| Alexandrite | Alexandrite is a mineral (a type of chrysoberyl) that appears to be different colours depending on whether it is viewed in natural or artificial light. Alexandrite appears to be red when seen in candle light and blue to green when seen in fluorescent light. Alexandrite was discovered on the birthday of the Russian Czar Alexander II, and it was named in his honor. |
| Alloy | An alloy is a combination of two or more metals. |
| Amber | Amber is translucent fossilized tree resin and a natural hydrocarbon that comes in many colors, including yellow, reddish, whitish, black, and blue. Amber is flammable and rubbing amber produces static electricity. Fake amber is easily made from plastics, and buyers must beware of cheap imitations sold as natural amber. |
| Amethyst | Amethyst (Greek for “not drunken”) is a form of the mineral quartz. Amethyst is usually purple, but can range in color from pale lavender to a very deep, reddish purple to a milky colour to green. Deeper-colored amethysts are more highly valued. The ancient Greeks believed that amethyst made one immune to the effects of alcohol. |
| Ametrine | Ametrine is a variety of quartz, a mixture of amethyst and citrine. Ametrine is partially purple and partially orange-yellow. |
| Aqua Marine | Aquamarine is a transparent, light blue or sea-green stone that is porous. Today, blue aquamarines are more highly valued, but this was not true in the past, when sea-green stones were prized. Aquamarines belong to the beryl family of stones. |
| Asscher Cut | Joseph Asscher was an eminent diamond cutter who cut the 3,106 carat Cullinan diamond. In 1902, his company, the Asscher Diamond Co., developed and patented the Asscher cut, a squarish step cut with an almost octagonal outline. This new cut enhanced the fire and light of the stone; it had a small table, a high crown, wide step facets, a deep pavilion and square culet. |
| Baguette | A baguette cut is a stone (usually a diamond) that has been cut into a long, rectangular shape. Baguette means “stick” or “rod” in French. |
| Band | A band is a ring that is made from a thin, flat, ribbon-like strip of material (usually metal). The band can be unadorned or decorated. Wedding rings are often bands. |
| Baroque Pearl | Baroque pearls are irregularly-shaped pearls. |
| Bezel Setting | A bezel setting is a way of setting a stone in which the stone is held by a band of metal around the outside of the stone. |
| Black Opal | Black opals are a valuable type of precious opals with a dark ground colour. They are luminous, iridescent, and frequently have inclusions of many colors (“fire”). |
| Black Pearl | Black pearls (also called Tahitian pearls) are dark-colored pearls. They are produced by the large, black-lipped pearl oyster, a mollusk found in the tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean. Black pearls come in many colors, including many body shades and overtone tints including gray (light gray to almost black), peacock green (especially valuable), aubergine and deep brown. The colour of the dark nacre is determined by the minerals in the oyster’s diet and in its environment. Tahitian pearls are graded on six factors: 1. Shape, 2. Size, 3. Surface Quality, 4. Luster, 5. Nacre Thickness, and 6. Colour. |
| Blister Pearl | A blister pearl (also called a bouton pearl) is a pearl that developed attached to the inside of a mollusk’s shell. This type of pearl must be cut off the shell, and is therefore hemispherical. Because of their shape, blister pearls are mostly used for earrings. |
| Blue Diamond | Blue diamonds are rare, fancy diamonds and are quite valuable. |
| Brilliant Cut | Brilliant cut stones have 56 facets, 32 facets are above the girdle, 24 are below. Most modern-day diamonds are brilliant cut since it maximizes the amount of reflected light from the stone (its natural fire). The brilliant cut was introduced in the 1600’s. |
| Briolette Cut | A briolette (or drop cut) is a pear-shaped cut gemstone with triangular facets on top. This type of stone makes a nice pendant. |
| Brooch | A brooch (also called a pin) is an ornament that can be pinned to a garment. |
| Cabochon | A cabochon is a stone that has a rounded, domed surface with no facets. A cabochon garnet is also called a carbuncle. |
| Canary Diamond | Canary diamonds are diamonds that have a deep yellow colour. |
| Chalcedony | Chalcedony is a family of minerals (microcrystalline quartz) that are often milky to gray to bluish in colour. |
| Channel Set | Channel set jewels rest in a metal channel, held in only by a slight rim which runs along the edges of the channel. Channel set jewels are usually round or baguette shaped. |
