other metal alloys.
Moh’s Scale: The universal scale used to measure the hardness of a diamond or gemstone. The scale ranges from 1-10, with 10 being the hardest.
Pave: An indicator of the ring’s setting, typically referring to how the diamonds are set
Pavilion: The bottom portion of a diamond.
Platinum: A metal that’s almost entirely pure. Typically used in the finest jewelry at a ratio of 950 parts per thousand—making platinum the finest metal available.
Pink Gold / Rose Gold: Pink gold or rose gold is made up of pure gold is combined with more copper than other alloys.
Polish: The amount of smoothness, or shininess on a metal’s surface.
Prong Setting: A ring setting which utilizes four or six metal prongs. The stone is mounted to the prongs and is wrapped around the girdle to secure the stone.
Shank: The lower portion of the ring. The shank is a prong with a little metal claw that holds the diamond in place. Prongs can be rounded, pointed, flat, or V-shaped.
Split Shank: An engagement ring has two thin shanks on either side of the center stone, which come together towards the bottom.
Step‐Cut: a square or rectangular shape with facets arranged as parallel lines to one another on all four sides.
Scintillation: Flashes or sparkles of light seen within a diamond. It is caused when the stone is rotated under a light source.
Solitaire: All jewelry such as rings, pendants, earrings, bracelets, or necklaces that have one diamond in its setting.
Tension Setting: A diamond or gemstone is suspended inside the metal setting, where most of the diamond is exposed.
Toughness: The ability for a diamond or gemstone to resist fracturing or breakage if impacted
Tarnish: a type of corrosion on metals. Tarnish is a thin layer that is a result of moisture, chemical or air exposure. It tends to appear as a dark surface of discoloration on your jewelry. Typically, around the areas the jewelry meets your skin.
Two‐Tone: the result of combining different colored materials in the same jewelry piece.
White Gold: Made by combining pure gold with copper, zinc, and nickel alloy.
Yellow Gold: Gold that retains its natural yellow color.
