A
Aloha: Hawaiian word for hello, goodbye, and good cheer, used to spread joy and kindness
Art Deco: design and style from art and architecture popular in 1920s and 1930s,
boldly delineated geometric shapes, truncated rectangles and echoing curves
Avant-garde: new or introductory ideas, often experimental and unique
B
Bas Relief: a shallow relief pattern on wood or ceramic
Bezel: a round setting used to frame a stone in jewelry
Bohemian: a gypsy inspired, colorful, ethnic, artistic aesthetic
Briolette: a semiprecious stone cut into a faceted teardrop shape
Bronze: a copper and brass alloy
C
Cabochon: a rounded domed flat back stone
Chatoyancy: the iridescent shimmer in the cleave of certain stones, such as feldspars or labradorite
CZs (Cubic Zirconia): man-made Crystal rhinestones
D
Dark Academic Jewelry: pagan themed with magical lore
Druzy: sets of tiny crystals of minerals that form on the surface of another stone, often from the inside of a geode
E
Eclectic: a collection consisting of the best styles curated from diverse sources
Electroforming: electrical bath that transfers metal onto stones
Enigmatic: inexplicable, mysterious
Ethically Sourced: products and services from each point of a business' supply chain are obtained in an ethical way, which includes upholding rights, decent working conditions, health, safety, and fair wages
Evil Eye: protective symbol used to ward off evil
Eye of Horus: Egyptian protective eye symbol
F
Fair Trade: employing people at fair wages and under humane conditions to make a product for sale
Fleur dis Lis: French Royalty coat of arms symbol
G
Ganesh: Hindu god of new beginnings, and remover of obstacles
Granulation: tiny silver balls used as decorative accents on jewelry
Gypsum: aka Faience, a plaster or claylike substance made of limestone in Egypt
H
Hamza: aka Hand of Fatima, protective symbol from Islamic and Judaic cultures
Horus: in Egyptology he is a falcon/man god who is lord of the sky, son of Osiris and Isis
Huggies: close fitting snap close hoop earrings
Huipil: a traditional richly embroidered garment worn by indigenous people in South
America
I
Ikat: Indonesian textile technique in which warp and weft threads are tie-dyed before weaving
K
Kantha Cloth: Textile Art term for cloth embellished with contrasting color lines of basted threads
Kilim: a flat-woven rug made in Turkey
L
Lost wax casting: metal casting in which molten metal is poured into a mold that has been created by means of a wax model
M
Marquise cut: an oblong shape with pinched point ends, an elongated eye shape
Merkaba: a yoga 3-D symbol for generating energy, a form of divine protection in and of itself, chariot mysticism or path of ascension to higher dimensions or divine light, literally translates as Light/Spirit/Body
Millefiore: Italian glasswork technique, tightly packed glass canes cut into geometric sections resembling a thousand flowers
Miyuki: high-quality faceted tubular seed beads made in Japan
N
Neolithic Netting: an ancient knotting technique invented by prehistoric people
Nephrite: a tough, fibrous mineral consisting of calcium magnesium silicate, a dark opaque Jade different from translucent jadeite
Niobium: a rare pure metal that is both lightweight and hypoallergenic and adds a pop of metallic color to jewelry designs
O
Ombré: a technique of dying whereby one color gradually morphs into another one
P
Peyotestitch: beadwork, a spiral brickwork pattern
PMC (Precious Metal Clay): fine silver or gold ground extremely small and suspended in a binder to create clay
Prong setting: a star shaped setting with tiny teeth that secure the stone
R
Reticulation: minuscule silver dots used as texturing on jewelry
Rivolis: complex color faceted crystal no-hole focal points commonly set in bezel settings or beadwork
S
Sarcophagus: a specialized coffin painted in the likeness of a ruler in Egypt
Scarab: a beetle symbol representing eternal life in Egyptology
Sekhmet: a fierce warrior and gentle healer in Egyptian mythology, Goddess of medicine,
“she who is powerful”
Semiprecious: a myriad of stones less expensive than precious stones (like diamonds)
Shibori: Japanese tie-dye technique results in tiny puckered contrasting color shapes
Soutache: fiber arts, a ribbon-like brocade used to fasten buttons or as a decoration on clothing
Steam Punk: a style of jewelry that includes gears, cogs and other machinery parts that echo the locomotive
Suiseki: Japanese viewing stone, shaped by nature, only cut on the bottom, set in a contoured wooden base and used for contemplation
Sustainably Sourced: when selecting suppliers, consideration is given to the supplier's social, ethical and environmental practices as part of responsible supply chain management
Swarovski Crystals: high-quality faceted glass crystals patented by the Swarovski family of the Czech Republic
T
Talisman: an object thought to have magical powers and to bring good luck
Twee: quaint, cutesy, pretty or sentimental
U
Upcycle: re-use of discarded items into new and creative product
Ushapti: Egyptian term means “answerer,” figurines were placed in tombs to answer the call of their owner to perform tasks
V
Vermeil: high karat gold coating over sterling silver
The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms. Socrates