Reference
The Odeon Encyclopedia
The words of fine jewelry, explained by the people who handle it every day: cuts, settings, marks, periods, stones and forms.
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- 14 karat goldMetals & marksGold alloy of 58.5 percent pure gold, marked 14K or 585, long the American standard.
- 18 karat goldMetals & marksGold alloy of 75 percent pure gold, marked 18K or 750: the standard of European fine jewelry.
- 9 karat goldMetals & marksGold alloy of 37.5 percent pure gold, marked 9ct or 375, common in British jewelry.
A
- AmethystStones & materialsPurple quartz, once as precious as ruby and sapphire.
- AquamarineStones & materialsBlue to blue-green beryl, the cool stone of Art Deco and Retro jewelry.
- Art Deco jewelryPeriodsThe geometric jewelry of the 1920s and 1930s: platinum, diamonds and strong contrasts of color.
- Art Nouveau jewelryPeriodsThe jewelry of nature and line, from about 1895 to 1910: enamel, women, flowers and insects.
- Asscher cutCutsA square step cut with deeply cut corners, created by the Asscher brothers of Amsterdam in 1902.
- Attributed toCollectingA specialist’s opinion that a piece was made by a given house or designer, without a signature.
B
- Baguette cutCutsA small, narrow rectangular step cut, the signature accent stone of Art Deco jewelry.
- Basse-tailleSettings & techniquesTranslucent enamel over a metal surface engraved in low relief, so the pattern shows through.
- Belle Époque jewelryPeriodsThe jewelry of France’s beautiful era, from the 1890s to 1914: platinum, diamonds and garlands.
- Bezel settingSettings & techniquesA setting in which a band of metal surrounds the stone and is pressed over its edge.
- BrioletteCutsA drop-shaped stone faceted all over, with no table, usually drilled to hang freely.
- British hallmarksMetals & marksA set of marks showing the maker, the fineness, the assay office and often the year.
- Burmese rubyStones & materialsRuby from Myanmar, especially the Mogok valley, prized for its intense red known as pigeon’s blood.
C
- CabochonCutsA stone polished into a smooth dome, without facets.
- Calibré cutCutsSmall stones cut to precise shapes so that they fit a design exactly, typical of Art Deco jewelry.
- CameoFormsA carving in relief, usually in shell or hardstone, using contrasting layers of color.
- CannetilleSettings & techniquesGold work of coiled and twisted wire, typical of jewels of the 1820s and 1830s.
- Ceylon sapphireStones & materialsSapphire from Sri Lanka, known for its bright, luminous blue.
- ChalcedonyStones & materialsA translucent form of quartz, famously carved in soft blue by Suzanne Belperron.
- ChamplevéSettings & techniquesEnamel laid into hollows carved or cast into the metal.
- Channel settingSettings & techniquesA row of stones set between two parallel walls of metal.
- CitrineStones & materialsYellow to orange quartz, the golden stone of Retro jewelry.
- Claw settingSettings & techniquesA setting in which the stone is held by small metal claws or prongs.
- CloisonnéSettings & techniquesEnamel laid into small cells formed by thin wires soldered to the metal.
- Closed-back settingSettings & techniquesA setting enclosed behind the stone, often with a foil to enhance its color, typical of Georgian jewelry.
- Cocktail ringFormsA large, bold ring made to be noticed, born in the 1930s and at its height in the 1940s and 1950s.
- Collet settingSettings & techniquesA stone held in a collar of metal that surrounds its edge.
- Colombian emeraldStones & materialsEmerald from Colombia, the source of the finest green emeralds for five centuries.
- Convertible jewelFormsA jewel designed to be worn in more than one way.
- CoralStones & materialsAn organic gem from the sea, used in jewelry in shades from pale pink to deep red.
- Cultured pearlStones & materialsA pearl grown with human help, by placing a nucleus inside the mollusk.
- Cushion cutCutsA square or rectangular cut with rounded corners, the descendant of the old mine cut.
D
E
- Eagle’s head markMetals & marksThe French mark for 18 karat gold, in use since 1838.
- Edwardian jewelryPeriodsThe platinum and diamond jewelry of the early 1900s: light, lacy and garlanded.
- Emerald cutCutsA rectangular step cut with cut corners, prized for its clarity and its long, calm flashes of light.
- En tremblantFormsElements mounted on tiny springs so that they tremble and sparkle with every movement.
- EnamelSettings & techniquesColored glass fused to metal at high temperature.
- EngravingSettings & techniquesLines and patterns cut into the surface of metal with a sharp tool.
- Eternity bandFormsA ring set with stones all the way around, symbolizing endless love.
F
G
- GarnetStones & materialsA family of gemstones, from the deep red of Bohemian garnets to the green of demantoid.
