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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
P.C.C.A	Pewter Collectors' Club of America.
Paktong	A copper-nickel-zinc alloy of white color, invented in China and brought to Europe during the 18th century. It inspired the invention of nickel silver. See Alpacca.
Palette	A palette is a board which artists apply paint to when they are preparing to make a painting. In regards to any medium outside of painting, the palette simply refers to the group of colors chosen by a particular factory or decorator.
Palladium	A charcoal gray form of platinum found in Russia, South Africa and North America. Palladium has many of the same properties as platinum such as its resistance to corrosion and versatile applications in jewelry designs. Pieces made with Palladium bear the hallmarks of Pd950 or Pd500.
Palmette	A stylized palm leaf which is a common motif in Greek and Persian art.
Panther Link	A flat chain in which each link resembles three bricks stacked on top of each other with the center brick offset one half-step to the side. The offset brick is then connected to the space left by the offset brick of the next link in the chain by means of a pin. These bricks are commonly rectangular, but may also be shaped like the diamond in a deck of cards.
Parcel Gilding	Partial or part gilding, a technique in which a mask of varnish is applied to the areas of the object that the plater does not want gilded. It can be a highly effective form of decoration.
Parure	Term for a set of jewelry popular through the 19th century which consisted of several pieces of matching jewelry. In times, a complete parure consisted of two matching bracelets, necklace, earrings and a brooch. See also demi-parure.
PAS	Power assisted steering
Paste Jewellery	In the context of jewelry, "paste" is a glass-based substance used to simulate gemstones. It has become a slang term for all fake gemstones.
Pastille Burners	A form of incense burners popular from 1820-1850 in the form of cottages, churches, or summer houses, with detachable lids.
Paten	A shallow plate used for bread during Holy Communion.
Patina	The changes to the surface layer of an object resulting from natural aging and use. In silver we tend to think of it as the soft luster caused by tiny and microscopic scratches and the oxidation contained therein. Bronzes are more desirable with a good 'patina' and should never be polished. The change in an object's surface resulting from natural aging due to wear and oxidation. Antique jewelry is expected to have this patina and the value of the piece may decrease if it is cleaned off.
Pave'	(pah-VAY) A kind of setting in which small gemstones are set very close together resembling the paving done with bricks.
Pavilion Height	The distance from the girdle to the culet of a cut gemstone.
Pavilion Point	The pointed section of a cut gemstone just below the girdle ending in the culet.
Pear Cut	A fancy shape of gem cutting which somewhat resembles a teardrop; rounded on one end and pointed on the other. See Fancy Cut.
Pearl	An organic gem grown within oysters and other mollusks when they produce nacre as a reaction to an irritant. A good sized pearl can take between five to eight years to form, which is usually the entire life of the oyster or mollusk. Pearls are most valuable when they are perfectly round. Fine natural pearls are much more expensive and rare to find than cultured pearls. Never dip jewelry with pearls into a jewelry cleaning solution unless it specifically says that it is safe for pearls. If the solution is not intended for pearls, it will dull the luster on the pearl and cause them to look cloudy. Pearl is the birthstone for June. See also awabi pearl, cultured pearl, oriental pearl, freshwater pearl, blister pearl, mabe', nacre, and baroque.
Pearlescent	A term used to describe a surface with lustrous cloudy rainbow-like colors like one might see in an oil slick or mother of pearl. Synonymous with Iridescent.
Penannular Brooch	"Penannular" means "almost circular". A penannular brooch is a circle of metal with a small gap in it. A pin attached to a tube can slide along the circle of metal. The pin is threaded through material and the gap in the circle. The circle is then twisted so that the pin rests on the circle, thus securing the material. It is most commonly used as a cloak clasp.
Pennyweight	A unit of Troy weight. It is equal to 24 grains, 1/20th of a troy ounce or 1/240th of a troy pound. It was the the original weight of the old English silver penny, of which 240 made a Pound Sterling. Abbreviation (dwt). see; Troy Weight
Perfumed Beads	Beads that release a scent when warmed by the body.
Periclase	Magnesia: Also called periclase, magnesia is a light, solid, white earthy mineral composed of magnesium oxide. It is a source of magnesium and is used as a laxative. It takes its name from Magnesia, an ancient city of Asia Minor, and is a mineral ingredient of the philosophers' stone.
