ABALONE  Inner shell of a mollusk; it's pearlized or iridescent in color.  Mother of pearl is made from abalone

ABBREVIATIONS  MOP Mother of Pearl
AB Aurora Borealis
SS Sterling Silver
GF Gold Filled

ACRYLIC  Lightweight plastic trademarked as Plexiglass and Lucite

AGATE  Variety of chalcedony, a natural material.  The stone comes in a variety of colors with many names including moss, striped and banded

ALBERT CHAIN  Watch chain with a swivel hook on one end and a hook on the other end to thread through a buttonhole

ALBERTINA CHAIN  Daintier version of an Albert chain; often has a tassel attached

ALPACA  A metal alloy made mostly of copper; it resembles silver

AMBER  Made from fossilized tree resin

AMETHYST  Type of quartz gemstone in shades of pale lavender to deep purple

ANTIQUE  100 years or older

ARABESQUE  Classic jewelry term referring to fancy, often very intricate mixed motifs.  Can be geometrics, scrolls, foliage or a combination

ARGENT  Silver (French)

ARTS & CRAFTS MOVEMENT  Period during the late 1800s when jewelry had a hand-crafted look.  Common are hammered finishes and the use of cabochons

ART DECO  Movement started in Paris in the 1920s and lasting through the 1930s. Characterized by geometric shapes and straight lines; very few curves

ART NOUVEAU  Movement lasting from about 1895 to 1920 characterized by curves, floral motifs and sensual women

AURORA BOREALIS  Rhinestones treated with iridescent coating resulting in shimmer in many colors

BAGUETTE  Rectangular, elongated, faceted gemstone or rhinestone

BAKELITE  Type of plastic first made in 1908

BAIL  The triangular finding used to attach a pendant to a necklace

BANGLE  Rigid bracelet, round or oval

BAR PIN  Elongated, narrow pin worn horizontally usually at the neck between the collars

BAROQUE PEARLS  Irregularly shaped pearls

BAS RELIEF  Slight relief and dimension

BASE METAL  Non-precious metals such as copper, lead, zinc or a combination of them.  Also called Pot Metal

BASSE-TAILLE  Enameling technique in which the underlying metal is in low relief

BELLE EPOQUE  Movement more commonly referred to as Edwardian and dated from 1901 to 1910.  Characteristics are delicate and elegant use of materials including pearls, diamonds and filigree

BEZEL SETTING  A setting in which the stone is held in place by a band of metal around the outside of the stone.  Sometimes called a gypsy setting

BILLIKEN  An elf-like charm of figure popularized in the 1930s and seen in Alaskan and Japanese pieces

BLISTER PEARL  Pearls cut from the mollusk resulting in dome shapes with flat backs; commonly used for earrings

BOG OAK  Dark brown natural peat material; a substitute for jet and commonly used in Victorian mourning jewelry

BOHEMIAN GARNET  Deep red stone commonly used in Victorian jewelry; can resemble rubies

BONE  Actual animal bone; usually duller than ivory and grained with lines or dots traveling in a single direction; often yellows with age

BOOKCHAIN  A metal chain with links of folded metal.  The links are usually square or rectangular and often engraved or embossed.  The style dates to the Victorian era and was often used to hold a locket

BRIDGE JEWELRY  Fills the gap between very fine jewelry and costume jewelry.  Sterling silver is often classified as bridge jewelry

BROOCH  Used synonomously with pin; it's really larger and heavier than a pin

CABACHON  A stone with a rounded dome and no facets

CAMEO  Relief carving in coral, shell, lava, onyx, glass or synthetic materials

CARAT  Standard measure of the weight of gemstones.  One carat equals 0.2 grams.  A hundreth of a carat is called a point.

CARNELIAN  A variety of chalcedony in shades of burnt orange to deep red

CARTOUCHE  Shield on jewelry often holding monogram or initials;  seen also with hallmarks

CELLULOID  Plastic; see Lucite, Bakelite, French Ivory

CHAIN MAIL  Wire mesh woven into objects like purses and jewelry

CHALCEDONY  Variety of quartz in a number of colors; varieties include agate, carnelian and onyx

CHAMPLEVE'  Type of enamel in which the design is first outlined on a metal surface by cutting lines into the surface; then the grooves are filled with enamel, fired, then polished

CHANNEL SET  Series of stones positioned closely together in a single, straight line inside the metal

CHASING  Type of metal decoration in which the metal is manipulated using a hammer and a punch; also called embossing

CHATELAINE  Decorative pin with dangling chain to hold commonly needed household objects and accessories

CLASP  Made varieties of closures including lobster claw, toggle, spring ring, sister, fish hook, push/slot and screw

CLAW SET  Also called Prong Set; a method of holding a gemstone in position with prongs

CLOISONNE'  Enamel method in which the design is first outline on the metal surface with a wire; the spaces between the wires are filled with color then the piece is fired and polished

COIN SILVER  Mixture of silver and alloys; Refers to both the silver in currency and currency which has been melted down and repurposed into jewelry

CONNEMARA MARBLE  A greenish-white marble found in Ireland and popular in jewelry from the area

COPPER  A reddish metal

CORAL  Natural material from the sea, light red to pink in color

CURB LINK  Twisted oval links

CUT STEEL  See Marcasite