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DAMASCENE:

Damascene is engraved and ornamented with metal (silver or gold) and black enamel. This unique jewelry originated in the 1400s in Damascus - thus, its name. Furthermore, damascening is the technique of ornamenting various metals into one another in hopes to generate intricate designs that are parallel to niello. In Damascene jewelry, there are typically small pictures or designs created within. It's an enchanting process, traditionally handcrafted. Doves, flowers, and geometric shapes are very common to see in Damascene, however, many of the designs reflect the artist's personal flair. Most Damascene jewelry of the last two centuries originates from Spain.

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DEPOSE:

If the reverse of a piece of jewelry is stamped "Depose", it was made in France. The literal translation is "hand made."

 

DIAMOND:

A mineral composed of carbon that crystallizes in the cubic or isometric crystal system and is therefore singly refractive

 

DIAMOND CUT:

A name sometimes used in the colored-stone trade for brilliant cut

 

DOG COLLAR:

A snug necklace made either of rows of pearls or beads, which is usually worn high up on the neck

 

DOMED:

A gemstone shape in which the top of the stone is rounded, resembling half of a sphere

 

DOUBLE PRONG:

A jewelry setting in which each prong contains another prong alongside it

 

DANGLES/DANGLERS:

An earring style that includes a focal point which drops below the earlobe, often attached by a simple or adorned chain

EARRINGS:

An ornament for the ear, most commonly worn in the earlobe

 

EDWARDIAN:

 A style that began during the final years of Victoria's reign and continued until shortly before World War I when the more geometric influences later to be called Art Deco began to make headway.

 

ELECTRO-PLATING:

The process of applying metal (most often gold) to adhere to the surface of another metal, using electrical current

 

EMERALD:

A gemstone of the beryl family

 

EMERALD CUT:

A type of shape and cut, emphasizing long parallel step cuts with clipped corners to create an octagon shape

 

EMPIRE EARRINGS:

The distinctive hoop shape of Roman earrings from roughly 1st century BC, with freshwater pearls or amethysts, set in sterling silver or gold

 

EN TREMBLANT:

A movable, trembling effect, generally achieved through the use of coiled springs of metal, mounted underneath the portion of the brooch that is intended to move

 

ENAMEL:

A glass powder or paste that is applied to metal, then fired in an annealing oven to bake the glass onto the metal

 

ENGRAVING:

The process of decorating metal by etching a design into its surface

 

ENHANCER:

A type of loop that attaches a pendant or charm to a chain, but has hinges that allow it to be opened and closed

 

ETCHING:

The removal of part of a metal surface, by acid, for a decorative effect

 

ETUI:

Small cylindrical case that hangs from a chatelaine

 

EEROPEAN CUT:

The style of diamond cutting popular from approximately 1890 to the 1930s, typified by a round girdle, a smaller table in relation to the diameter of the stone, and a large culet

 

EXTINCTION:

Dark or black spots in colored stone

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