| Clarity | Clarity is the clearness of a gemstone, or the lack of internal flaws. The clarity scale for diamonds runs from FL (flawless, with neither internal nor external flaws), to I3 (having many clearly visible imperfections using only the naked eye). A ten-power loupe is used to examine a diamond for clarity. |
| Cluster Setting | A cluster setting is one in which small stones or pearls are set around a larger stone. |
| Crown | The crown is the upper part of a gemstone. |
| Cubic Zirconium | Cubic zirconium (also known as cubic zirconia) is an inexpensive, lab-produced gemstone that resembles a diamond. Cubic zirconia was developed in 1977. |
| Cuff Bracelet | A cuff bracelet is a stiff, relatively wide bracelet. |
| Culet | A culet is the bottom point of a gemstone or a small facet that is ground at the base of a brilliant-cut gemstone. The culet prevents splintering of the stone. Modern stones rarely have a faceted culet. |
| Cultured Pearls | Cultured pearls are pearls produced by oysters that have been surgically injected (nucleated) with bits of mussel shell. After 5-7 years, the oysters are retrieved and the pearls are harvested. This method of “manufacturing” pearls was invented in 1893 by Kokichi Mikimoto. |
| Cushion Cut | Cushion cut stones are shaped like a cushion – they have a squarish shape that is rounded on the edges. |
| Diamond | Diamonds are precious, lustrous gemstones made of highly-compressed carbon. Diamonds are one of the hardest materials known. Colours of diamonds range from colourless, yellow, orange, brown, to almost black. Rarer colours are red, blue, green, and purple; these colors (called fancies) are quite valuable. Canary diamonds have a deep yellow colour. A diamond’s value is based on the “4 C’s”: colour, cut, clarity, and carat weight. A diamond’s colour (saturation) is rated on an alphabetical scale ranging from D (white) to Y (yellow). “Z” diamonds are fancy, or deep-colored diamond. A diamond’s cut is designed to maximize the stone’s natural “fire”; brilliant cuts are preferred. A diamond’s clarity depends on the number and size of its flaws and inclusions (of other minerals, like quartz). Clarity is rated from FI (flawless), IF (flawless at 10x magnification), a series of V ratings (very small flaws at 10x magnification), a series of S ratings (small flaws at 10x magnification), to I1, I2, and I3 (having inclusions visible to the naked eye). A diamond’s carat weight is simple how much it weighs (a carat is about 0.2 grams or about 0.007 ounces). |
| Die Stamping | Die stamping (also known as machine-stamping) is a process in which sheet metal is cut and shaped between two dies, forming a pattern in relief. Many medallions and mass-produced jewelry findings are made this way. |
| Drop Cut | A drop cut (or briolette) is a pear-shaped cut gemstone with triangular facets on top. This type of stone makes a nice pendant. |
| Edwardian Period | Edwardian jewelry is delicate and elegant. Edwardian designs frequently use bows and filagrees. Pearls and diamonds were also frequently used. |
| Emerald | Emeralds are a very hard, green precious stone (beryl) coloured by chromium and some vanadium. Flaws and cloudiness (called jardin) are very common in emeralds, so many emeralds are oiled, irradiatied,and dyed to improve their look. |
| Emerald Cut | Emerald cut stones have a girdle that is rectangular with truncated corners. Emerald cuts are frequently used on emeralds and diamonds. |
| Enamel | Enamel is a glassy substance (powdered glass with colorants) fused onto metal using heat |
| Eternity Ring | An eternity ring is a narrow ring with a ring of gemstones. |
| Etruscan Jewelry | Ancient Etruscan jewelry has intricate and beautiful designs; most is made of gold. |
| European Cut | The European cut (also known as the old European cut) is an old, round diamond cut that is similar to but less bright than the newer brilliant cut. The European cut has a very small table and heavy crown. |
| Facet | A facet is one of the flat surfaces of a cut stone or glass. |
| Faceting | Faceting is the cutting and polishing of the surface of a stone. |
| Fancy Cut | Fancy cut stones are cut in unusual ways. Some fancy cuts include the heart, fan, rivoli, trapezium, cathedral window, half-moon (lunette), kite, and triangle. |
| Fashion Jewelry | Fashion jewelry is another name for costume jewelry. |
| Feather | A feather is an internal flaw (also called an inclusion) in a gemstone that can start at the surface of the stone and extend deep inside. Feathers can either ruin a stone. |
| Filigree | Filigree is gold or silver wire that have been twisted into patterns and soldered into place. |
