Baddeleyite: A
mineral with the same chemical
composition as cubic zirconia. It is
powdered, melted down, and mixed with oxides
to make cubic zirconia.
Baguette: A
gemstone cut in a narrow rectangular
shape reminiscent of a loaf of French bread, from which it draws its name.
Small diamonds
cut this way are often used as accents for
rings and
necklaces.
Bail: A metal
loop used for connecting a pendant,
watch, stone or other jewelry piece to a
chain or cord.
Bakelite: (also called catalin): A moldable
plastic invented by Leo Bakeland in 1909, it was used in
jewelry extensively during the U.S. Great
Depression of the 1930's. Bakelite can be molded, lathe-carved, and one color
can be inlaid into another, as in polka
dots. The inlaid and carved pieces are
especially popular with collectors today. It has a distinct scent when rubbed
similar to formaldehyde.
Bale: See Bail.
Band: A ring,
(such as a traditional wedding band), that has the same width all the way
around.
Bangle: A rigid bracelet
that slips over the hand, or hinged oval
worn over the wrist that closes with a clasp.
Bar Brooch: A bar shaped, (long, narrow),
brooch which is often set with
gemstones or
pearls.
Bar closure: A hinged bar which fits into a catch and is secured in
the catch with a pin.
Baroque: A
pearl with an uneven or craggy shape and/or surface. Also an irregularly
shaped stone or glass bead.
Barrel clasp: A method of securing two ends of
a chain together by having one half of a
fitting screw into the other half. When the two halves are screwed together
they resemble a barrel.
Basalt: A dark volcanic rock, often with a
glassy appearance, composed chiefly of
plagioclase, pyroxene, and
olivine.
Base Metal: The collective term for any and all
non-precious
metals.
Basket: A fancy
setting with a lacy or basket-looking
appearance due to numerous holes pierced
in the side.
Bauxite: A clay-like
mineral, bauxite is the principal
ore of
aluminum. It is composed of aluminum
oxides and
aluminum hydroxides. Bauxite is used as
an abrasive, a catalyst, and a refractory
for the lining of furnaces which are exposed to intense heat.
Bead: A small, usually round, object with a hole
pierced through it to be strung as a
necklace, bracelet,
etc. Beads are commonly made from stone, shell, glass, or plastic. Beaded Jewelry
Belle Epoque: See
Edwardian.
Belly Ring: A form of body
jewelry worn in or on the belly button.
Beryl: The name of a family of stones, composed
of a silicate of
aluminum and
glucinum (beryllium), that includes
aquamarine,
emerald, and
morganite.
Beryllium: Another name for
Glucinum.
Betrothal Ring: A tradition dating back to
as early as ancient Rome where it was called an anulus pronubus, a betrothal
ring is usually a plain ring without a stone
presented by a man to his fiancée indicating their intention to marry.
Beveled: Any surface that is cut at an angle
less than 90 degrees.
Bezel: Although it is now often used to refer to
the entire ring
setting, the bezel is more accurately the
term for the metal case which the
gem is set into. The ring of
metal that surrounds the stone is called
the "collet".
Birthstone: Birthstones have their roots in
ancient astrology, and there have been many birthstone lists used over the
years. The most common one today is based on a list first publicized by the
Jewelers of America in the 1950s:
January - Garnet
February - Amethyst
March - Aquamarine
April - Diamond
May - Emerald
June - Pearl or
Moonstone
July - Ruby
August - Peridot
September - Sapphire
October - Opal
November - Citrine
December - Turquoise (or Blue
Topaz)
Black Hills Gold: A style of
jewelry made in the Black Hills area of
South Dakota featuring 10kt yellow gold
with accents of 12kt rose and green golds
usually featuring a grape and grape-leaf motif.
Black Onyx: Opaque black colored
onyx.
Black Prince’s Ruby: Not an actual
ruby, but a ruby-red color of spinel.
Blemish: A flaw, such as a nick or scratch, on
the surface of a stone.
Blister Pearl: A
pearl that forms attached to the shell.
Bloodstone: A variety of
chalcedony that is dark green red
spots resembling blood.
Bloomed Gold: The term used for
gold
jewelry that has been immersed in an acid bath giving it a textured,
slightly matte appearance.
Blue Lace Agate: A
translucent light blue
agate with milky white banding.
Blue Topaz: A topaz that is light
brown or colorless when mined but turns a vivid blue when exposed to heat.
Blue Topaz is an alternate birthstone for December.
Body Jewelry:
Jewelry designed to be worn on or in any part of the body. While all
jewelry is technically worn on the body,
the term "Body Jewelry" is typically used when referring to
belly rings, nose studs,
toe rings,
tongue bars, and for jewelry designed
for pierced lips, eyebrows, nipples, or
any skin surface.
