Jewelry Terminology Used On This Site

Welcome to our jewelry glossary! We believe it's essential for you to understand the terms and processes involved in crafting our exquisite pieces. Here's a breakdown of some common terms you'll encounter:

Oxidized:

This refers to treating sterling silver with acid, causing it to develop a blackened patina. Afterward, the piece is carefully buffed to highlight the raised areas while retaining the blackened effect in the crevices. This technique adds a charming vintage appearance to the jewelry.

Cabochon: 

 A cabochon is a style of stone cutting characterized by a smooth, polished, rounded surface, lacking the facets found in other cuts. This creates a sleek and elegant look, perfect for showcasing the natural beauty of the gemstone. 

The bezel setting involves securing a stone within a metal cup that is soldered onto the surface of a ring. The edge of the cup is then gently pressed inward to hold the stone securely in place. This traditional technique has ancient roots dating back to civilizations like Ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire, and the Byzantine Empire. It's versatile and can accommodate stone shapes such as round, marquise, oval, and square.

Sterling silver, also known as 925 is made up of 92.5 percent pure silver and 7.5 percent of an alloy metal hence the 925 number usually stamped on sterling silver jewelry. The metal used to alloy silver is usually copper which is harder than silver. This is done to create a harder metal so that it can be utilized in making jewelry. Pure silver is simply too soft and will not hold up to everyday wear. 

Because sterling silver is alloyed with other metals that will oxidize from exposure to the air and other elements it will tarnish. Tarnish will not be noticeable if Jewelery is worn every day as the tarnish buffs off from everyday wear, however if a sterling silver piece of jewelry is left exposed to the air and other chemicals like bleach, cleaners etc it will tarnish. To slow down this process sterling silver jewelry should be stored in a plastic zip lock bag if it is not going to be worn for a while. If your sterling silver does tarnish it can be restored to its original color by cleaning it with lemon juice mixed with salt and scrubbed with a toothbrush. Once the tarnish is removed the piece should be soaked in a baking soda and water bath. This is a simple home remedy for cleaning tarnished jewelry. There are many formulas available online to help clean your sterling silver jewelry as well. 

The bail is the loop that is attached to the charm that allows the charm to hang from a necklace. The bail can be many different shapes and sizes. When measurements state not including the bail this means the measurement of the pendant itself.  

To shape metal by heating and hammering.

This process dates back to 6000 years ago when it was used to make swords, jewelry, and hand tools.