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All 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Word	Description
Aalto	Alvar (1898-1976) Finish architect and furniture designer whose work during the 1920s and 30s had an enormous impact on 20thC design. Although mass-produced, Aalto's furniture is highly original, distinguished by clean, simple lines and curves, and the innovative use of materials such as moulded plywood and tubular steel.
Abalone	A mollusk whose shell is pearlescent on the inside. This material can be scraped off, sliced thin, and used as inlay on a variety of jewelry, furniture, etc. These scrapings are called "mother of pearl".
Abrash	Term for the faint banding of colour shades usually found in vegetable-dyed Oriental carpets made by nomadic tribes. This is due to slight variations in shade of different batches of wool that were dyed at different times. Abrash is most obvious over a large, plain field of uniform colour. Unfortunately, unscrupulous modern weavers often fake an abrash to try to make a rug look older.
ABS	anti-lock brake system. Helps you to stop in hazardous conditions without skidding. It also helps you to steer the car round a corner and brake heavily at the same time. If you can choose between identical cars, one with ABS and the other without, choose ABS, assuming it’s working.
AC	air conditioning
Acanthus	A Mediterranean plant having large spiny leaves. Stylized designs of its leaf have been popular in silver work since the classical era.
Acroite	A rare, colorless type of tourmaline.
Acrostic Jewelry	A popular kind of jewelry during the Victorian era where the first letter of the name of each stone spells out a word. See Regard.
Adam Robert	Neoclassical architect and interior designer. (1728 - 1792).
Adamantine	Having a diamond-like luster or hardness.
Adularia	A common type of moonstone, usually set as a cabochon. It is semi-translucent with a white and blue tint. Adularia was very popular in Art Nouveau jewelry.
Adventurine	A common misspelling of Aventurine.
Aesthetic Movement	A decorative arts movement that had a Japanese influence, it flourished in Britain from circa.1870, and was a forerunner to Art Nouveau. This movement was not recognised in France or Europe but was in the USA. It overlapped with the Arts and Crafts movement although it had started to decline by the late 1880s.
African Emerald	An African Emerald is not actually an emerald. It is green fluorite mined in South Africa.
African Jade	African jade is not really jade, but a type of garnet strongly resembling jade that is mined in South Africa.
Agate	A fine grained quartz used as a semi precious stone in intaglio and cameo work and also in some items of jewellery such as signet rings and brooches, particularly in the 19th Century. When it is polished it reveals various tones of oranges and soft browns, blues, greens or greys and often has irregular milky bands. A variety of chalcedony quartz that is a very common and used often in jewelry. When chalcedony is variegated with with spots or figures, or arranged in differently colored layers, it is called agate; and if by reason of the thickness, color, and arrangement of the layers it is suitable for being carved into cameos, it is called onyx. It comes in a wide range of colors including black, gray, brown, red, green, pink, blue, white, and yellow. Agate can be flecked with color, such as Moss Agate and Tree Agate, and is often banded, exhibiting layers of quartz crystals. Agate is often dyed to enhance the color and banding. There are a variety of popular agates including onyx, Eye Agate, Blue Lace Agate, Moss Agate, Tree Agate, and White Agate. (See individual listings)
Aide-mémoire	A decorated slim case, fitted with a pencil and note pad, usually measuring about 3 1/2 x 2 1/4 x 1/4 ins. The ivory leaves of the 18th Century aides-mémoire, or tablettes, continued until the early 20th Century some however have been replaced with paper. The cases were decorated for example with gold, silver, ivory, enamel and tortoiseshell.
Aigrette	A feather-shaped piece of jewelry worn in the hair or on a hat. From the French word "egret", a white heron prized for its plumage.
Airbag	Driver’s/Passenger’s. A bag that fills with air on point of crash impact, which will save you from going through the windscreen, but not from occasionally detaching retina and inducing cataracts. (Source attributed to Moorfields Eye Hospital)
Aircon	air conditioning
Alabaster	A marble like mineral which is finely grained and dense, a form of gypsum. It is usually white, yellow or red in colour, and becomes translucent when it is thinly cut. It is easy to carve and was fashionable for pedestals, vases,portrait busts and clock cases in the late 18th Century and again in Circa 1890.
Albert Chain	A single or double chain that was metal with a bar for securing in a buttonhole at one end, and a swivel attachment to hold a pocket watch at the other end. In 1845 Queen Victoria's consort, Prince Albert was presented with one of these by a Birmingham jeweller, and so this was how it was named.
Albite	A common white feldspar composed of a silicate of alumina and soda. It is a common constituent of granite and of various igneous rocks.