Bohemian Garnet: Term for the red
pyrope
garnet found in much Victorian and
turn of the century jewelry.
Bolo: A braided leather loop worn about the neck
and adorned with a slide, (an ornament of
silver, stone or other material fastened
so that it slides up under the chin), leaving the two leather ends hanging.
Bombé: The word itself simply means "curving or
bulging outward". In regards to jewelry
it refers to a dome-shaped setting often
seen in rings and
earrings from the 1940s and 1950s.
Book Chain: A
Victorian style of
chain made in
gold, gold filled , and
sterling silver, in which each
link is a rectangular, folded piece of
metal resembling a book. They were often
elaborately engraved and had large lockets
attached.
Boron: A soft, brown,
nonmetallic
element. It is extracted with some
difficulty and in its reduced state appears as a substance of a deep olive
color, in a semi-metallic form, and in
colorless quadratic crystals similar to the
diamond in hardness and other properties. Boron is used in flares,
propellant mixtures, nuclear reactor control elements, abrasives, and hard
metallic
alloys.
Bow-Guard: Originally just a wide leather strap
worn on the left wrist to protect the arm from bow strings, it is now usually
decorated with a wide ornament of silver.
Box Clasp: A method of connecting two ends of a
chain. One end has a box with an opening
which is notched on the top of the box. The other end has a flat piece of
metal which has been folded over to form a
spring with a knob at the end. The folded metal
spring slips into the hole in the box with the knob sticking out through the
notch in the top. The compressed spring holds the two ends in place. It is
released by pressing the knob. The connection is usually reinforced by a
figure 8 catch.
Box-and-tongue clasp: See Box Clasp.
Box Chain: A chain in which
each link is wide and square so that it
resembles a box.
Bracelet: A form of
jewelry worn around the wrist.
Brass: An alloy
made up of roughly half copper and half
zinc which has a nice yellow color.
Bridal set: An engagement and wedding
ring that come in a set and usually match or
compliment each other.
Brilliance: The amount of
sparkle a stone gives off through
reflection and refraction of light.
Brilliant-cut: A
cut
gemstone having 56 to 58 facets to
maximize the volume of light that is reflected from the inside and thus
produce the greatest brilliance. The most common
shape of brilliant cut stones are round,
which is why this is type of cut is sometimes
called a "round-cut", but oval,
marquise,
pear shape and heart shapes are not
unusual.
Briolette: A
gemstone
cut with triangular facets into the
shape of a teardrop or elongated pendant.
Britannia Or Pewter: An
alloy of tin,
antimony, and copper with a dull
silver-color.
Britannia Silver: A silver
alloy composed of 958 parts
silver in 1000
hallmarked with the figure of Britannia.
Britannia silver was mandatory in England from 1697 to 1720 to prevent the
melting down of sterling coins to create
silver objects.
Broker: See
Agent.
Bronze: A very dense and heavy
alloy of 60%
copper and 40%
tin. It has a dull brown color and is not
favored for jewelry because of the
weight.
Brooch: An ornamental piece of
jewelry with a
pin and clasp
to be attached to clothing, from the French word "broche", meaning "to pierce"
or an object/weapon made for piercing.
Bruiting: The term for shaping the
girdle of a
diamond, the first step in the
cutting process.
Brushed Finish: (Also known as “satin”
finish). A series of tiny parallel lines scratched onto a surface with a wire
brush or polishing tool to produce texture
Bud Leaf: The slang term given to the leaf of the
cannabis plant, which is the plant used to make
hemp products. It is a popular motif in modern
jewelry. Also called a "marijuana leaf".
Buffalo Stone: See
Ammolite.
Burnish setting: A
setting in which the
gem is set flush with the
setting's surface without using
prongs to hold it in place.
Buttercup setting: A deep six
prong
setting with prongs that flare from the
scalloped looking base resembling a buttercup flower.
Butterfly Chain: A
chain composed of very tiny
butterfly-shaped links with oval-shaped
"wings". The butterflies are linked head to tail at a slight angle very close
to one another so that the wings form a long continuous spiral along the
length of the chain.
Butterfly clutch: A fitting that slides onto the back of an
earring post to secure it in place.
Button: A method of joining two parts of a
garment together by means of a toggle fastened to one side of the garment
which is then pushed through a slit in the other side of the garment. The
toggle, called a "button", is usually a disk and may be quite ornamental. Some
buttons are worn strictly as decoration rather than serving a functional
purpose. The term "button" is also applied to round pins that usually bear a
slogan of some kind.
Button Earring: An earring with
no dangling parts.
Byzantine Chain: An intricately designed
chain. Two pairs of oval-shaped
links are linked together. Each pair is then
parted to allow a large thick oval link to be attached to the other pair.