Peridot	Another name for chrysolite and olivine. Peridot is the birthstone for August.
Petit Point	A stone shaped to a fine point which is usually somewhat larger than needle point and is characterized by being round, oval, or having one rounded end.
Pewter	An alloy of tin, antimony, and copper with a dull silver-color.
Pewter Mark	Current marks being revised. This shows the manufacturer of the item and gives tells of the make-up of the item.
Phenacite	A glassy, colorless mineral occuring in rhombohedral crystals composed of beryllium silicate. From the Greek for imposter, deceiver, phenacite is a silicate of glucina, and receives its name from its deceptive similarity to quartz. It is sometimes used as a gemstone.
Phosphate	A salt composed of the most highly oxidized acid of phosphorus, and forms an important and extensive series of compounds.
Phosphorus	A highly reactive, poisonous, nonmetallic element occurring naturally in phosphates, especially apatite, which is found as a white, or yellowish, translucent waxy substance, having a characteristic disagreeable smell and a faint glow.
Picture Jasper	An opaque tan colored variety of jasper with medium and dark brown patches that make the "pictures."
Pierced	A hole punched completely through an object.
Piercing	Decorative technique in which parts of the object are cut away by hand with a fine saw and refined by filing to form a pierced pattern. Now mostly rendered with cutting dies.
Pietra Dura	An inlaying technique usually associated with workshops in Florence, Italy, used to describe sculptural or decorative use of hard stones to decorate furniture, cameos, vases, and panels with various stones such as malachite, lapis lazuli, and jasper.
Pigeon's-Blood	A deep red-violet shade of ruby which is the most desirable color of ruby.
Pinchbeck	A type of imitation gold composed of an alloy of copper and zinc invented by Christopher Pinchbeck in the 18th century.
Pip	Pre-imperial pub pot. A pub piece manufactured before Imperial measure standards of 1826.
Piqué	(pee-kay). A decorative style popular in the 18th and 19th centuries of inlaying tortoise shell with a pattern of gold and silver. Tortoise shell melts like plastic when exposed to heat. Piqué is produced by pressing a heated rod of precious metal into the shell, melting it slightly. When the shell cools it hardens around the precious metal.
Plagioclase	Another name for Oligoclase a triclinic feldspar made of soda-lime.
Planish	To give a smooth finish to metal by repeated striking with a smooth faced hammer. A technique used by 17th and 18th century English pewterers and 18th century American pewterers to give a more finished appearance to intricately designed porringer handles. It is especially noticeable on "Crown Handle" designs but was used on other designs as well. The practice was discontinued in the 19th century.
Plate	An antiquated term for wrought solid silver objects. The term predates the invention of silverplating and its original definition has gone out of use due to the confusion of meanings. Today it is more commonly used to describe objects that have been silverplated.
Platinum	One of the three "precious metals" along with gold and silver, platinum is the rarest of them all. It is harder than the other precious metals and has a higher melting point, making it difficult to alloy and work with. Platinum is silvery-white in color, almost never causes allergic reactions and is resistant to tarnish. The standard of platinum in the US and most western countries is 95% pure and is usually marked PLAT. That name comes from "platina", a Spanish word meaning "little silver", which is what the Spaniards called it when they first encountered it in South America in the 18th century. See also Iridium, Palladium, and Rhodium.
Plique-A-Jour	A form of enameling popular in Art Nouveau jewelry similar to cloisonné, but where the transparent enamels are held in place by wires on the edges rather than on a metal plate.
Plum Gold	Karat: A variation of the word "carat", (used to describe the weight of a gemstone), "karat", with a "k" is used to describe the purity of gold. Gold is often alloyed with silver, copper, and/or other metals to improve its strength and durability. Products made from gold are marked to show how much actual gold is contained in the product. Items marked 24K are 100% pure gold. Items marked 18K or 750 have 750 parts gold out of 1000, or 75% pure gold. Items marked 14K are required by United States law to have 585 parts out of 1000, or 58.5% pure gold. 14K gold that meets this requirement is referred to as "Plum", (meaning "best choice"), gold. Foreign industries which manufacture gold jewelry may produce items that are only 12K to 12 1/2K and sell them as 14K gold. When buying 14K gold jewelry, be sure to look for the 585 mark to assure the proper gold content. Items marked 417 are 10K gold. Much of the jewelry manufactured before the 20th century do not have these marks and must be tested to determine purity.