Alexandrite	A gem that was discovered in the Ural Mountains in Russia in 1830, on the birthday of Tsar Alexander II. It is of green or greenish brown in colour, and when put under artificial light it glints various shades of red. There is a synthetic form of corundum which shows similar colour changes and is available to purchase in the middle east, it is sold as alexandrite, but has very little value. A form of the mineral chrysoberyl discovered in 1830 in Russia and named after Czar Alexander II, who was then Crown Prince of Russia. Alexandrite appears to change color under different forms of light. (See Alexandrite Effect.) It looks red when viewed in candle light, green when viewed in fluorescent light, blue-green in sunlight, and reddish-purple in standard electric (tungsten) light.
Alexandrite Effect	A phenomenon in which a stone appears to be different colors depending upon the type of light it is viewed in. Many other stones, including ammolite, garnet and sapphire, exhibit the "Alexandrite Effect." Also called Dichroism
Alexandrite Glass	Transparent art glass that has colour graduations of yellow through to rose and blue and was produced by continuing the reheating of parts of the glass. This process originated from Thomas Webb & Sons, a Stourbridge glasshouse, in 1886. The later versions had designs which were cut through an outer shell of rose and blue glass to reveal a clear yellow base beneath
Allochroite	A dark colored common garnet composed of iron lime.
Alloy	A mixture of two or more metals accomplished in a molten state. Alloys are formulated to increase desired properties. Fine silver (.999) is too soft and subject to wear to be of utility, it is alloyed with small amounts copper and other metals too increase its hardness and durability. A compound comprised of two or more metals to increase the hardness and/or luster of the resulting product. Many alloys are found in jewelry including Alpaca, Brass, Britannia Or pewter, Britannia silver, Bronze, Coin silver, Colored gold, Electrum, Gold(under 24Kt), Green gold, Nickel silver, Niello, Pewter, Pinchbeck, Pot metal, Rose gold, Stainless steel, Sterling silver, White gold, White metal, and Yellow gold.
Almandine	The most common kind of garnet. It is usually deep red to red-brown and composed of alumina iron.
Alpacca	The trade name of a white colored alloy of roughly 55% copper, 20% nickel, 20% zinc, and 5% tin, it contains no silver and is primarily used as a base metal for silverplating. First formulated in Germany in the 19th century by the chemists Henninger and Geitner. Sometimes spelled Alpaca and also known as German Silver or Nickel Silver.
Alumina	(also called aluminum oxide). A compound of two parts aluminum and three parts oxygen which occurs naturally as corundum. Alumina is the base of aluminous salts, a constituent of feldspars, micas, etc., and the characterizing ingredient of common clay, in which it exists as an impure silicate with water, resulting from the erosion of other aluminous minerals. In a hydrated form it is bauxite. Alumina is used in aluminum production and in abrasives, refractories, ceramics, and electrical insulation.
Amalgam	An alloy of mercury with one or more other metals For example, gold, silver or tin.
Amazonite	A form of jadeite named for the Amazon river where it was first found in the 19th century. It is opaque and iridescent and ranges in color from green to blue-green. It is usually set as a cabochon since it breaks easily if faceted. It can also be found in Colorado, Virginia, the Ural Mountains of Russia, Australia, and Africa. Some rare crystals are transparent.
Amber	A normally yellowish translucent fossilized resin deriving from extinct trees and used in jewellery. The best quality amber is clear, and rare specimens contain embedded insects - These can be introduced artificially.
Amboyna	A wood that is reddish brown, durable and has a tight grain, it comes from the East Indies. It is a variety of Padouk, it was used by cabinet makers because of its highly decorative affect in inlay, and banding in the 18th Century and the 19th Century.
American Colonial Style	A term used for North American furniture and architectural style from the early 17th Century pioneer settlements to the establishment of the federal government in 1789.
American Federal Style	American furniture from the early years of American independence (1789 - 1830) it would generally have been adorned with patriotic or military symbols for example the eagle.
Amethyst	A semi precious stone of a violet to a deep purple form of quartz. A common form of quartz. Amethyst is usually purple, but can range in color from pale lavender to a very deep, reddish purple and may have milky white or green inclusions. Deeper-colored amethysts are more highly valued. The name comes from the Greek for "not drunken" as wearing amethyst was believed to be a proof against becoming intoxicated. The amethyst is said to bring good luck and to radiate love. Amethyst is the birthstone for February. Some variants are Cape amethyst and Ametrine.
Ametrine	A mixture of amethyst and citrine, it is partially purple and partially orange-yellow.
