Do you often feel you’re out of words while describing a given topic?
Or are you not clear coming across a new word?
If yes, welcome to the club, you are not alone.
It gets even harder when it comes to describing jewelry. It’s not enough to describe every item in your box as beautiful.
To grab attention, it is important to make use of two or three adjectives.
For example:
This is a purple pendant with gemstones.
– This is a majestic purple pendant with glittery gemstones.
Did you know there are different terms referred to different cuts in diamonds? And have you fallen short of words while visiting a jewelry store or even writing about it?
Well, not anymore. Let’s learn the basic vocab that might help us in the future.
Popular Jewelry Terms And Words That You Must Know- Jewelry Wiki
Some of the words that you need to add to your vocabulary while describing jewelry are:
PRONG
Did you say “the-thing-that-holds-up-the-stone?” you are exactly right, it’s a small metal piece that usually holds the stone in a ring.
SHANK
It’s the most important part of the ring. It’s that part that circles the finger. Also known as a band.
BAIL
We cannot “bail” over you when it comes to describing the words. It is the part in a necklace that makes the ends meet.
CULET
Have you noticed diamonds? Sorry, who hasn’t right? The Culet is the bottom point of a diamond.
BLEMISH
It is a scratch kind of a thing on a diamond.
THE FOUR C’s
The four characters to make a diamond- color, clarity, cut, and carat weight.
One of the most heard ones “KARAT”
It’s the standard term to measure gold- 24 karats are pure gold, 14 or 18 karats is a mixture of other alloys with it.
SYMMETRY
The accuracy of the alignment of a diamond.
FACETS
They are the flat surface of a diamond.
LAPIDARY
It’s the course of polishing the gemstone.
LOCKET
It is just as similar as a pendant. It has a front and back opening and usually storge between them to fill it with a photograph or a name.
NACRE/MOTHER OF PEARLS
It is found on the inside of an oyster shell. Nacre is also the material out of which original pearls are made of.
SOLITAIRE
It’s a ring that holds a single diamond, you may also notice this in necklaces or pendants.
CLUSTER SETTING
A setting in which minute stones are gathered and set around a larger one.
MALLEABLE
Are you wondering too?
Sounds like we’ve heard this word somewhere… yes, it was in school when we had to differentiate our long answers on malleable and hard substances.
Malleable substances are those which can be easily bent or shaped into any form.
MOONSTONE
Moonstone is a white pearl stone. They say if you’re someone suffering from health issues like anxiety or fertility problems, wearing a moonstone will be the cure to it.
ALLOY
I know what you’re thinking. Science textbook in 7th standard. Alloys are substances made from a mixture of metals; or metal along with other elements.
AMULET
Just like we heard in movies, an Amulet is an object believed to protect its possessor. It is also considered a good luck charm.
BEADED JEWELLERY
As the name itself suggests, beaded jewelry is beads strung on a wire or string to make a piece of accessories.
Undoubtedly one of the most popular fashion items is the Choker; which is a piece of close-fitting necklace. Usually made of velvet, latex, or leather along with studs adorned.
Also known as fashion jewelry, costume jewelry is the less expensive ornamentation; counterpart to real and precious jewelry.
Such jewelry is made from genuine gemstones and metals such as gold, silver, platinum, diamonds, rubies, etc. It is known for its durability and value.
HALLMARK
Every lady who adores jewelry must have heard this term. Hallmark is a mark of purity of the metal used in the jewelry.
LAB-GROWN GEMSTONES
Many people believe that lab-grown gemstones are imitations which is not true. They have identical physical and chemical properties as natural ones. These are just an affordable alternative to natural gemstones.
OXIDISED
Definition-wise, this term means combined chemically with oxygen. For jewelry, oxidized jewelry is such that it has a tarnished or antique look.
Also read:
What is oxidized jewellery? All you need to know!
What is Fine art jewellery? Everything explained!
FUN FACT- Did you know the term “jewelry” is also referred to as “bijouterie”, “bling-bling”, and “ice”.
Coming to an end, I have realized almost every word that I have mentioned above is also the first time I have heard.
It has made me dig deeper into the huge world of jewelry and jewelry glossaries.
There isn’t just an earring or a necklace or a bracelet to it, but there’s another beautiful world to learn and explore, there is so much to it.
Being someone, who’s always been a fan of wearing and collecting jewelry, writing about it makes me feel so fascinating.
I hope reading this has made you as much fascinating as it has made me while writing.