| Fire | A stone’s fire is the streaks of brilliant colour within it. Good quality opals have a lot of fire. |
| Fire Opal | Fire opals are a type of opal that is firey orange to red in color (but have no opalescence). These opals are rarely transparent – they are usually milky. |
| Flaw | A flaw is a an imperfection in a gemstone. Flaws include: cracks, inclusions of other minerals or liquid-filled cavities. A flawless stone is called “clean.” |
| Flourescence | Fluorescence is property in which light (or other radiation) is emitted from an object. Many stones (including some diamonds) flouresce when exposed to ultraviolet light. |
| Freshwater Pearl | A freshwater pearl is a pearl that was harvested from a freshwater mussel (a mollusk). These pearls are frequently shaped like crisped rice cereal, and are less valuable than oyster pearls. |
| Full Cut | A full cut stone is a gemstone with 58 facets. |
| Garnet | Garnets are any of a group of semi-precious silicate stones that range in color from red to green (garnets occur in all colours but blue). |
| Gemstone | A gemstone (also called a precious stone) is a mineral that is valuable, rare and often beautiful. A few organic materials, like amber, coral and pearls are also considered gemstones. |
| GIA | GIA stands for the Gemological Institute of America. |
| Girdle | The girdle is the widest perimeter of a gemstone. |
| Guilloche | Guilloche is a type of enameling in which translucent enamel (fused glass) is applied over a metal surface that has been engraved. It can also refer to a method of machine etching (ingraving) across a metallic surface. |
| Hallmark | A hallmark is an official mark (or a series of marks) made in metal that indicates the fineness of the metal and the manufacturer’s mark. For example, a hallmark of 925 indicates 925 parts of gold per 1000 weight. Other hallmarks indicate the maker of the piece and sometimes the year of manufacture. In many countries (like the UK) it is illegal to hallmark metal incorrectly; some countries are notoriously lax in their enforcement of hallmark honesty. |
| Hammered Metal | Hammered metals have been formed, shaped, or decorated by a metalworker’s hammer. The surface of hammered metal is covered with crater-like depressions made by a hammer. Many hammered metals are used in jewelry including gold, silver, brass, alumimum, etc. |
| Hardness | A substance’s hardness is how resistant it is to being scratched. Hardness is measured using the Mohs Scale of Hardness. In the Mohs scale, one substance is harder than another if it can scratch it. |
| Heat Treatment | Heat treatment is the heating of stones to a high temperature in order to enhance the colour or clarity. This process is a common, permanent and acceptable measure within the jewellery trade. |
| Inclusion | An inclusion is a particle of foreign matter contained within a mineral. Inclusions can be solid, liquid, or gaseous. Many inclusions decrease the value of a stone, but some, like rutile forming asterisms in star sapphires and needles in rutilated quartz and tourmalinated quartz, are prized. |
| Inlay | An inlay is a piece of material (often stone or glass) that is partially embedded in another material (usually metal) such that the two materials make a level surface. |
| Iolite | Iolite, also known an water sapphire, is a transparent, violet-blue, light blue, or yellow-gray mineral. Iolite is pleochroic; a single stone will show many colours. |
| Irradiated Diamonds | Irradiated diamonds are diamonds that have been exposed to radiation. This changes the diamond’s colour (as the radiation changes the crystalline structure of the diamond). The change in the diamond is permanent. The irradiated stones take on a greenish or an aquamarine hue. |
| Irradiation | Irradiation is the act of being exposed to radiation. Many stones (like kunzite) are irradiated in order to enhance their color. Being irradiated changes the crystal structure of the mineral by moving electrons. Irradiation techniques bombard the crystal with high-energy radiation (like gamma rays), producing a stone with very little radioactivity and a change of color. |
| Karat | Karat (abbreviated Kt) is a measure of the fineness of gold. 24 karat gold is pure gold. 18 karat gold is 18/24 gold (about 75% gold – three quarters gold). |
| Knot | A knot is a flaw (a mineral inclusion) in a gemstone (usually a diamond) that is at the surface of a gem after polishing. The knot is a small raised bump on the finished gemstone. |
| Kunzite | Kunzite is a transparent pink, light pink, or light purple gemstone that resembles roze quartz. It is a variety of the mineral spodumene. |
