H-Z
HPHT Diamonds |
Hue |
IGI |
Inclusion |
JVC |
Karat |
Kimberly Process |
Laser Drilling |
LCD |
Luster |
Mandrel |
Moissanite |
Moonphase Indicator |
Nacre |
Pavilion |
Pearl |
Platinum |
Polish |
Precious Metal |
Repeater |
Ring Sizer |
Rose Gold |
Ruby |
Sapphire |
Saturation |
Setting |
Silver |
Simulated Gemstones |
South Sea Cultured Pearl |
Sterling Silver |
Symmetry |
Table |
Tachymeter |
Tahitian Cultured Pearl |
Telemeter Scale |
Titanium |
Tone |
Tourbillon |
Water Resistance |
White Gold |
World Time |
Yellow Gold |
Z+ Diamonds
| AGSL |
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American Gem Society Laboratories: Gemological laboratory founded in 1978 and based in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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| Akoya Cultured Pearl |
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Saltwater cultured pearls from China and Japan. They have higher luster than freshwater pearls. Color ranges from cream to white/pink. The average-priced pearls are usually 6 to 8.5 mm.
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| Alloying |
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Process of reducing a metal’s purity by mixing it with other metals.
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| Aluminum |
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Durable metal resistant to tarnish, rust, and corrosion.
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| Analog |
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Type of timepiece with hour and minute hands.
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| Anidigi |
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Type of timepiece with analog and digital readout.
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| Appraisal |
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Estimated retail value of an item.
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| Asscher Cut |
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Type of square diamond cut featuring dramatically cut corners.
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| Birthstone |
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Gemstone associated with the month of someone’s birth.
January: Garnet
February: AmethystMarch: AquamarineApril: DiamondMay: EmeraldJune: Pearl and MoonstoneJuly: RubyAugust: PeridotSeptember: SapphireOctober: Opal and TourmalineNovember: Yellow Topaz and CitrineDecember: Blue Topaz and Turquoise
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| Carat |
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One of the 4 C’s. Measurement of a diamond’s weight. As carat weight increases, diamond value increases.
1 Carat = 100 Points = 200 milligrams
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| Carbon Fiber |
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A dark colored (dark grey or black) and tough material used for watch casings and dials.
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| Certificate |
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Official document issued by third-party gemological labs listing specifics about an individual gem (at least the 4 C’s) independent of market value. It can include information about diamond quality, validation that a diamond is organic, and the serial number on the girdle of laser-inscribed diamonds.
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| Chronograph |
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A stopwatch or meter feature on a watch that measures time elapsed. Chronographs can also come in a 'split second' format to measure two time segments simultaneously or consecutively.
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| Clarity |
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One of the 4 C’s. Clarity describes the amount and severity of inclusions found in a diamond. Flawless diamonds are very rare and more expensive.
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| Clarity Enhanced Diamonds |
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Diamonds that have undergone treatment to remove visible imperfections. In the clarity enhancement process microscopic amounts of material similar to a diamond are inserted into the flaws. Light then flows freely through the diamond eliminating the imperfection from view. Because the material is used in small quantities, it does not add to the weight of the diamond
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| Color |
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One of the 4 C’s. Color describes the trace amounts of yellow found in diamonds that appear white. Diamonds with the most value fall in the colorless range.
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| Color Enhanced Diamonds |
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Diamonds that have undergone treatment to alter or heighten color. A number of procedures can change a diamond's natural color, including irradiation using high-energy particles. Depending on resulting color, “after” colored diamonds can be more expensive than their untreated counterparts. The safe irradiation process does not affect any aspect of the diamond other than color.
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| Conflict Diamonds |
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Diamonds sold to fund wars and purchase weapons. Conflict diamonds originate in countries such as Angola, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since 1998, organizations such as Amnesty International have been working to stop the sale of conflict diamonds.
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| Crown |
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Top portion of a diamond.
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| Cubic Zirconia (CZ) |
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Synthetic gemstone created from Zirconium Oxide. CZ bears a strong resemblance to diamonds, but does not contain the same impurities. Professionals (and some laymen) can tell the difference between diamonds and CZ by looking at a stone’s facets and clarity under magnification.
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| Cut |
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One of the 4 C’s. Describes the shape, grade, depth, and polish of a diamond. A well-cut diamond reflects light to maximize a stone's brilliance.
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| Cut Depth |
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How deep a stone is cut in relation to the size of its table.
