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Q R

QUARTZ:

The family name for naturally occurring crystals composed of Silica or Silicon Dioxide

RADIANT CUT:

A rectangular gemstone which combines the shape of an emerald cut and the sparkle of a brilliant cut

 

RAILS:

Metal edges that line the sides of a melee setting

 

REFINISHING:

The restoring of a finish to its initial state

 

REFRACTION:

The act of changing the direction of a light wave so the light enters the object in one direction and leaves it in another

 

REGARD:

A piece of jewelry with multiple stones types whose first letters can all be concatenated to spell out a word

 

RELIEF:

A kind of raised decoration that protrudes above the surface, similar to a cameo

 

REPOUSSE:

A raised, high relief design on the front of a metal object made by hammering, embossing, or punching the reverse side of the metal to form the design from the back side out

 

RESTORATION:

A technique in which an aged piece of jewelry is restored to its former appearance and/or durability

 

RHINESTONE:

A faceted stone made of glass

 

RHODIUM:

A metal that is a member of the platinum family of metals, but is liquid in its raw, natural state, not solid like platinum

 

RHODOLITE:

A pink or purple variation of garnet

 

RING:

A circular band of precious or semi-precious metal worn especially on the finger

 

RING SIZEA:

A measurement used to denote the circumference (or sometimes the diameter) of rings

 

RIVETING:

A method of joining two objects together by making hole in each piece, before passing a screw--composed of the same metal as the piece--through the holes to join the parts

 

RIVIERE:

A choker-style necklace that is a continuous line of gemstones usually of graduated or equal size stones

 

ROCK CRYSTAL:

See Quartz

 

ROLLED GOLD:

An early 19th century type of gold plating

 

RONDELLE:

A pierced piece of metal or gemstone strung between the beads in a necklace

 

ROSARY:

A string of beads used in counting prayers

 

ROSE CUT:

A style of stone cutting that produces a gemstone with a flat, multifaceted base and semi-dome-shaped top that is covered with a varied number of triangular facets and terminates in a point

 

ROSE FINISH:

A jewelry finish that makes the piece look as if it is made of rose gold, but contains no actual gold content

 

ROSE GOLD:

An alloy of gold mixed with copper, which gives it red tint

 

ROSE QUARTZ:

A translucent, milky-pink variety of Quartz

 

ROSSER REEVES RUBY:

A 138.7 carat ruby, known for its great color and well-defined star pattern

 

ROUND CUT:

The most common style of cutting for both diamonds and colored stones

 

RUBELLITE:

A red or pink variation of tourmaline

 

RUBY:

A member of the corundum family whose red color comes from chromium oxide in the stone

 

RUTILATED:

A type of quartz with inclusions of rutile

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