| Lapidary | A lapidary is someone who cuts and polishes gemstones. |
| Lapis Lazuli | Lapis lazuli is a rich blue opaque, semi-precious stone that has been used in jewelry since ancien times. Ground-up lapis lazuli was once used as a pigment for oil paintings. |
| Lost Wax Casting | Lost wax casting is a process of casting metal in which the original model is sculpted in wax. The wax is then enclosed in clay and the wax is melted out, making a hollow mold. The mold is then filled with molten metal. The clay is broken off and the cast metal remains. This method of casting has been used for at least 4,000 years. |
| Luster | A stone’s luster is its sparkle or sheen – the way it relects light. The luster depends on the nature of the stone’s surface reflectivity. |
| Marquise | Marquise cut stones have a shape like an oval with two pointed ends. |
| Matte Finish | A matte finish on a metal’s surface is a soft, lustrous finish that reduces the metal’s reflectivity. |
| Melee | A melee is a small diamond, under .20 carat. |
| Millegrain | A millegrain (or millegrain setting) is a setting in which the stone is secured by tiny beads [grains] of metal or a band of metal that is decorated with tiny beads of metal. |
| Milling | Milling is a process in which wood or metal is cut while it either the material or the tool is spinning. Symmetrical shapes and patterns are cut into the material. |
| Mine Cut | Mine cut stones have a cushion-shaped girdle. This type of cut was popular in the late 1800’s. |
| Mohs Scale | The Mohs Scale of Hardness measures a substance’s hardness, that is, how resistant it is to being scratched. In the Mohs scale, which ranges from 1 to 10, one substance is harder than another if it can scratch it. |
| Moonstone | Moonstone (orthoclase) is a semi-translucent stone that is made of albite and orthoclase feldspar. It is usually whitish-blue, but can be colorless, yellow, orange, gray, or even reddish. Moonstone is usually set as a cabochon. |
| Nacre | Nacre is a usually whitish crystalline substance which oysters, mussels, snails, and other mollusks secrete around a foreign object (like a tiny stone) that has made its way into their shell. As layers of nacre coat the intruder, a pearl is formed over a period of many years. |
| Natural Pearl | A natural pearl (also called a genuine pearl) is a pearl that was produced in an oyster, freshwater mussel or other mollusk as a reaction to a tiny invading object that happened to be caught inside its shell. |
| Noble Metals | The noble metals are gold, platinum, and silver. These are metals that are relatively impervious to chemical action. |
| Old Mine Cut | Old mine cut is a term that refers to a brilliant cut in which the stone is cushion-shaped and has a high crown (the upper part of a gemstone). |
| Onyx | Onyx is a semi-precious stone that is black and white, generally arranged in layers. It is a form of agate with parallel banding. This structure lends itself to cameo making. |
| Opal | Opals are semi-precious stones that are luminous and iridescent, frequently with inclusions of many colors (“fire”). Opal is a mineral composed of noncrystalline (amorphous) silica (and some water) and is a species of quartz. Many opals have a high water content – they can dry out and crack if they are not cared for well (opals should be stored in damp cotton wool). Opals are found in many places worldwide, but Australia has a tremendous variety of beautiful opals. |
| Opera-Length | An opera-length necklace is a single strand that is from 30 to 35 inches (60 to 90 cm) long. |
| Oxidation | Oxidation is a chemical process in which oxygen atoms bond to atoms of a material (like a metal) and electrons are transferred from the oxided material to the reduced material. Silver oxidizes (tarnishes, turing the surface black) when it is exposed to hydrogen sulfide in the air (forming Ag2S, silver sulfide). |
| Padparadscha Sapphire | Padparadscha sapphires (also spelled padparadschah) are a rare pink-orange variety of corundum or the synthetic equivalent. These gems are mined in Sri Lanka and are usually heat treated to improve and intensify the color. |
| Palladium | Palladium is a valuable, durable, and malleable light-gray metal used in some jewelry; it is related to platinum, but is less dense and has a lower melting point. |
| Pave | Pave settings are stones set very close together. The stones hide the underlying surface. In better pieces, claw settings are used; in less expensive pieces, the stones are simply glued in. |
| Pavilion | The pavilion is the lower part of a cut gemstone, below the girdle. |
| Pear Cut | A pear cut gemstone (also called a drop cut) is teardrop shaped This type of cut is used for pendants, drop earrings, rings, and other pieces of jewelry. |
