Jewlery Terms

All the stones used in the jewelry are considered semi-precious gemstones.  Sometimes there can be question as to what semi-precious gemstones are so we have included a small blurb about them. 

Gemstones are classified into two catagories, precious and semi-precious. The main difference between the two is market availability and the use of the stone.  Stones such as diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires are considered precious because they are found only in certain locations of the the world. Also, it would seem, that diamonds and the like have had a ceremonial value placed on them by society. Because diamonds, emeralds, and the like are harder to find and the value we, as a society, have placed on them they are considered to be precious. A semi-precious gemstone would then be any other gem or mineral. A few examples of semi-precious gemstones are topaz, opal, lapis, jade, obsidian and many more. However, semi-precious gemstones are no less valuable or desired than precious gemstones. In reality a low quality diamond may be worth less than high quality aquamarine or opal. There has been much consideration by the Federal Trade Commission to ban the classification of precious and semi-precious because of misinterpretation of the nonprofessional community. 

The following definitions are of some words that sometime need clarification.

• *Solid Gold- for an item to be considered solid gold it must be at least 10k and not hollow.
• *Gold Filled- an item that is gold filled has gone through a process in which gold is mechanically bonded using heat and pressure with another metal. The amount of gold must be 5% of the total weight of the item for it to be called gold filled.  With good and proper care gold filled items can last as long as solid 14k gold.
• *Gold Plated- An item that is gold plated contains the least amount of actual gold. Gold plated items start as any other metal that is dipped in a bath of electroplating solution that contains gold in it. The layer of gold is very thin and can easily wear off or tarnish.
• Fine Silver- For an item to be called fine silver it must contain 99.9% pure silver.
• Sterling Silver- This is a mix of silver and another metal, usually copper.  Mixing the metals adds strength to silver.
• Cabochon- This refers to the cut of the stone. A cabochon stone is smooth, polished, and domed. The stone is not faceted, meaning cut with angles, like a diamond.
• Wire Wrapped- This refers to a stone that is designed and wrapped with wire.

 This is an example of a sterling silver wire wrapped piece.  The cut of the stone is a cabochon cut.