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| Cut Grade |
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Describes cut of a diamond by its shape or outline and the facet arrangement pattern.
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| CVD Diamonds |
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Chemical Vapor Deposition: The CVD process mixes carbon in its gas form with hydrogen and methane gas. When heated, the mixture pours onto diamond kernels that slowly grow into diamonds.
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| Diamond |
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Valuable gemstone made of pure carbon and the hardest naturally occurring substance on Earth.
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| Diffusion Treatment |
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Process of enhancing apparent gemstone color by treating the gem with cobalt, beryllium, or other elements. The process only changes the surface of a stone and scratches can reveal lighter hues underneath.
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| Digital |
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Timepiece providing time information using numerical digits. Usually uses an LCD display.
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| EGL-US |
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European Gemological Laboratory USA: Independent gemological lab based in New York. Although a few labs carry the EGL name, only EGL-US certificates are permitted in the United States.
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| Emerald |
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Green-colored beryl gemstone. Color ranges from yellow-green to blue-green with pure green stones holding the most value. Emeralds lend themselves to elaborate carving and inscription and are typically given as May birthday gifts and 20th, 35th, and 55th wedding anniversary gifts.
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| Facet |
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Flat, polished surface on a cut gemstone.
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| Fancy Diamonds |
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Colored diamonds available in deep yellow, pink, green, orange, blue, red, and black. Also known as Z+ diamonds.
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| Freshwater Cultured Pearl |
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Affordable cultured pearl farmed from freshwater lakes and rivers in China. Size ranges from 3.5 to 7.0 mm. Usually white in color, freshwater cultured pearls sometimes have a pink or rose tint.
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| Gemstone |
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Mineral cut and polished for use in jewelry.
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| GIA |
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Gemological Institute of America: Gemological lab considered the gold standard of diamond graders. Established in 1931, the not-for-profit GIA has a number of worldwide locations.
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| Gold Filled |
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A layer of at least 10-karat gold bonded to the surface of a support metal. The karat gold must be at least 10% of the total weight. Also called gold overlay.
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| Gold Leaf |
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A very thin layer of gold is applied by hand to the surface of an item.
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| Gold Overlay |
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A layer of at least 10-karat gold bonded to the surface of a support metal. Karat gold must be at least 10% of the total weight. Also called gold filled.
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| Gold Plate |
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Similar to overlay, gold content may be as little as 5% of an item’s total weight.
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| HPHT Diamonds |
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High Pressure High Temperature Diamonds: Diamonds created by simulating geological conditions that produce organic diamonds. A small nucleus providing the core of the diamond is placed on a surface of carbon and extreme pressures and temperatures are applied. The carbon then forms into a diamond crystal.
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| Hue |
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Unique color of a gemstone. Almost all gemstones have some shades of other colors. Gemstones with the most value present the purest hue: red rubies, green emeralds, and either blue or pink sapphires. Gemstone certificates describe hue and mention any tints or variations of the main color.
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| IGI |
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International Gemological Institute: Gemological laboratory that has graded diamonds and gemstones since 1975.
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| Inclusion |
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Tiny mineral traces or flaws.
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| JVC |
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Jewelers Vigilance Committee: Non-profit trade association that advocates legal compliance and ethical practices and acts as a recognized legal arm of the jewelry industry. JVC mediates disputes within the trade as well as disputes between industry members and consumers.
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| Karat |
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Measurement of gold’s purity. Pure gold is 24 karats, but 24K gold is too soft to securely hold a stone. So gold is alloyed with other metals such as silver, copper and zinc to make it sturdier. Typical measurements for alloyed gold are 18K (75% gold), 14K (58.3% gold) and 10K (41.6% gold). In the United States, metal that is less than 10K cannot legally be sold as gold. However, a lot of vintage jewelry falls in the 9K to 10K range.
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| Kimberly Process |
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Set of international standards, launched in January 2003, that attempts to certify international diamonds and identify the origin of each diamond in an effort to halt the trade of conflict diamonds.
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| Laser Drilling |
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Method of enhancing a diamond by removing inclusions with a laser. Laser drilling provides permanent inclusion removal and does not affect the diamond's strength.
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| LCD |
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Liquid Crystal Display: A low-power monitor used to display time and special features on a digital watch.
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| Luster |
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Description of a pearl’s shine. The higher the luster, the greater the pearl's value.
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| Mandrel |
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Bar of metal used to size rings.