| Pearl | Pearls are organic gems grown within oysters and a few other mollusks. Pearls are formed when a foreign object (like a tiny stone) has made its way into the mollusk’s shell. The mollusk secretes nacre, a lustrous substance that coats the intruding object. As thousands of layers of nacre coat the intruder, a pearl is formed; this process takes up to seven or eight years (an oyster’s useful life span). The most valuable pearls are perfectly symmetrical, large, naturally produced, and have a shimmering iridescence (called orient luster). There are many types of pearls, including natural pearls (made with no human interference), cultured pearls (pearls made by inserting a bit of a mother-of-pearl) into [nucleating] a living oyster or by inserting a bit of foreign tissue), baroque pearls (irregularly-shaped pearls), freshwater pearls, seed pearls (tiny pearls), Biwa pearls (a type of freshwater pearl from Lake Biwa, Japan from the freshwater mussel, Hyriopsis schlegeli), blister pearls (grown attached to the shell), black pearls (gray to black pearls), Mabe pearls (cultivated blister pearls), etc. Pearls can be gently cleaned with mild soap and water. |
| Pendant | A pendant is a hanging ornament. Necklaces, pins, and earrings often have a pendant. The Christian Dior pendant shown above is costume jewelry. |
| Peridot | Peridot is a yellow-green semi-precious stone with an oily luster; peridot is a transparent, green form of olivine. Peridot exhibits double refraction; when you look through the stone, things appear double. |
| Plating | Plating or electroplating is a process in which one metal is coated with another metal using electricity. In jewellery, inexpensive metals are frequently electroplated with more expensive metals, like gold (gold plating), copper (electrocoppering), rhodium (rhodanizing), chromium (chromium plating), or silver (silver plating). |
| Platinum | Platinum is a very strong, dense precious metal with a white color. Platinum jewellery is usually 90%-95% pure, is very sturdy, and holds stones well. Platinum is related to iridium. Platinum is 60% heavier than gold. Iridium and platinum are frequently alloyed together, since the Irridium increases the workability of the platinum. |
| Point | A point is a hundredth of a carat or 0.002 gram. |
| Precious Stone | A precious stone (also called a gemstone) is one that is valuable and rare. |
| Princess Cut | A princess cut is a square-cut stone. This fancy cut is relatively new and is also known as a Quadrillion or Squarillion cut. |
| Radiant Cut | The radiant cut is a method of cutting rectangular stones so that they have the sparkle of brilliant cut round stones. |
| Red Diamond | Red diamonds are rare, fancy diamonds and are quite valuable. |
| Rhodium | Rhodium is a white precious metal. Rhodium is extremely expensive and is often used to plate precious and base metals, giving jewellery a hard, platinum-like sheen. |
| Rhodolite | Rhodolite (meaning rose stone in Greek) is a purple-red to pink-red variety of garnet and is a combination of almandine and pyrope. |
| Rose Cut | The rose cut (also called the rosette cut) for diamonds was invented in the 17th century and its used continued until the 18th century. The rose cut has a flat base and triangular facets (usually 24). This cut has little wastage of stone, but is not nearly as reflective as the brilliant cut, which was invented later. |
| Rose Gold | Rose gold (also known as pink gold) is gold with a pink tinge. |
| Rough | Rough stones or crystals are in their natural state, they are neither cut nor polished. |
| Rubellite | Rubellite (sometimes spelled rubelite) is a red variety of tourmaline. Rubellite is red in both incandescent and daylight, and is more valuable than other varieties of red tourmaline. |
| Ruby | Rubies are precious stones and a member of the corundum family. Rubies range in colour from the classic deep red to pink to purple to brown. Rubies are extremely hard; only diamonds are harder. During the renaissance, people thought that rubies could counteract poison. |
| Safety Chain | A safety chain is a secondary closure (usually on a fine bracelet or watch) that is used in case the primary clasp opens, preventing the loss of the bracelet. |
| Safety Clasp | A safety clasp is a secure type of closure on a piece of jewellery. The term safety catch is used for a variety of these closures. |
| Sapphire | Sapphire is a precious gemstone (a type of corundum) that ranges in colour from blue to pink to yellow to green to white to purple (mauve sapphire) to pink-orange (padparadscha sapphire). Six-sided asterisms sometimes occur in star sapphires (caused by inclusions of tiny, thin, parallel needles of rutile). Sapphires are related to rubies. |
