FACET:

A plain, polished surface on a stone

 

FAIENCE:

Glazed porcelain or earthenware

 

FANCY CUT:

Any style of diamond cutting other than the round brilliant

 

FASHION RING:

A ring worn for decorative, rather than symbolic, purposes

 

FAUX:

A French word meaning false, fake, imitation, or artificial

 

FEATHER:

An internal flaw (inclusion) that has a feathery appearance

 

FEDE RING:

A ring with two hands clasped together, first

 

FERRONIERE:

A narrow band, with a center jewel, which encircles the forehead

 

FESTOON:

A design motif of a garland or string of flowers, leaves and ribbons

 

FIBULA:

An archaeological term for brooch

 

FILIGREE:

Thin strands of wire that are intricately interlaced or bent into rosettes, spirals, scrolls, or vines

 

FINDINGS:

A general term for all types of construction components used in jewelry making, such as clasps, pins, hooks, tabs, etc.

 

FINISH:

A term used to describe the polish or texture applied to metal

 

FIRE:

Flashes of different spectrum colors seen in diamonds and other gemstones as the result of dispersion

 

FLAT BAND:

A band that is squared on the edges and not domed on top

 

FLAW:

A general term used to refer to internal or external characteristics of a gemstone (i.e.: inclusion, fracture, etc)

 

FLAWLESS:

A term used to describe a gemstone that lacks discernible internal or external blemishes when viewed by a gemologist using no less than 10x magnification

 

FLEUR-DE-LYS:

A stylized, three-petaled iris flower used as the armorial emblem of the Kings of France and then re-popularized by Napoleon

 

FLORAL:

A general term for jewelry design elements which depict flowers, leaves, vines, or plant-like shapes

 

FLORENTINE:

A jewelry piece that is from, or takes strong inspiration from, Florence, Italy

 

FLORENTINE FINSH:

A cross-hatched pattern, tooled into the surface of metal

 

FLUORESCENCE:

A luminescence that appears when certain diamonds are exposed to ultraviolet light

 

FLUSH SETTING:

A jewelry setting in which a stone is set within a metal hole and metal is applied above the girdle

 

FLUX:

A material used in soldering

 

FOB:

A short chain or ribbon attached to a pocket watch, often with an ornament or decorative seal attached to the end

 

FOIL:

The reflective coating added tp the back of a gemstone or rhinestones to increase brilliance and depth of color

 

FRACTURE:

A general term for cracks, feathers or chips in a gemstone

 

FRENCH CUT:

A square or rectangular, multifaceted stone cut

 

FRENCH IVORY:

A plastic produced to simulate ivory

 

FRENCH JET:

A black glass, originally meant to simulate black ignite (fossilized coal), often called real jet

 

FRENCH WIRE:

A curved wire, resembling a fish hook, which passes through the pierced earlobe and has a catch closure

 

FRESHWATER PEARLS:

An irregular pearl of various colors, produced by fresh water mollusks such as mussels and clams

 

FULL LEAD CRYSTAL:

The finest man-made crystal, with a high lead oxide content that serves to enhance its natural color spectrum

 

FULL-CUT BRILLIANT:

A brilliant-cut diamond (or colored stone) with the usual total of 58 facets consisting of: 32 facets and a table above the girdle; and 24 facets and a culet below