Beautiful round and near-round cultured pearls from Japan.

A semiprecious gemstone of the quartz family, purple in color. February's birthstone.

A semiprecious gemstone named for its light to medium seawater blue color. Birthstone for March.

A rectangular or trapezoidal cut, usually seen in groups. A baguette has four right angles; a tapered baguette is wider at one end than at the other.

A pearl that is uneven in shape.

A collar of precious metal that supports a gemstone in place. A half-bezel setting supports the gemstone on two sides, instead of all the way around.

Each month of the year is traditionally associated with at least one precious or semiprecious gemstone.
January: Garnet
February: Amethyst
March: Aquamarine
April: Diamond
May: Emerald
June: Pearl
July: Ruby
August: Peridot
September: Sapphire
October: Opal or pink tourmaline
November: Topaz or citrine
December: Blue topaz or turquoise

A semiprecious gemstone, usually irradiated to bring out its blue color. An alternate birthstone for December.

A synonym for full cut (q.v.).

A gemstone with a smooth, polished surface instead of facets.

The standard unit of weight for diamonds. Five carats equal one gram. Abbreviated as ct. or cttw. Cttw. stands for "carat total weight," or the sum weight of all diamonds in a piece of jewellery. Do not confuse with karat (q.v.).

As the name suggests, one or several gemstones are set into a two-sided channel of metal. Baguette and tapered baguette gems are often channel set.

A semiprecious gemstone, lemon yellow in color. An alternate birthstone for November.

A letter and number grade indicating the extent to which a given diamond is included (see inclusions).
VS1-VS2 - inclusions may be visible with 10x magnification
SI1-SI2 - inclusions may be visible with magnification
I1-I3 - inclusions may be visible to the unaided eye

A letter grade indicating the whiteness of a given diamond. D is the highest possible grade, indicating colorlessness, and is very rarely seen. Diamonds graded G to H are nearly colorless, while a grade of I to K indicates a light white color.

A manmade stone that has the same molecular structure as its counterpart in nature. Created gems offer exceptional color, clarity, and value.

See carat. Cttw. stands for "carat total weight," or the sum weight of all diamonds or other gems in a piece of jewellery.

A clear white mineral crystal that many people select as an affordable alternative to diamonds. Fun for fashion wear!

A pearl that was seeded, or started, through human intervention.

The shape in which a gemstone has been crafted by the jeweler. Choose a round cut or full cut for timeless beauty, or another shape for fashion impact. Gem cuts include the baguette, the pear shape, the trillion, the princess cut, the oval, and the marquise cut.

The hardest and most precious of gemstones, naturally white or colorless but occasionally found in yellow, amber, and other hues. Diamond is a crystallized carbon with unique reflective properties. See also cut, color, clarity, and carat.

A precious gemstone, primarily green in color. Emeralds are a variety of the mineral beryl, and almost always have inclusions (q.v.).

So named because it was the traditional shape of emeralds, the emerald cut resembles a rectangle with clipped corners. The resulting long facets beautifully show off the gemstone.

A round cut diamond with 58 facets, creating a bright star-like interior when the diamond is viewed from above. Also called brilliant cut.

A semiprecious gemstone and the birthstone for January, garnets may come in almost any color but are most commonly wine, brick, or brownish-red in hue.

The most popular metal used in jewellery today. Gold for jewellery is always blended with other metals for strength and to resist scratching (see karat). Gold is yellow in its pure state, but may look yellow, white, or pink (rose) depending on the metals used to formulate the alloy.

The total weight of metal (gold, sterling silver, or platinum) in a piece of jewellery. For earrings, this is the total weight of both pieces together.

Indicates diamonds whose inclusions (q.v.) may be seen with the unaided eye. See also clarity.

A light white range of diamond color. See color.

Tiny marks or blemishes within or on the surface of a diamond or other gemstone. Many inclusions are only visible with magnification. See clarity.

Tiny marks or blemishes within or on the surface of a diamond or other gemstone. Many inclusions are only visible with magnification. See clarity.

In this setting, the gemstones are set so closely together that the underlying metal is not visible. It creates the impression of a continuous gemstone surface.

A semiprecious gemstone with a violet blue color.

See karat.

The unit of measure for gold fineness, on a 24-point scale. Pure 24 karat gold is too soft for jewellery, so it is blended with other metals for strength and color. See also gold.
18 karat gold is 75% gold.
14 karat gold is 58.5% gold.
10 karat gold is 41.67% gold.
Stamped 18K or 750, 14K or 585, or 10K. Abbreviated K or Kt. Do not confuse with carat (q.v.).

A clasp seen on necklaces, bracelets, and chains. It is oval in shape, with a small lever that retracts part of the oval so that the resulting hook may pass through a loop on the other end of the chain.

A half-round pearl, often used for button-style pearl earrings.

A football-shaped cut, like an oval with tapered ends.

A semiprecious gemstone valued for its flecks of color. Opal is the birthstone of October.

From the French word for cobblestone, this method sets gemstones next to each other to create a continuous look.

A teardrop-shaped cut.

Lustrous pearls, birthstone of June, have their origin in the sea. Pearls form when an irritant, either natural or artificial, is implanted inside an oyster. The oyster deposits layers of a substance called nacre around the irritant, eventually forming a pearl. Most pearls today are cultured, coming into being after a pearl worker inserts a tiny bead inside an oyster and lets the mollusk do the rest. Pearls may be any shade of white; others are pink, and still others are a dramatic black. See also Akoya, baroque, cultured pearl, and mabe.

A semiprecious gemstone with a bright green or yellow-green color, the birthstone of August.

The most precious of metals, platinum is naturally white in color. Platinum used in jewellery is actually an alloy of platinum and other metals. Stamped Pt., Plat., or platinum, often with a number indicating purity in parts per thousand (e.g. 900, 950).

A gemstone weight equal to 1/100 of a carat.

A square cut with a specific pattern of facets for greater scintillation.

Often seen on rings and earrings, a prong setting lifts the gemstone up and away from its band or base, using multiple prongs of precious metal that grip the gemstone in several places.

A clasp on a necklace or bracelet with a metal tongue that pushes into a specially shaped groove.

A white metal in the same family as silver, gold, and platinum, yet less expensive. Often used with gold in two-tone jewellery.

The classic circular shape for diamonds and other gemstones. Common versions include the full cut and single cut (q.v.).

A variety of garnet (q.v.) that is purplish-red in color.

A precious red gemstone in the corundum family, second only to diamonds in hardness. Rubies that are pink rather than red are more commonly known as pink sapphires.

A precious gemstone that usually comes in blue but can also be other colors, such as white, yellow, and pink. Sapphires are as hard as rubies, surpassed only by diamonds.

A round-cut gemstone with 17 facets. Common for small gems.

Indicates diamonds whose inclusions (q.v.) may be seen with magnification. See clarity.

A clasp seen on necklaces, bracelets, and chains. It is round in shape, with a small lever that retracts part of the circle so that the resulting hook may pass through a loop on the other end of the chain.

A white alloy of silver used to create beautiful, affordable fashion jewellery. Sterling silver is 92.5% silver, 7.5% other metals. Stamped Sterling or 925.

A semiprecious gemstone with a velvety blue, lavender, or periwinkle color. Tanzanite was discovered in the 1960s.

See baguette.

A semiprecious gemstone with a golden yellow color. See also blue topaz.

A triangle-shaped cut.