- Gemological reportCollectingA laboratory report describing a stone: its identity, weight, quality and, for colored gems, origin and treatment.
- Georgian jewelryPeriodsJewelry made during the reigns of the four Georges, 1714 to 1837: hand-made, candlelit and rare.
- GranulationSettings & techniquesDecoration made of tiny grains of gold fused to a gold surface.
- GuillochéSettings & techniquesA fine, regular pattern engraved by a machine, often seen through translucent enamel.
- Gypsy settingSettings & techniquesA stone set flush into the metal, with only its top visible.
H
- HallmarkMetals & marksAn official mark guaranteeing the purity of precious metal, struck after testing.
- Hammered goldSettings & techniquesGold finished with small hammer marks that break up the surface and catch the light.
- Heat treatmentStones & materialsHeating of a gemstone to improve its color or clarity, common for sapphires and rubies.
I
L
M
- Maker’s markMetals & marksThe registered mark of the workshop or jeweler who made a piece; in France, struck in a lozenge.
- Marquise cutCutsA boat-shaped brilliant cut with two pointed ends, also called navette.
- Mid-century jewelryPeriodsThe jewelry of the 1950s and 1960s: textured gold, flowers, animals and color.
- MillegrainSettings & techniquesA border of tiny beads along the edge of a setting, typical of Belle Époque and Edwardian jewels.
- Modern jewelryPeriodsThe signed jewelry of the 1970s to the 1990s: bold gold, hardstones and icons.
- Mother-of-pearlStones & materialsThe iridescent lining of mollusk shells, used for inlays and carved motifs.
- Mourning jewelryFormsJewelry worn in memory of the dead, from Georgian rings to Victorian jet.
- Mystery settingSettings & techniquesVan Cleef & Arpels’ setting of 1933, in which rubies or sapphires sit on hidden rails so that no metal shows.
O
- Old European cutCutsThe round diamond cut of roughly 1870 to 1930: a circular outline, a high crown, a small table and an open culet.
- Old mine cutCutsThe diamond cut of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries: a cushion-shaped outline, a high crown, a small table and an open culet, cut by hand.
- OnyxStones & materialsA black stone, usually dyed chalcedony, used for strong graphic contrast with diamonds and gold.
P
- ParureFormsA matching set of jewels, such as a necklace, earrings, brooch and bracelet.
- PasteStones & materialsHigh-quality cut glass, made into fine jewelry in its own right in the eighteenth century.
- PavéSettings & techniquesSmall stones set close together so that the metal almost disappears, like a paved street.
- Pear cutCutsA teardrop-shaped brilliant cut, rounded at one end and pointed at the other.
- PlatinumMetals & marksA dense, strong white metal that transformed fine jewelry from around 1900.
- Plique-à-jourSettings & techniquesTranslucent enamel with no backing, so light passes through it like stained glass.
- ProvenanceCollectingThe documented history of a jewel: who owned it, where it was sold and how it was worn.
R
- RepousséSettings & techniquesA design hammered into metal from the back to create relief on the front.
- Retro jewelryPeriodsThe bold gold jewelry of the late 1930s and 1940s: volume, rose gold and Hollywood glamour.
- Rivière necklaceFormsA necklace of graduated stones, each in its own setting, flowing like a river.
- Rock crystalStones & materialsColorless quartz, carved or frosted, a favorite of Art Deco and modernist jewelers.
- Rose cutCutsOne of the oldest diamond cuts: a flat base and a domed top covered in triangular facets, like a rosebud.
- Rose goldMetals & marksGold alloyed with copper for a warm pink color, characteristic of Retro jewelry.
- Round brilliant cutCutsThe modern round diamond cut, with 57 or 58 facets proportioned for maximum brilliance.
S
- SautoirFormsA long necklace, often ending in a tassel or pendant, fashionable from the Belle Époque to the 1920s.
- Seed pearlStones & materialsTiny natural pearls, used in delicate Georgian and Victorian jewelry.
- Signed jewelryCollectingJewelry that carries the name of the house or designer that made it.
- Signet ringFormsA ring with a flat face, often engraved with initials or arms and once used to seal documents.
- Silver-topped goldMetals & marksSilver on the front and gold on the back, the standard setting for diamonds before platinum.
- Single cutCutsA simple cut for small diamonds, with a table and eight facets above and below.
T
- Toi et moiFormsA ring set with two stones side by side, “you and me”, a symbol of two lives joined.
- Transitional cutCutsThe diamond cut between the old European and the modern brilliant, typical of the 1930s to the 1950s.
- TubogasSettings & techniquesBands of gold wound tightly around a core without solder, creating a supple, spring-like tube.
- TurquoiseStones & materialsAn opaque sky-blue to green stone, prized above all from Persia.
V
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