Jewelry Terms and Definitions By Marshal Pierce and Company

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BAGUETTE: A rectangular-shaped stone with rows of step-like facets. If the baguette’s two long sides taper inward, it is called a tapered baguette. Baguettes in long, thin cut rectangles are often used as enhancements to a larger center stone, or on a watch bezel.
BAR SETTING: Similar to the channel setting, it is a circular band of diamonds or gemstones that holds each stone in by a long thin bar, shared between two stones.
BEARDING: The outermost portion of the stone, called the girdle, can develop small cracks that resemble whiskers during the polishing process. The bearding can sometimes be removed, if not too dramatic, with slight re-polishing, and if the weight allows.
BEZEL: With a bezel setting, a rim holds the stone and completely surrounds the gem. It is the upper portion above the girdle of a cut stone. Bezels can have straight edges, scalloped edges, or can be molded into any shape to accommodate the stone. A watch bezel is the upper part of the case surrounding the dial. They can be set with diamonds or other gemstones.
BLEMISHES: The term blemish is used when the diamond has scratches or marks on the external area of the stone.
BRILLIANCE: Liveliness or sparkle in a stone when light is reflected from the surface and from the total internal reflection of light.
BRILLIANT-CUT: Brilliant cuts are scientifically found to reflect the most light from within the stone, and often are considered to have the most brilliance of all cuts. A round brilliant-cut diamond has 58 facets. Other brilliant cuts include the heart, oval, marquise and pear shapes.

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CABOCHON: A facet-less style of cutting that produces a smooth surface. Cabochons can be in many shapes, including round with high domes to squares.
CARAT: Unit of measure of weight of diamonds and gemstones. One carat is equivalent to 200 milligrams. One carat can also be divided into 100 “points.” A 0.75-carat stone is the same as a 75-point or 3/4-carat stone.
CERTIFICATION: Certification (grading reports) detail very specific aspects of a particular stone including size, shape, dimensions, clarity, color, cut and origin (for many colored stones). There are many recognized gemological laboratories that can grade your stones for a fee. Some are more credible than others. The most well known and reliable is the GIA, Gemological Institute of America.
CHANNEL SETTING: Used most frequently for wedding and anniversary bands, a channel setting will set the stones right next to each other with no metal separating them.
CLARITY: A diamond often has natural imperfections, commonly referred to as inclusions, which contribute to its identifying characteristics. Inclusions found within diamonds are most commonly white, black and colorless. Most are undetectable by the human eye and can only be seen with 10x magnification. Inclusions are ranked on a scale of perfection called clarity.
CLEAVAGE: A natural area of the diamond where a weak bond holds the atoms together. The gem will be split along these planes by the cutter.
CLUSTER: This setting surrounds a larger center stone with several smaller stones. It is designed to create a beautiful larger ring from many smaller stones.
COLOR: Diamonds are graded on a color scale established by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Fancy colors refer to diamonds with hues like pink, blue, green, yellow and very rarely red. Fancy colors are not included in this color scale and are considered extremely rare.
CROWN: This is the upper portion or the top of a diamond.
CULET: The bottom point of the diamond. It may be polished in some stones. Sometimes, a cutter may choose to make the culet a surface instead of a point.
CUSHION-CUT: A mixed-cut diamond shaped like a square pillow.
CUT: Cut refers to the angles and proportions a skilled craftsman creates in transforming a rough diamond into a polished diamond. Based on scientific formulas, a well-cut diamond will internally reflect light from one mirror-like facet to another and disperse and reflect it through the top of the stone. This results in a display of brilliance and fire. Diamonds that are cut too deep or too shallow lose or leak light through the side or bottom, resulting in less brilliance, and ultimately value.
CUTTING STYLE: Cutting styles are different than diamond shapes. The simplest and most common way to explain cutting style is to categorize it into the following three basic types: Step-cut, Brilliant-cut, and Mixed-cut.
DEEP-CUT: When a diamond is cut too deep, it will lose or leak light through the side or bottom. This results in less brilliance and value.
DIAMOND: A diamond is the hardest known natural substance. It is crystallized carbon. Diamonds are mined in their rough form and then cut and polished to reveal their brilliance.
DISPERSION: When light enters a diamond it reflects off the facets and the angles cut into the stone. This distribution of light is known as dispersion, or the display of the spectral colors.
EMERALD-CUT: A rectangular or square-shaped cut-cornered diamond. A form of step cutting, this cut is favored when the purpose is to enhance color rather than brilliancy. It is also used to emphasize the absence of color in diamonds.
FACET: Any flat polished surface of a diamond or gemstone. The placement, angle, and shape of each facet are planned to show the stone’s beauty, fire, color, and brilliance.
FANCY-CUT: A diamond cut other than round — such as baguette, emerald, pear, marquise, square, oval, heart, etc.
FRACTURE FILLING: A process that injects a substance into a diamond to hide inclusions.
FEATHER: A type of inclusion or flaw within a diamond. Often described as a small crack or fissure.
FIRE: Often used instead of “dispersion,” it is the intensity of rainbow colors seen when light is reflected from a diamond.
FLUORESCENCE: Some diamonds exhibit whitish, yellowish, or bluish tint under UV light. Grading reports note fluorescence, but it is not a grading factor—only a characteristic.

