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SAFETY CATCH:

A method of securing a brooch to a garment with a swiveling that locks the tip of the pin stem into the C catch

 

SALT AND PAPPER DIAMOND:

A diamond with many inclusions which create a black-and-white design

 

SAND CASTING:

A casting method in which tempered sand is packed onto wood or metal pattern halves and then removed from the pattern, before metal is poured into the resultant cavities and the mold is broken to remove castings

 

SANDBLASTED:

A jewelry piece that has been intentionally abraised with many pieces of a small, coarse material to give it a rough, unpolished finish

 

SAPPHIRE:

A member of the corundum family which come in a variety of colors ranging from white to orange to green to pink to blue to purple

 

SARDONIC:

A variety of onyx consisting of alternating layers of charred and white chalcedony

 

SATIN FINISH:

A series of tiny parallel lines scratched onto a surface with a wire brush or a polishing tool to produce texture

 

SAUTOIR:

An extremely long neck chain, which falls below the waistline and terminates with a tassel or pendant.

 

SCARAB:

A sacred beetle in ancient Egypt--commonly recognized as a symbol of rebirth and rejuvenation--popular as amulets

 

SCATTER PIN:

A small pin usually featuring flowers, birds, and insects that is intended to be worn in a group with many other scatter pins

 

SCEPTER:

A symbol of spiritual and worldly power used as part of a royal insignia

 

SCREW:

An earring back type for non-pierced ears, in which the earring is tightened against the earlobe by means of a screw with a flat round end

 

SEAL:

An engraving (intaglio) in stone or metal used to create an impression on a substance such as wax or clay

 

SEDIMENTARY:

A rock that has been formed by or from (often many) deposits of sediment

 

SEED BEAD:

Mass produced tiny glass or plastic beads made by slicing tubes into tiny evenly spaced pieces

 

SEED PEARL:

A very small pearl popular during the Victorian period as accents set into gold jewelry or woven into long fringed necklaces

 

SEMI-PRECIOUS GEMSTONE:

A stone that is less rare and less expensive than precious stones, but is still valued for its beauty

 

SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES:

See Semi-Precious Gemstone

 

SETTING:

A mechanism by which a stone is held by precious metal into a mounting

 

SEVIGNE:

A bodice ornament set with gemstones in a bowknot shape

 

SHAGREEN:

The skin of a ray or shark from the waters around China, usually stained green or another color

 

SHAMROCK:

A three leaved plant, used as a symbol of Ireland and popular in Celtic jewelry

 

SHANK:

The part of a ring that encircles the finger, minus the setting

 

SHARED PRONG:

A prong setting in which each prong is responsible for holding two gemstones--one on either side

 

SHIELD:

A piece of defensive armor, often elongated and adorned with designs

 

SHOULDER:

The part of a ring between the shank and the center of the setting

 

SIGNET:

A private seal once impressed into wax to authenticate a document, which was often formed into a finger ring with the seal forming the bezel of the ring

 

SILVER TONE:

A term used to describe a jewelry piece that is silver plated or coated, but not sterling silver

 

SIMULATED STONES:

A general term for natural or synthetic substance which are meant to imitate authentic gemstones but are a cheaper version with a different chemical makeup

 

SINGLE-CUT DIAMONDS:

A genuine diamond, commonly used in watch cases that contain only 1 facet

 

SLIDE:

A jeweled fastener, which slides onto a chain or fabric ribbon

 

SMOKY QUARTZ:

A variety of quartz that ranges in color from cloudy brown to a dark, root beer shade with a smoky appearance

 

SMOKY TOPAZ:

See Quartz

 

SNAKE CHAIN:

A chain that is made up of round, wavy, metal rings joined side by side to form a flexible tube with a smooth, scaly texture like snake skin

 

SOLDER:

A jewelry production technique which joins two metals, using a melted metal or alloy

 

SOLDERING:

A technique used in making and repairing jewelry whereby two pieces of metal are joined by applying molten metal, which has a lower melting point than the two metals being joined

 

SOLID DIAMOND:

A ring made of pressurized lab created diamonds

 

SOLITAIRE:

A ring containing a single diamond or gemstone

 

SPARKLE:

The act of giving off or reflecting bright, moving points of light

 

SPINEL:

A semi-precious gemstone consisting of an oxide of magnesium and aluminum that varies from colorless to ruby red to black

 

SPLIT PRONG:

A prong setting, in which each prong is split, with each side being responsible for holding its own gemstone

 

SPLIT RING:

A small base metal finding, resembling a key-ring

 

SPLIT SHANK:

A ring design element which features a band that parts into two as it nears the head

 

SPRING RING:

A very common kind of clasp used for joining two ends of a necklace

 

SQUARE BAND:

A band whose shank is not rounded at the edges

 

SQUARE CUT:

A style of gemstone cut, resembling the emerald cut

 

STABILIZED TURQUOISE:

Turquoise that has been treated by various methods to reduce the porosity, thus making it less changeable over time

 

STACKABLE RINGS:

A set of rings--sometimes of contrasting styles--which are intended to be worn on top of each other

 

STAINLESS STEEL:

A steel alloy including chromium and sometimes another element such as nickel or molybdenum

 

STAMPING:

A method which uses a punch or die to cut or emboss metal with a mark

 

STAR 129:

A round diamond cut with 129 facets

 

STEP CUT:

A type of cut in which facets are long and rectangular. Can be found on emerald cut, Asscher cut, and baguette cut diamonds.

 

STERLING SILVER:

A silver alloy made up of at least 92.5% pure silver, which is the standard fineness for silver

 

STOMACHER:

A very large bodice ornament, usually triangular, filling the area between the neckline and the waistline

 

STRAP NECKLACE:

A mesh chain with pendants suspended by a short, fine chain resembling a fringe

 

STRAPWORK:

A decorative pattern in the form of interlaced and crossed straight bands resembling straps

 

STUD:

A minimalist earring style that includes a focal point attached to a post, which goes through the earlobe and connects to a removable back that keeps the earring in place

 

SUPER FIT RING:

A ring which opens and closes--similar to a bracelet or watch band--allowing it to slide into place before being secured

 

SWAG:

A motif used on a piece of jewelry depicting festoons of foliage, fruit and flowers

 

SYMMETRY:

A term for the uniformity of a gemstone's cut, including the shape and placement of facets

 

SYNTHETIC GEMSTONES:

A gemstone that was produced in laboratory rather than found in nature