An ancient glaze made of crushed quartz, small amounts of lime and metallic colourants.
False Filigree
Style of decoration that imitates filigree.
Fibula
An ancient brooch often used for fastening garments.
Filigree
Decoration created with very thin wires. Often seen as openwork but occasionally soldered to a background.
Fire-gilding
Coating an object in gold. The possess involved combining mercury to gold creating a spreadable liquid. Once the object is covered in this mixture, fire is used to boil off the mercury leaving a solid coating of gold.
Fleur de lis
A design motif based on lilies. Often used in heraldry and associated with French nobility.
Florentine
A textured finish that is composed of many intersecting lines which creates a slightly matt appearance.
Fluorescence
The visible light emitted by some diamonds when exposed to UV rays.
Fob
A chain attached to a pocket watch often with an ornament or seal attached.
Foil Back
A technique where a thin sheet of material (metal or coloured piece) is put behind a gemstone in order to reflect more colour or light.
Fossil
The remains of plants or animals preserved in rock in a petrified form.
Gallery
The part of the ring that sits below the stone but atop the finger. Sometimes decorated.
GIA
Gemological Institute of America . An American institution dedicated to research and education in the field of gemology and the jewellery arts.
Gilding
Coating an object of a different material in gold.
Girandole
A design where three ornaments are suspended from a central design. Often found in earrings but the style carries over into brooches and pendants.
Girdle
Outermost edge of a diamond.
Gold
A naturally occurring precious metal. Can be yellow, rose or white in colour.
Granulation
Decoration using small sphere of precious metal soldered to a background.
Guillochè
An engraving technique using mechanical lathe to create precise and intricate patterns on a metal surface.
Guilloché enamel
A style of translucent enamel with a mechanically engraved background (often engine turned).
Hallmark
An official mark stamped on pieces of gold, silver or platinum which indicates the origin and purity of the piece.
Hellotrope
Bloodstone. A variety of dark green chalcedony with red flecks.
Iconographic
Jewellery inscribed with images or text.
Inlay
A design technique where stones are custom cut the fit flush on a piece.
Intaglio
Design cut or sunk into a flat surface of metal or a hardstone. Intended to be used as a seal thus creating the pattern in reverse.
Jacinth
A reddish orange gemstone.
Jet
A variant of lignite derived from wood under extreme pressure. Jet is black in colour and was a popular choice for mourning jewellery during the Victorian era.
Joaillerie
Jewellery composed mostly of gemstones.
Jump Ring
A small oval or round ring used to create chains or to link charms or pendants onto a chain.
Knife edge
A band that is raised and comes to a slight point. Often seen on the shank of a ring.
Kokoshnik
A traditional Russian headdress, the shape of which inspired Kokoshnik Tiaras which follow the arched shape of the original headdress.
Lapidary
A person who cuts, polishes or engraves gemstones.
Lavaliene
Sometimes called a Y necklace. A pendant that finishes with a single stone dangling from the base. Often contain delicate feminine floral motifs.
Link
A connection
Longuard chain
Long chains worn during the Victorian era to carry practical objects such as glasses, keys, scissors or personal mementos such as lockets.
Loop in loop chain
A chain used in antiquity created by folding oval link in half and threading one into the next. More complicated chains can be formed by cross linking double loop in loop chains creating a chain with up to 8 sides. This created a herringbone pattern in thru chain.
Lorgnette
A style of dainty eye glasses with a handle.
Lunlua
A gold collar shaped like a crescent moon. Often associated with prehistoric Ireland.
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