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Glossary of Jewelry Terms

Alloy:

   A metal composed of two or more chemical elements.

Base Metal:

   Any non-precious metal.

Bezel Setting:

   A setting that uses a rim to surround the stone.  This setting can be shaped to fit the cut of the stone.

Blank:

   An unfinished, stamped metal shape that is generally processed to the finished product.

Brass:

   An alloy of copper and zinc.

Bronze:

   An alloy of copper and tin.

Burr:

   A sharp edge of metal remaining on the surface of metal after cutting and reforming.

Cast:

   Formed by pouring molten metal into a mold cavity of the desired shape.

Chain:

   A flexible series of joined soldered links cut to a predetermined length.

Chased:

   Designs etched or hammered into the surface of the metal using various tools.

Copper:

   Non-Ferrous metal which is considered a base metal.  Coloring is reddening, pink to red.  Polished to a shiny and highly reflective luster.  Artificially  oxidized for a patina effect.

Diamond-Faceting:

   Bright sharp pattern on the sides on the necket disc.  It is used to give a contrast from the sandblasting.

Die:

   A metal form or forms, usually of a hard metal such as steel, bronze, or brass, into which sheet metal if forced so it will take on the conformation of the depression in the die.

Die Struck:

   Process of reproducing an object by pressing or striking a piece of metal between a pair of dies, with male and female patterns to force gold/silver in to every crevice of the die, thus forming highly detailed impressions.

Engraving:

   The process of etching a design onto a metal surfaces using a sharp tool.

Finding:

   A functional part of jewelry intended for use in the manufacturing or repair of a piece of jewelry.

Fineness:

   A term referring to the purity of a precious metal.

Gold:

   A heavy precious metal that is yellow in color.

Gold Filled:

   A layer of 10k gold mechanically bonded to an underlying base metal.  The layer of gold must equal 1/20th of the total weight of the metal to be considered gold filled.  Gold Filled is considered a precious metal.

Hammered Finish:

   A small hammer is used to make a series of indentations on a piece of metal.

Hand Finished:

   Finishing is completed by hand allowing the manufacturer to control the type of finish on each particular piece.

Jump-ring:

   A wire ring of any size, round or oval, used for attaching parts.

Karat:

   Measurement of fineness of gold.  Fine gold is 24k (.9999), since there is twenty-four karats in fine gold, one-karat equals one twenty-fourth part of the alloy.

Lobster Catch:

   Spring loaded oblong shaped finding, with a pull-tab allowing easy opening/closing to attach each end to create a bracelet.

Lost-Wax Casting:

   A process of precision casting that involves making a pattern in wax, investing the model in a plaster mold and when dry, creating a cavity by melting the wax out of the cavity.  The cavity is a negative replica of the pattern; the final casting is made by filling the cavity with liquid metal.

Master Alloy:

   Metals added to gold to reduce the karat or to change the color.  Metals used are fine silver, copper, nickel, and zinc.  Fine silver and copper are used for yellow gold.  Copper, nickel and zinc are used for white gold.  Different percentages are used depending on what karat and color is desired.

Micron:

   One thousandth of a millimeter.

Mohs Scale:

   A scale used for measuring the hardness of a mineral or stone.  It was developed by Friedrich Mohs of Austria.

Nickel:

   A multipurpose hard silver metal that is most commonly used in alloys and plating.
Oxidation/Oxidize: Darkening a metal by forming metal sulfides on the surface.  Used to bring out details in a design.

Palladium:

   A metal that is used as a alloy with both silver and gold.

Plating:

   A process of applying a coating of metal in a solution onto the surface of a part using the positive/negative flow of electricity to deposit the coating on the surface of the part.

Precious Metal:

   Any metal alloy containing gold, silver of platinum that contains a minimum amount of fineness, meeting the standards detailed in The Precious Metals Marking Standards Act.

Rhodium:

   A hard metal, part of the platinum group. Highly resistant to corrosion it is frequently used to plate sterling silver. 
 Rembrandt Charms rhodium plates all of its sterling charms and bracelets.

Sandblast:

   A pressured current of air carrying crushed quartz at a high velocity.

Satin Finish:

   A low luster brushed effect finish.

Silver:

   A precious metal that is rarely used in its fine (pure) form in the jewelry industry.  It is too soft, and would not wear very well.

Soldering:

   An alloy of metal with a low melting point intended to join surfaces of metal.

Sterling Silver:

   A precious metal consisting of 925 parts per thousand of fine silver. The remaining 75 parts can be of a base metal.  This is to ensure hardness and strength.

Trademark:

   A trademark is an assurance of quality.  It is a permanent record of origin and signature of the manufacturer.  Rembrandt’s trademark (RQC) is registered with the government in both Canada and the United States.

White Gold:

   An alloy of gold that contains platinum or palladium which changes the color from yellow to white. 

* Rembrandt’s white gold is a natural finish and is Premium-grade according to the World Gold Council’s 2003 standards.*

Wire:

   A slender string-like filament, usually circular in section, manufactured in a variety of diameters.