WEC: Thoughts about Jewelry

                          JEWELRY GLOSSARY -  - FAUX: French word translates to fake or imitation FAUX PEARLS:  Imitation pearls     FEDE:  Design motif of clasped hands FESTOON:  Draping design     FIBULA:  Clasp which closes like a safety pin FIGA:  Design with thumb between second and middle finger of a clenched fist     FILIGREE:  Metal twisted into ornate, often lacy patterns; see CANNETILLE     FINDINGS:  The hardware used to assemble jewelry such as bails, jump rings, and clasps FINIFT:  Russian enamel work usually with solid background and colorful images FLEUR-DE-LIS:  Stylized lily flower with three petals joined near the base     FLUX:  Material used when soldering...

                          JEWELRY GLOSSARY -  - EBONITE:  A hard, black rubber material; synonym of VULCANITE EDWARDIAN:  Roughly the first decade of the 20th century; jewelry is elegant and elaborate. Named after Edward VII, the Edwardian period followed the Victorian era. ELECTROPLATING:  Casting metal over an object of another material EMAIL:  French term translates to enamel EMBOSSED:  Surface decoration where the design is slightly raised     ENAMEL:  Generic term for a glassy substance of powdered, poured glass, fused on metal. Types of enamel include CLOISONNE, CHAMPLEVE, GUILLOCHE, and PLIQUE A JOUR         ENGRAVED:  Method of decoration in which a design is produced in metal...

                          JEWELRY GLOSSARY -  - DAMASCENE:  The art of inlaying metals together creating intricate patterns and designs     DELFT:  Classic blue and white earthenware usually framed in silver when made into jewelry     DEMI-HOOP:  A half or partial circle making the hoop incomplete; sometimes called a HALF-HOOP     DENIM LAPIS:  A low grade of Lapis Lazuli     DEPOSE:  French term translating to Patent or Registration DICHROIC GLASS:  An optical effect when colored glass changes in different lights and angles     DOOR-KNOCKER: Earrings with hinged bottoms that hang below the ear lobe     DRESS CLIP:  A brooch that uses a hinged clip which fastens to...

                          JEWELRY GLOSSARY - - CABACHON:  A rounded or domed stone without facets     CAMEO:  Relief carving in coral, shell, lava, onyx, ivory, or synthetic materials     CANNETILLE: A type of metal work similar to filigree. It typically features fine gold wires or thinly hammered sheets. Motifs include scrolls, coils, tendrils, beehives and rosettes. Cannetillle is often dimensional; filigree is usually flat. See FILIGREE     CARAT:  Standard weight measurement of gemstones; one carat equals 0.2 grams. One hundredth of a gram is called a point. CARNELIAN:  A variety of chalcedony in tones of burnt orange to deep red. Dyed agate is often...

                          JEWELRY GLOSSARY - - BAGUETTE: A rectangular, elongated, faceted gemstone or rhinestone     BAKELITE: A plastic made from formaldehyde and phenol     BALE or BAIL: The finding used to attach a pendant to a necklace or a charm to a bracelet     BAND: A ring, usually with uniform thickness; with or without gemstones     BANGLE: Rigid bracelet; round or oval     BAR PIN: Elongated, narrow pin worn horizontally usually at the neck         BAROQUE PEARLS: Irregularly shaped pearls     BAS RELIEF: Design with slight projection from the surface     BASE...

                          JEWELRY GLOSSARY - - ABALONE: The inner shell of a mollusk. Abalone is often iridescent in color. It is seen is shades of blues, greens, and even white and off-white. White tones are usually called mother-of-pearl or nacre.         ABBREVIATIONS:  Commonly seen jewelry related abbreviatonsAB - Aurora BorealisGF - Gold FilledMOP - Mother of PearlSS - Sterling Silver ACROSTIC JEWELRY: A jewelry theme wherein an acronym or abbreviation is formed from the initial letters of a string of words. AIE - Amity Eternity InfinityDEAREST - Diamond Emerald Amethyst Ruby Emerald Sapphire TopazREGARD - Ruby Emerald Garnet Amethyst Ruby Diamond  ...

Joan Rivers, America's iconic comedian, was also a leading force in the popularity of costume jewelry through her association with QVC. She began her enterprise in 1990 during the early days of the television shopping network's existence. The timing is interesting in that her beloved husband Edgar Rosenberg had recently died and her TV show, The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers, had just been cancelled. Esquire Magazine published a quote by Rivers saying that she was $37 million in debt at the time she began her relationship with QVC. The Joan Rivers Classics Collection offered more than 6,000 products over the...

Cameo is a type of carving which produces a raised or relief image.The technique is used on various objects including plaques, vessels, and jewelry, our focus. The most appealing and popular cameos show the relief in one color and the background in a contrasting color. The two-color effect is achieved by carefully carving the stone until the second color is revealed. Materials chosen for carving range from semi-precious stones to glass and shell. Semi-precious stones  including agate, onyx, sardonyx and carnelian are ideal as they present a wonderful second color when carved. Cameos made with these semi-precious stones are referred to...

Jonette Jewelry Company, or JJ, was a Providence, Rhode Island company in business from 1935 through 2006. The name of the company wasn't always the same. Originally, the company, started by Abraham Lisker, was called The Providence Jewelry Company. Over the years, the company's name was changed to Lisker & Lisker and after a significant slow-down in production during the years of World War II, the company revamped and resurfaced as Jonette Jewelry.  JJ is known for it's novelty jewelry, including figurals and animal designs and its Christmas themed jewelry. In the 1980's, JJ produced two specialty lines: Artifacts, a line of...

One of the most recognizable and collectible examples of costume jewelry is the Jelly Belly. It is also a category that is misunderstood. A "jelly belly" search on eBay, for example, will bring up 1,500+ results of which only a handful are truly Jelly Belly jewelry. So what is a Jelly Belly? Essentially it is a piece of sterling silver or metal costume jewelry with a clear Lucite stone. Jelly Bellies are usually animals, but objects and flowers can all be accurately termed Jelly Bellies, if they have the clear Lucite cab. Originally called Lucite Jewels, Jelly Bellies were first...