Find out everything you need to know about jewelry in this jewelry glossary.

A

• Agate: Agate belongs to the quartz category. As each band or layer can differ in shade, color, and even appearance, agate is extremely unique in character.
• Amethyst: Amethyst is a hugely popular gemstone and represents the birth month of February. Its color ranges from soft lilac to intense purple.
• Aquamarine: Aquamarine is derived from the Latin words “water of the sea”, which reflects its beautiful blue color. It’s recommended to not expose the gemstone to sunlight as the color can fade.

B

• Baguette: Baguette-cut gemstones are long and rectangular in shape, making them a good choice for accented stones.
• Birthstone: Birthstones represent a specific birth month.
• Blue Topaz: This color of gemstone represents December.

C

• Citrine: Citrine is yellow-colored quartz mixed with iron, and is typically mined in Brazil.
• Crystal: This is one of the most popular cuts and materials used in man-made jewelry.
• Cubic Zirconia: Regarded as an affordable alternative to diamonds and gemstones, cubic zirconia is a synthetic crystalline substance.

D

• Diamond: This does not need any introduction. Diamond is known for its extreme hardness and high refractive index that gives its’ noteworthy shine.
• Diamond clarity: A diamond’s clarity can be determined by the size, number, type, and placement of the diamond’s imperfections.
• Diamond color: The color scale ranges from D (colorless) to Z (heavily tinted).
• Diamond total weight: The weight of diamonds is measured as carat.

E

• Emerald: Considered as one of the most precious gems in the market, emerald’s color ranges from medium to dark green.

G

• Gold: Gold is the most sought-after material for jewelry as it is a precious metal.

H

• Heart: Heart-shaped stones are most commonly used for rings and solitaire pendants.

M

• Mixed: Mixed means a cut that involves two or more traditionally shaped cuts.
• Mother of Pearl: Mother of pearl is an organic gemstone that is made out of nacre, the same material used in pearl. The only difference is that the mother of pearl has an internal layer of iridescent mollusk shells.

O

• Onyx: Onyx is distinguishable by its striking black color and crisp lines. Since onyx is opaque, light does not shine through.
• Opal: Opal is by far the most unique material in jewelry making due to its microscopic spherical structures, which reflect contrasting wavelengths of light to create a shimmering effect.
• Oval: An oval cut is elliptical in shape that appears round.

P

• Pear: Pear cut gemstone appears as a hybrid between oval and ​​marquise cuts.
• Peridot: Otherwise called chrysolite or olivine, Peridot is the birthstone for August.
• Princess: A Princess cut is square and stepped shape in appearance, and is just behind Brilliant cut as the most go-to choice.

Q

• Quartz: As one of the most popular gemstones in the market, quartz is a crystal mineral.

R

• Rectangle: As its name suggests, a rectangle cut is shaped like a rectangle, but with trimmed sides.
• Round: The round cut is one of the most common gemstone cuts as it has the ability to catch and reflect light, which gives off a shimmering shine.
• Ruby: Regarded as one of the most prized gemstones, ruby is the birthstone for May and ranges from pink and orange to purple and red in color.

S

• Sapphire: Do you know that sapphire is the second strongest gemstone after diamond? Sapphire is the birthstone for September and is recognized by its rich blue color.
• Sodalite: Sodalite was only discovered in 1806 and is usually dark or violet-blue in color, with specks of white, yellow, or red. It is essentially a bluestone intertwined with white calcite.
• Square: The square cut has a square and stepped shape.
• Silver or Sterling Silver: Compared to gold, silver is much more plentiful in the jewelry market.

T

• Topaz: Topaz is a hard gemstone that comes in a variety of colors, including clear, red, and blue.
• Turquoise: Turquoise is widely prized for its sky blue color, which is formed by traces of copper.

V

• Vermeil: Vermeil is a combination of gold, sterling silver, and other metals. Vermeil must contain 10-carat gold that’s at least 2.5 micrometers in thickness. As such, vermeil is considered one of the best gold-plated materials.

Z

• Zircon: Zircon is a classic gemstone that comes in a wide range of colors.