Art
Deco-
A style
popular from the mid-1900s until the mid-1940s. Geometric lines and angles, with very few curves,
characterize Art Deco pieces.
Art Nouveau-
A
style popular from about 1895 through 1910.
Art Nouveau pieces are characterized by flowing curves and naturalistic
designs, especially depicting longhaired, sensual women. Design and workmanship
were showcased in a variety of materials and stones, and in enamels in a palette
of colors.
Arts & Crafts-
A stylistic movement from around 1890 through the 1920s, to revive the
idea of individual craftsmanship in jewelry production.
Bangle-
A
rigid, circular or oval bracelet often tubular of hinged.
Beaux Arts-
Turn of the century jewelry that cannot be characterized by Art Nouveau,
Arts and Crafts, or Edwardian design. Circa
1890 through the 1920s, Beaux Arts (clearly influenced by a Viennese design
source book called Die Perle, published in 1879) features finely detailed
griffins, cherubs, and foliate scroll motifs.
Bakelite-
Trade
name for an early plastic made by thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin.
This was the first entirely synthetic plastic patented in 1909 by Leo
Baekeland.
Bezel Set-
A
metal rim or band that holds a stone in place.
Cabochon-
A smoothed, un-faceted,
dome cut stone with a flat base.
A layered stone, shell, coral, or lava carved in relief.
Carnelian-
Carnelian (also called cornelian and carneole) is a reddish form of chalcedony (a type of quartz). This translucent stone has a waxy luster. The best carnelian is from India. Most commercial carnelian is really stained chalcedony. Carnelian has a hardness of 7 and a specific gravity of 2.61.
Celluloid-
Trade
name for semi-synthetic pyroxylin-camphor thermoplastic, invented by John Wesley
Hyatt in 1868. It’s one of the
first plastics and is a compound of camphor and gun cotton and highly flammable.
Chrysoprase-
Chrysoprase is the most valued variety of the mineral chalcedony (microcrystalline quartz) that contains nickel, giving it an apple-green color. Chrysoprase is porous and translucent. It is usually cut as a cabichon, and has been used since ancient times. Chrysoprase has a hardness of 7 and a specific gravity of 2.6. Chrysoprase is mined in Australia, Russia (the Ural Mtns.), Brazil, and the western USA. Chrysoprase is sometimes called "Australian jade," but it is not related to jade.
Circa-
Within
ten years before or after a given date; literally, “around”.
Cloisonné-
[klawh son NAY]
An
enameling technique in which enamel is placed in preformed cells built into the
metal base.
Demi
Parure-
A
partial suite or set of jewelry consisting of two matching pieces.
Edwardian-
Like Art Nouveau and
Arts and Crafts, Edwardian jewelry is also circa 1890-1920s, but its style is
rooted in more traditional designs and materials.
Edwardian jewelry emphasized diamonds, pearls, platinum and other white
metals in skillfully worked designs and were commonly monochromatic, or mostly
white/colorless.
Enamel-
Powdered pigmented glass, fired on to metal.
French Jet-
Black glass, ironically neither French nor jet.
Facet-
Plane cut polished surface of a stone, gem or glass.
Filigree-
Ornamental design made of thin, twisted metal wire.
Gold Filled-
A
layer of gold joined to a base metal by a mechanical process using heat and
pressure. By US law, the gold layer
must be at least 1/20th of the total weight of the metal.
Gold
Wash-
A very thin coating of gold over a base metal.
A machine engraved decoration on a metal on which a translucent enamel
is often applied.
Gutta
Percha-
Discovered in the 1840’s gutta percha is a hard rubber material made
from the sap of a Malayan tree.
Jet-
A very lightweight black or brownish material made from fossilized coal.
Lavaliere-
A pendant or pendants suspended from a chain and very popular at the
turn of the century.
Lucite-
Du
Pont trade
name for acrylic thermoplastic.
Marcasite-
Marcasite is a shiny, metallic semi-precious stone. It is actually iron pyrite.
Marcasite is generally faceted.
Parure-
A
complete suite or set of jewelry consisting of three or more matching pieces.
Paste-
A high lead content glass, which has been faceted to resemble a gemstone.
Very popular in Victorian through 1930’s jewelry.
They are normally shinier, and glitzier than rhinestones because of their
lead content and also, they are frequently brilliant cut and look more like real
gem stones.
Platinum-
A heavy, silvery white metal that is alloyed with other metals and is
used to make fine jewelry.
Pot Metal-
A tin and lead alloy base white metal, usually a little grayish in
color and commonly used in early twentieth century costume jewelry.
Prong Set-
A setting in which a stone is held in place by prongs or little metal
claws.
Repousse- [ruh
poo SAY]
A raised design in metal formed by punching or hammering from the
back or reverse of the piece.
Retro Moderne-
Emerging around 1935, and lasting into the 1950s, this style is an
appropriately contradictory term. It’s
characteristics were truly an influence of both past and futuristic themes.
It was both a return to naturalistic motifs and soft, curvy lines while
elements of the streamlined, machine age evolved and were reinterpreted in
larger forms and in yellow and pink golds and a colorful palette of stones.
Rhodium-
A white metal that is a member of the platinum family.
Because of it’s hard, reflective finish, it’s often used as a plating
for jewelry.
Rolled Gold-
A thin layer of gold fused over a base metal and very common in turn
of the century New England jewelry manufacturing.
Sautoir- [so
TWAHR]
A very long necklace or strand of beads, extending past the waist,
usually terminating in a pendant or tassel.
Silver-
A popular jewelry metal for centuries, pure silver (.999 pure), plentiful in
supply and therefore much less expensive than gold, is usually mixed with a base
metal to make it more durable for jewelry making.
Sterling Silver-
When pure silver is mixed with copper to be .925 fine, it meets the requirements
to be labeled “sterling”. It’s
use and purity has been regulated for hundreds of years.
In fact, Great Britain began hallmarking silver over 700 years ago.
Vermeil-
Silver gilt; Sterling silver with a gold plating.
White Gold-
White gold is gold that has been alloyed with a mix of nickel, zinc,
copper, tin, and manganese (and sometimes palladium). Developed in 1912, white
gold was used to imitate platinum.