Glossary

The reddish-brown birthstone for January. Less common varieties are found in all colors except blue. Garnet is also the traditional gift for the 18th wedding anniversary.

Gemscribe® is a unique serial number that is laser-inscribed on the girdle of your diamond and only visible under a 10x magnification. This ensures a Gemscribe® diamond will never be mistaken for any other.

A stone found in nature that has the necessary rarity, beauty and durability for use in jewelry. For more information, visit our Gemstone Guide.

A painting that has for its subject a scene from everyday life, as opposed to a historical event, a mythological scene, etc.

A white, absorbent prepared ground of plaster to be painted on using oil paint or tempera.

A very thin, transparent coloured paint applied over a previously painted surface to alter the appearance and colour of the surface.

The classic metal used for most jewelry. Pure gold (24K) is too soft to be used for jewelry so it is combined with other metals to enhance durability. For example, 14K gold is 14 parts gold and 10 parts other metals.Hatching

this is a term for a thin outer layer of gold over a base metal. It is abbreviated GF. As an example 1/20 GF 12K must be al last 1/20th gold and it is layered with 12karat gold. To be classified as gold filled, a jewelry item must be at least 1/20th gold by weight.

In this type of finish, a very thin layer of gold is applied on the surface, usually by electroplating. Jewelry pieces with this finish are often marked G.E.P, gold plated or gold electroplate.

Jewelry which is finished to look like gold, but has no actual gold content.

Jewelry which has a very thin layer of gold - less than 175 microns thick - which is applied by dipping or burnishing but not plating the metal. This type of coating wears off more readily than gold plated or gold filled jewelry

Opaque watercolours used for illustrations.

A necklace which as been strung with large pearls or beads at the front which taper to smaller beads as the necklace progresses towards the back area with the clasp. Not always symmetrical.

A beautiful variation of lucite which is normally opaque, but with 'chunks' or small pieces of lucite in varying colors that emulate the look of granite. It comes in a wide variety of colors.

A monochrome painting made using only shades of grey, often used as a sketch for oil paintings.

A style of ornamental painting or sculpture characterized by a motif of flower or leaves, often with strange or imaginary animals or human figures.

The first layer of colour in a painting on which the other colours are worked, the primary or predominating colour.