The Art of Jewelry Making

Jewelry is not just a beautiful gift or lovely accessory; it is a complex art form that requires great skill and mastery. Although some jewel aficionados can indeed tell the difference between a princess-cut and cushion-cut diamond, there are far more complexities to understand that go into jewelry making. On the fore front, jewelry is an expression of love, appreciation, and gratitude. Everyone likes to receive jewels as a gift- it’s a sentiment of one’s true friendship. Of course, there is a reason jewelry has gained such worthwhile recognition over the centuries. Behind the scenes of the sheen, luxurious rock there is sophisticated and perplexing work that is done by jewelers to make sure their pieces come out flawlessly. Jewelry making consists of a whole unique list of particular words and terms that need to be adapted and utilized in order for customers to truly understand what the jewelers or jewel sales associates are talking about! Below is a list of jewelry terms that can provide a brief understanding of the fascinating craft.

• Carat – unit of measurement pertaining to the weight of a diamond or gemstone
• Blemish – a term used for the scratches or marks left on the outside of a diamond
• Finish – describes the well-polished or not-so-well-polished exterior of the diamond.
• Hardness – the ability or inability of a diamond to resist scratches, can be measured on the MOHS scale
• Point – one-hundredth of a carat
• Rough – describes a diamond or gemstone that is uncut
• Table – the top surface of a cut diamond or gemstone
• Shape – form or appearance of the cut of a diamond (round, pear, heart, marquise, etc.)
• Inclusion – internal characteristic of a diamond that are only visible to a professional with 10x magnification
• Grain lines – internal flaws in which the visibility depends on a specific position of the stone
• Fluorescence – the whitish or bluish tint a diamond can acquire when exposed to ultraviolet light
• Crown – the top of a diamond
• Pave – a setting in which a number of stones are set together
• Pavilion – bottom of the stone placed under the girdle
• Girdle – outer edge of a cut stone
• Culet– bottom point of a diamond

After having a simple understanding of different characteristic of a diamond, it’s easier to distinguish and identify the different shapes of different diamond cuts that are relevant to jewelry making.

• Brilliant-cut – said to reflect the most light from within the stone
• Cushion cut – mixed cut diamond resembling a square pillow
• Emerald shape – rectangular or square shaped diamond that enhances the natural color
• Marquise shape – double pointed stone that is long and thin
• Pear shape – a diamond with a girdle that resembles a pear

Like Adam’s Jewelers on Facebook!