Ammolite	(also known as Buffalo Stone, calcentine, or korite) is the fossilized shell of the ammonite, an ancient cephalopod. It can be used as a gemstone and is a gray, iridescent stone with flashes of blue, green, purple, red, or yellow. (Blues and purples are rare.) The color changes as the stone is viewed from different angles. It is only found in southern Alberta, Canada.
Amorini	An Italian term used for the winged cupids which were popular ornamental subjects during the renaissance and afterwards. On the cresting and on the front stretchers of chairs and tables they were features.
Amorphous	A gem lacking a distinct crystalline structure such as amber, ivory, and jet.
Amphibole	A common mineral composed of silicate of magnesium and calcium, (with usually aluminum and iron), which occurs in monoclinic crystals and comes in many varieties, each varying in color and in composition. The color varies from white to gray, green, brown, and black. Jade is a form of Amphibole.
Amphora	A jar with a round body and a narrow neck that had two handles, they were used in ancient Greece, Rome and China for storing oil and wine.
Ampulla	A container with two handles used in ancient Rome for storing wine or water, since then have been used as a decorative vessel.
Amulet	A pendant or charm carried as a protection from evil or illness or to bring good luck.
Andradite	A garnet used as a gemstone of the grossular family consisting of calcium iron silicate and having any color ranging from yellow and green to brown and black.
Angelite	A pale blue variety of calcium sulfate. (A gypsum that has lost water and transparent to translucent).
Angelskin Coral	A highly valued pale pink coral.
Anklet	A bangle or bracelet worn around the ankle instead of the wrist. Anklets tend to be slightly larger than bracelets.
Anneal	The process of hardening glass, pottery, or metal by alternately heating and pounding it.
Annealing	The process of heating silver between sessions of hammering, pressing or rolling. The compression makes the silver brittle and the heating restores its molecular structure to its pre-stressed state.
Antimony	One of the metals that may be alloyed with tin to create pewter. First used by French pewterers in the 17th century then British pewterers in the late 17th century and by American pewterers in the 19th century. Antimony is the latest addition to the pewter alloy. Pewter, like gold, is too soft by itself to be a useful metal. Prior to the 1800's, European pewter makers added lead to the alloy to provide strength. Since crafters began to smelt their own pewter in the Americas, however, antimony has been used instead. In addition to being much safer than lead, antimony also adds a lighter finish to the alloy.
Antiqued	Jewelry that has been made to look aged, having a darkened or tarnished appearance.
Antiquing	Darkening the recessed areas of gold or silver jewelry to enhance the visibility of engraving.
Anulus pronubus	See Betrothal Ring.
Apache Tears	A glassy type of obsidian found in lava flows in the southwest USA. Apache tears are usually black, but occasionally red, brown, gray, green (rare), dark with "snowflakes," or even clear.
Apatite	A form of calcium phosphate that is a clear to opaque and comes in many colors including green, yellow, blue, violet, and yellow-green (called asparagus stone). Some apatite stones are chatoyant, like the stone tiger's eye. It is usually too brittle and soft to be used in jewelry.
Applied	Term to describe decorations made separately, then added to the body of an object.
Applique	An ornamental object which was produced separately and then applied to an object
Aqua Aura	Quartz crystals coated with a fine layer of gold, aluminum, or copper, which gives them a beautiful iridescent blue finish.
Aqua Regia	A 3:1 mixture of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid used to test gold and platinum It is one of the few substances that can dissolve gold or platinum.
Aquamarine	A member of the beryl family, like emeralds. Aquamarine is transparent blue or sea-green. The name comes from a Latin phrase meaning "water of the sea." Aquamarine is found all over the world, including Brazil, Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Madagascar. It was thought to bring its wearers knowledge, foresight and inspiration.
Aragonite	Aragonite is a form of calcium carbonate, (like coral or marble), named for Aragon, Spain, where it was first found in 1790. It is transparent to translucent and can range in color from honey-colored to pale reds, blues and greens to clear or white. It forms hexagonal crystals, pyramidal crystals, chisel shaped crystals, and other shapes. It is not often used for jewelry.
Arcade Setting	(Also called coronet or châton setting). Refers to when a gemstone is set in a metal ring and secured by many metal claws.
Arctic Opal	Is not an actual opal, but a blue-green stone mined in the Wrangle and Chugach Mountains of Alaska that is a mixture of azurite and malachite.
Argyle	A gravy server consisting of an interior well for holding gravy and a hollow outer casing for holding hot water to keep the gravy warmed. The handles are often side mounted and the spout is generally low on the body. Its design was inspired by John Campbell, the fifth Duke of Argyll in the late 18th century.
Arizona Ruby	See Pyrope Garnet.
Arizona Spinel	A garnet found in Arizona that resembles a spinel.