| Satin Finish | A satin finish on a metal is between a matte finish and a brilliant one. This semi-glossy finish is done by making shallow parallel lines on the surface of the metal, reducing its reflectivity. |
| Seed Pearl | Seed pearls are tiny, round pearls that are less than 2 mm in diameter and weigh under 1/4 grain. Seed pearl jewelry was popular from the mid- to late-Victorian era, when the tiny pearls were strung on horsehair to form intricate designs and were also used as accents on other jewellery. |
| Setting | A setting is a method of securing a stone (or other ornament) in a piece of jewellery (or other object). There are many different types of settings. |
| Shank | The shank is the part of a ring that encircles the finger. |
| Solitaire | A solitaire is a ring set with a single stone, usually a diamond. |
| Star Ruby | A “star ruby” is a ruby that exhibits an asterism, a six-pointed star of light (when cut as a cabochon). |
| Star Sapphire | A star sapphire is a sapphire that exhibits an asterism in the form of a colorless, six-rayed star that reflects light. Star sapphires are cabochon cut. |
| Step Cut | The step cut is generally used for colored stones. This cut is rectangular to square and has many facets parallel to the edges of the stone. |
| Sterling Silver | Sterling is silver with a fineness of 925, that is, sterling is 925 parts per thousand (or 92.5%) |
| Striations | Striations are grooves, lines and scratches found naturally in some minerals. |
| Table | The table is the large, flat area at the top of a cut gemstone. |
| Tahitian Pearl | Tahitian pearls (also called black pearls) are dark-colored pearls. |
| Tanzanite | Tanzanite (strontium-rich Calcium-aluminum silicate) is a valuable, transparent, blue-violet type of zoisite resembling sapphire. Its only natural source is Tanzania in Africa. |
| Tennis Bracelet | A tennis bracelet is a simple, flexible, in-line diamond bracelet. The name tennis bracelet was first used when the great tennis player Chris Evert dropped a diamond bracelet during a tennis match in the summer of 1987 (at the US Open Tennis Tournament). She had to stop the match until she found her bracelet. Since then, that style of bracelet has been called a tennis bracelet. |
| Tiffany Setting | The Tiffany setting is a ring with a high, six-pronged solitaire diamond on a simple circular band. This design was introduced by Tiffany & Co. in 1886. |
| Topaz | Topaz (aluminum silicate fluoride hydroxide) is a very hard gemstone that ranges in colour from brown, to yellow to blue to pink. Pink topaz is usually created by irradiating common yellow topaz. Imperial topaz is golden orange-yellow topaz; it is the most valuable topaz Topaz. |
| Tourmaline | Tourmaline is a dichroic gemstone that comes in many, many different colours; it also appears to have different colours depending on the angle at which it is seen. Tourmaline has the greatest colour range of any gemstone – the lighter colours are more valuable than the darker colours. It ranges in colour from pink to green to red (rubellite) to purple to blue-green (indicolite) to colourless (achroite) to black. Watermelon tourmaline is both pink and green. |
| Trillion Cut | The trillion cut is a triangular cut based upon a brilliant style cut (and not a stepped facet). The corners of the triangle are truncated (cut short) and there are a variety of facets, giving this cut a sparkling brilliance. |
| Tsavorite | Tsavorite is a rare, deep green variety of grossular garnet, a type of garnet, calcium-aluminum silicate. The emerald green colour comes from vanadium and chromium. u |
| Turquoise | Turquoise is a non-translucent, porous semi-precious stone that is usually cut as a cabochon. Turquoise was first found in Turkey, hence its name. Turquoise is found in desert regions worldwide. |
| Watermelon Tourmaline | Watermelon tourmaline is a tourmaline gemstone that is multicolored, going from pink to green. |
| White Gold | White gold is gold that has been alloyed with a mix of nickel, zinc, copper, tin, and manganese (and sometimes palladium). White gold was originally developed to imitate platinum during World War II (during this time in the US, platinum was considered a strategic material and its use was prohibited for most non-military applications, like jewellery making). |
| Zircon | Zircon (zircon silicate) is a lustrous gemstone that comes in colors ranging from golden brown to red to violet to blue. Pure zircon is colorless, but most zircon stones are brown. |