Poesy	A ring or other piece of jewelry with a short love poem inscribed on it. Popular in the medieval period.
Poison Pendant	A small box worn as a pendant that could conceivably be used to hold poison. See also Prayer pendant.
Poison Ring	A small hinged box secured to a ring which is made to resemble a normal setting, but can be opened to reveal a small space which could conceivably be used to hold poison. See also Prayer ring.
Polychrome	Literally meaning "many colored", in the context of jewelry it simply refers to a decoration that uses three or more colors.
Polypropylene	A hard, tough polymer of propylene used as a thermoplastic molding material.
Polyurethane	A polymer containing urethane used as plastic, adhesive, paint, rubber, or to form a tough, resistant coating.
Poppy Jasper	An opaque variety of jasper with colors such as brick red, white, brown, and blacks.
Porosity	Areas of the mold that absorbed some of the casting material leaving the cast object with a rough, granular surface.
Porringer	A small bowl with either one or two handles or "ears". Used for eating soft food such as gruel.
Pot Metal	Any alloys which do not have gold, silver, or platinum as a component. Also called White Metal
Potash	Any compound containing potassium.
Potassium	A common soft, silver-white, alkali metal element that is only found in nature as a compound with other elements. It is obtained by electrolysis of its common hydroxide, oxidizes rapidly in air and reacts violently with water, and is used in glass making, soap making, in fertilizers, and in many drugs and chemicals.
PP or Pplate	(UK) private plate – also known as cherished or personalised number. Used harmlessly to disguise age of car from snooty neighbours; used by crooks to disguise the car’s history
Prayer Pendant	A small box worn as a pendant that could be used to hold a small piece of paper with a prayer written on it. See also Poison pendant.
Prayer Ring	A small hinged box secured to a ring which is made to resemble a normal setting, but can be opened to reveal a small space which could be used to hold a small piece of paper with a prayer written on it. See also Poison ring.
Precious Gemstone	Gemstones that are highly valuable for their hardness and rarity. There are only four precious gemstones: diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and rubies.
Precious Metals	Gold, silver, platinum, palladium and their alloys. All resistant to corrosion and classed as noble metals.
Princess Cut	A relatively new fancy cut for gemstones based on the multi-faceted square cut. It is square when viewed from the top
Prong Setting	A gemstone held in place by small finger-like wires attached to the bezel and bend over the edges of the stone.
Provenance	Attributions of maker, owner, or locality made. It is essentially a history of the piece backed up by strong evidence. The better the provenance ie a full paper trail from the moment of manufacture to present date the more value can usually be placed on an object. Although that is not always the case.
Prystal	Trade name for a glass substitute invented in Italy made of plastic.
Pub Pot	See mug, pip, and tankard.
Pyralin	French Ivory: A plastic produced to simulate ivory. It was first produced by the Xylonite Company in 1866. Other names include Celluloid, Ivoride, Ivorine, Ivorite and Pyralin.
Pyrite	A common mineral composed of iron disulphide with a pale brass-yellow color used as an iron ore and in the production of sulfur dioxide for sulfuric acid. Also called Fool's gold and Iron pyrite.
Pyrolusite	The most common ore of manganese composed of manganese dioxide. It is a soft, iron-black to dark-steel-gray colored mineral and is used extensively in creating brown and green tints of glass.
Pyrope Garnet	A poppy or blood-red colored garnet composed of alumina magnesia. It is used as a gem. Sometimes called an "American Ruby", "Australian Ruby", "Arizona Ruby", or "Bohemian garnet". See also Rhodolite.
Pyroxene	Any of a group of crystalline minerals common in igneous rocks containing two metallic oxides . Pyroxene is a silicate of lime and magnesia with sometimes alumina and iron. Though it was named after the Greek words for "fire" and "stranger" because it was supposed to be a rare occurrence in igneous rocks, it is actually quite common. It varies in color from white to dark green and black.