Arkansas Diamond	Not a real diamond but a form of clear rock crystal.
Arkansas Stone	An abrasive used to smooth metals in jewelry making.
Armorial	A type of decoration depicting the owning family's crest, coat-of- arms, or motto.
Art Deco	A popular style from the mid-1910's until the mid-1920's originating in Paris, France. Art Deco pieces are characterized by geometric lines and angular shapes, zigzags, bold colors, molded or faceted Czech glass beads, plastics (like celluloid or Bakelite) and chrome. Colored stones were utilized more, and the opaque stones such as jade, onyx and coral were set in geometric shapes. Sleek animals such as Borzoi and Greyhound dogs were featured in some designs. It started out with relatively delicate designs, and progressed to a more bold and blocky style called Art Moderne.
Art Nouveau	A classification of a popular style created from the late "Victorian" period through the "Edwardian" period, about 1880-1910, exemplified by a flowing style consisting of fluid lines, sinuous curves, floral and nature themes and natural colors. A common motif features long-haired, sensual women.
Articulated	Jewelry constructed with hinges to make it flexible.
Arts and Crafts	An artistic design movement that began in the late 1800s by designers who felt that their work should look handmade. Although some pieces were made of gold, silver was more commonly used to emphasize the craftsmanship of the piece rather than the intrinsic value of the components. Pieces purposely look hand-made, incorporating hammer marks and using less expensive stones like moonstone, mother of pearl, agates, or amber in simple cabochon settings. The Arts and Crafts movement also revived the art of enamel work. Copper is also used.
ASC	electronic speed control. It reduces driver fatigue on long journeys as well as saving money on fuel and on speeding fines.
Asparagus Stone	A yellow-green form of Apatite.
Assay	The process of testing for silver purity. A small sample of metal is removed from the object and subjected to various chemical processes. The standard marks struck a piece at the assay office are a guarantee of their particular standard for silver purity.
Asscher Cut	A squarish step cut with an almost octagonal outline which enhances the fire and light of the stone. It features a small table, a high crown, wide step facets, a deep pavilion and square culet. This cut became very popular in Art Deco jewelry and was a forerunner of the emerald cut.
Asscher Joseph	An eminent diamond cutter from Amsterdam who cut the 3,106 carat Cullinan diamond. In 1902 the Asscher Diamond Co. developed and patented the Asscher cut.
Asterism	A star-like luminous effect caused by reflections of light in some stones, like Star Sapphires and Star Garnets.
ATW	Stands for the Approximate Total Weight, in carats, of a gemstone.
Aurora Borealis	Aurora borealis means "northern lights". AB rhinestones have a special iridescent finish that shines with many colors. The iridescent surface is a result of a very thin layer of metallic atoms that have been deposited on the lower surface of the stone via a process invented by the Swarovski company together with Christian Dior in 1955.
Australian Ruby	See Pyrope Garnet.
Austrian Crystal	Trade name for lead crystal cut with precise edges and angles at the Swarovski factory, located in Wattens in the Austrian Tyrols, by a glass-cutting machine invented by Daniel Swarovski in 1895. Austrian crystals are known for their quality, brilliance, and clarity. See Crystal.
Aventurine	(sometimes known as goldstone). Often mistaken for jade, aventurine is a granular green or blue semi-translucent to mostly opaque quartz stone with mica flecks that cause a slight metallic iridescence.
Aventurine Feldspar	See Sunstone.
Aventurine Glass	A shimmering glass containing tiny copper flakes invented in Venice, Italy, around 1700.
Aventurine Quartz	A type of quartz found in India, Russia, and Tanzania that contains sparkling flecks of mica or iron.
Awabi Pearl	The Japanese name for Pearls found in abalone mollusks.
AWD	all wheel drive – permanently engaged four wheel drive for road cars.
Axinite	An unusual, lustrous stone that is bi-colored in brown, yellow, blue, green or gray. Violet axinite, from Tasmania, is rare. It is used only as a mineral specimen and not in jewelry.
Axis of Symmetry	(also called a rotational axis). An imaginary line around which an object can be rotated a certain number of degrees and still resemble the original shape. When two planes of symmetry intersect, they form a straight line, which is the axis of symmetry. Symmetry is one of the factors jewelers look for when grading cut stones. See Four C's.
Azurite	A copper-based mineral that is often used in jewelry ranging from very deep blue to pale blue. Azurite is also used as a dye for paints and luxury fabrics.
Azurite Malachite	Malachite is often found in the same mineral deposits as azurite. Azurite Malachite is simply a mineral which contains both forms of stone and has bands of light and dark blue.