Hair Jewelry: A style of
jewelry popular in the mid-19th century.
Lockets of the hair of loved ones were preserved in
brooches under glass. The hair was
sometimes intricately curled or woven. These pieces were often inscribed on
the back to identify the donors. Later in the century, hair was woven into
watch chains,
bracelets, and
earrings and given as tokens of
affection. All forms of hair jewelry are
very collectible today.
Half-hoop: A
bangle, bracelet, or
ring in which only half of the circumference
of the piece is set with stones.
Half-hoop design: An earring
which resembles a ring but does not form a
complete circle.
Hallmark: A form of consumer protection
against fraud, hallmarks are simply marks stamped onto a
precious
metal by a legally appointed official after assaying to denote the amount
of precious
metal contained in a piece. European
hallmarks are legally required and date back to the early middle ages. Marks
are not officially required in the US but are carried by custom and practice.
Marks may indicate the purity of the metal,
the maker, the country of manufacture, and/or the date that the piece was
assayed or had its design registered.
Hammered: A texture applied to the surface of
an object with a hammer to give it a dimpled look.
Hardness: The measure of a stone’s ability to
resist scratching, surface inclusions, abrasions or cracking. See
Mohs scale.
Hardstone: The term used for any
opaque stones used in making
cameos,
intaglios, or mosaics, such as
agate,
carnelian, onyx, etc.
Head: The prongs
that secure a stone onto a setting.
Heart Cut: A "fancy
cut" diamond or stone in the shape of
a heart.
Heishi: (hee-shee). The oldest form of
jewelry in New Mexico, pre-dating the
introduction of metals. The literal meaning
of heishi is "shell" and specifically refers to pieces of shell which have
been drilled and ground into beads and then
strung into necklaces. Centuries ago,
the shells used by the Pueblo Indians to make
beads were obtained in trade from the Gulf of California. The most
commonly used are seashells of all kinds--dark and light olive shells, spiny
oysters, mother of pearl, and melon shell.
Coral and stones such as
lapis,
turquoise, jet, pipestone and serpentine
are also used to create exquisite contemporary heishi
necklaces. A string of good heishi will
have a uniform consistency. If you gently pull it through your hand, it should
feel like a single serpent-like piece. See
Liquid silver and Olivelia Shells.
Heliotrope: See
Bloodstone.
Hematite: Iron
ore consisting of ferric
oxide in
crystalline form, hematite is
silvery, shiny opaque stone that becomes a
red powder when ground down. It manifests in splendent
rhombohedral crystals that are very
heavy and cold to the touch.
Hemp: Any plant of the Cannabis family. The
fibrous skin is used for making cloth and rope. Hemp rope has become popular
for necklaces,
bracelets, and
anklets. It is usually strung with
brightly colored beads.
Herringbone Chain: A
chain made up of short, flat, slanted
parallel links with the direction of the
slant alternating row by row resembling the spine of the herring.
Hessonite: A variety of
garnet which is yellow in color. Also
called "Cinnamon Stone".
Hidden box clasp: A
box clasp hidden under the last
link of chain
so that when the chain is closed it looks
uniform, except for the release lever.
High polish: A piece of
jewelry that has been polished to a
mirror-like finish.
Hoop Earring: An
earring made from metal wire or tubing
that has been shaped like a hoop. Charms
and other ornaments are sometimes hung from the hoop.
Hopi Overlay:
Jewelry made by Hopi Indians that employs a method of creating
jewelry called the
Overlay technique. See
Overlay technique.
Hue: The specific color classification given to an
object based on the seven colors found in the spectrum; red, orange yellow,
green, blue, indigo, or violet. For example,
garnets are found in a variety of shades of red from pink to plum, but all
of these shades fall under the "hue" of "red". The more internally consistent
a stone's hue is, the more valuable the stone is considered to be.
Hyacinth: A variety of
Zircon used as a
gem which can be brown, red, orange, or
an amber-like combination of yellow/orange/brown.
Hydrous: Simply means "combined with water";
especially water of crystallization.
Copyright 2007