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GEMOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF AMERICA (GIA): A nonprofit teaching institute considered the standard-bearer in the grading of diamonds and colored gemstones.
GIRDLE: The outer edge of a cut stone, dividing the crown and the pavilion. Ideally, the width of the girdle should be even and proportional.
GROWTH OR GRAIN LINES: Internal characteristics that appear as lines or planes within the diamond. Often visible only when rotating the diamond slowly under magnification.

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HARDNESS: Resistance a material offers to scratching or abrasion. Measured using the Mohs scale.

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INCLUSION: “Internal characteristics” visible at 10x magnification. Inclusions are unique to each diamond, like a fingerprint.
ILLUSION SETTING: A setting that surrounds a stone to make it appear larger.

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LOUPE: A small magnifying glass used to examine diamonds at close range.
LUSTER: The hue and depth of reflection from pearls, opal, or other opaque stones.

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MARQUISE-CUT: A double-pointed, boat-shaped stone with gently curved sides. Part of the brilliant-cut family and ideally has 58 facets.
MIXED-CUT: A combination of step-cut and brilliant-cut facets for optimal beauty and sparkle.
MOHS SCALE: A hardness scale from 1–10 used to measure resistance to scratching, with diamond ranking 10.
MELE: Small, usually round diamonds less than 0.10 carats in size.

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NATURAL: A diamond characteristic that is part of the surface left uncut during the polishing process.

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OILING: A technique commonly used on emeralds to fill fine cracks and improve the stone’s color and appearance.

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PAVÉ: A setting style where many small stones are set closely together, literally “paved” with diamonds.
PAVILION: The bottom portion of the stone beneath the girdle, consisting of 23 facets in a round brilliant-cut diamond.
PEAR-CUT: A diamond whose girdle outline resembles a pear shape, typically with 58 facets.
PINPOINT: A tiny inclusion appearing as a dot within the diamond. Clusters of pinpoints may appear hazy.
POINT: One-hundredth of a carat — about half the size of a grain of sand.
POLISH: Indicates the craftsmanship used in shaping and finishing the diamond’s facets.
POOR-CUT: A diamond cut too deep or too shallow, causing loss of light and reduced brilliance.
PRINCESS-CUT: A square or rectangular modified brilliant-cut diamond.
PRONG-SETTING: Metal tips (“claws”) that hold the diamond securely while allowing maximum light exposure.
PROPORTION: The relationship between the angles and facets of the crown and pavilion. Good proportions maximize brilliance.

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RADIANT-CUT: A rectangular or square diamond with step-cut facets on the crown and brilliant-cut facets on the pavilion.
REFRACTION: The bending of light rays as they pass through a diamond or gemstone.
ROUGH: Uncut diamonds or gemstones.

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SCINTILLATION: The sparkling flashes of light that appear when a diamond is moved.
SHALLOW-CUT: A cut too shallow will leak light, reducing brilliance and value.
SHAPE: The form or outline of a diamond — round, triangular, square, marquise, pear, oval, heart, etc.
SOLITAIRE: A single diamond or stone set by itself in a mounting.
STEP-CUT: Facets arranged like steps on a staircase. Examples include emerald-cut and baguette.
SYMMETRY: The arrangement of a diamond’s facets. Excellent symmetry enhances brilliance and fire.

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TABLE: The top surface of a cut diamond or gemstone.
TABLE FACET: The largest facet of a diamond, located at the top. Often referred to as the “face.”
TABLE SPREAD: The width of the table facet, often expressed as a percentage of the stone’s total width.
TENSION-SETTING: A setting where the diamond is held in place by the pressure of the band’s metal.
TRILLION-CUT: A triangular-shaped diamond with 50 facets, often used as side stones.

Jewelry Terms & Definitions

Jewelry Terms & Definitions

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