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| Moissanite |
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Diamond look-alike created from silicon carbide. Moissanite has properties similar to diamonds including extreme hardness, brilliance, and inclusions. Because of these close similarities Moissanite often costs more than CZ.
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| Moonphase Indicator |
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Watch display indicating the phase of the moon through an image on a rotating disk.
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| Nacre |
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Soft coating of calcium carbonate that pearl-producing mollusks produced around foreign objects introduced into their bodies.
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| Pavilion |
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Bottom portion of a diamond.
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| Pearl |
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Organic gemstone formed when a small foreign object gets introduced into the body of a pearl-producing oyster or mussel. The organism produces a soft coating of nacre around the object to form the pearl. Since naturally occurring pearls are rare, cultured pearls are most often used in jewelry.
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| Platinum |
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Hypoallergenic metal with high durability, heavy weight, high value, and minimal threat of tarnishing.
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| Polish |
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Surface smoothness of a diamond or gemstone. Also describes the quality of polishing, the process of removing excess parts stone to expose its facets.
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| Repeater |
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When a wearer presses a button, watches with a repeater announce time through a series of chimes.
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| Ring Sizer |
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Series of rings in different sizes used for determining a person’s ring size.
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| Rose Gold |
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Gold alloyed to bring out deeper pink accents.
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| Ruby |
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Gemstone with hue ranging from orange-red to purple-red. Used as the birthstone of the month of July, rubies are also given as presents for 15th and 40th year anniversaries.
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| Sapphire |
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Gemstone with hue typically ranging from blue-green to blue-purple. Sapphires can also come in other colors including colorless, white, yellow, orange, pink, brown, and black. They make great gifts for September birthdays as well as 5th and 45th wedding anniversaries.
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| Saturation |
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Purity of color throughout a gemstone. A “strongly saturated” gem free of gray or brown hue has a higher value than a stone with lower saturation.
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| Setting |
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Narrow band of metal that holds a stone in place in a piece of jewelry. It surrounds the girdle or perimeter of a diamond or gemstone.
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| Silver |
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Malleable and abundant metal that tarnishes easily and requires care and cleaning more often than other precious metals.
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| Simulated Gemstones |
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Crystals cut to resemble diamonds. They do not have the strength or sparkle of natural diamonds.
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| South Sea Cultured Pearl |
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Large (up to 13 mm) cultured pearl farmed in Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Color ranges from white to black and they can be expensive depending on luster.
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| Sterling Silver |
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Typically what people mean when they talk about silver jewelry, sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. Jewelry should be marked "sterling," "925," or "ster."
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| Tachymeter |
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A scale located around the rim of a watch dial that, when used along with the chronograph, allows measurement of average speed through the calculation of time and a pre-measured distance.
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| Tahitian Cultured Pearl |
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Large (11 to 13 mm) black to grayish-green colored cultured pearl farmed on the volcanic atolls and reefs of Tahiti. Scarcity and a unique look make Tahitian pearls more expensive than other cultured pearls.
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| Telemeter Scale |
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Scale that measures distance between a watch wearer and an object that generates a visible signal and a loud noise (such as a fired cannon or electrical storm).
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| Titanium |
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A strong, white metal that has benefited from recent trends in sports watches which require sturdier materials. Titanium is 30% stronger than steel, corrosion resistant, and very light. However, unless treated with a protective shield, it can scratch easily.
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| Tone |
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Depth of gemstone color, from colorless to black, described on a scale of light, medium, and dark. The most valuable stones range from medium-light to medium-dark.
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| Tourbillon |
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Small but costly mechanism within a mechanical watch that helps eliminate potential time errors.
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| Water Resistance |
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Measurement of a watch’s resistance to water measured in feet, meters, or atmospheres (ATM). Resistance ranges from zero to over one thousand meters in depth.
30 meters: Splash proof50 meters: Can be worn in the shower100 meters: Can be worn swimming200 meters: Can be worn scuba diving
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| White Gold |
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Virtually non-tarnishing gold with a shiny silver hue that makes it look like platinum.
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| World Time |
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Watch feature that indicates time in all time zones around the world simultaneously. The dials or face display the names of cities around the world in each time zone and can be adjusted to read the time in that zone.
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| Yellow Gold |
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Non-corrosive and sturdy gold. Diamonds set in yellow gold benefit from color contrast and slightly tinted stones can appear brighter.
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| Z+ Diamonds |
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Colored diamonds available in deep yellow, pink, green, orange, blue, red, and black. Also known as fancy diamonds.
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