Precious Metal merchandise can be identified by the following codes:

*Some of our Sterling Rings are cast in silver, then covered with a copper plating and then a nickel plating to prevent tarnish. After sizing, it needs to be replated in nickel.

Diamond Merchandise

The diamond grading system we use is based on standard grading practices. The following table explains the abbreviations for the qualities of diamonds we use most often. If you require a specific diamond quality, we can easily accommodate your request as a special order.

The following cross-reference table is approximate:

Rhodium Plating

Many of the items in this catalog are rhodium plated (indicated by the word "rhodium"). Rhodium is a very valuable, very durable metal that is used on yellow gold to give the illusion of two-tone and tri-color, and it’s used to enhance the look of diamonds and diamond cutting. It is also used on the majority of our white gold to give it that sought after bright white finish. Under normal wear and tear, it should last the life of your jewelry.

Peg Set

A significant number of styles in the diamond section are noted as "Peg" meaning that the style has a peg–set head. If noted as "Peg", that style does not include the head or the center stone. In most cases, nearly any size or shape head can be attached to these rings to accommodate that special diamond.

Watch Terminology

316 Surgical Stainless Steel
Hypoallergenic 316 Surgical Stainless steel has in recent years been used increasingly in jewelry. The benefits include a high resistance to corrosion which prevents rust, a resistance to high temperatures, long term durability and a bright, easily maintained surface providing for a modern and attractive appearance. Stainless steel is also quite easy to clean and does not oxidize over time as does other types of semi–precious materials.

Automatic Mechanical Wind
A watch which has mechanical moving parts and winds its mainspring automatically using an internal rotor system.

Automatic Winding
The watch mainspring is wound automatically by a device inside the movement which rotates due to normal wrist motion while wearing the watch.

Bezel
A frame or ring which holds the crystal of a watch.

Cabochon
Any kind of precious stone, such as sapphire, ruby or emerald, uncut and only polished, generally of a half–spherical shape, mainly used as an ornament of the winding crown(s) or certain elements of the case.

Carbon Fiber Finish
An extremely strong thin fiber made by pyrolyzing (to transform a substance through heat application) synthetic fibers, such as rayon, until charred. It is used to make high–strength composites.

Caseback
The cover on the back of a watch which protects the movement. A caseback normally snaps back into place. Waterproof models will have a screw down variety to ensure water cannot permeate the seal. Information regarding each watch can usually be found on the outside of the caseback.

Chronograph
A watch with a complex feature allowing measurement of fractions of a second and elapsed time, independent of the watch displaying normal time.

Chronometer
A watch which has been measured for accuracy and tested for precision by an official testing institute.

Complication
A term used to describe an added feature to a watch, making it more than a simple timepiece. Examples: chronograph, split–chronograph, day, date, month, repeater, etc.

Côtes de Geneve
Decoration applied mainly to high–quality movements, appearing as a series of parallel ribs, realized by repeated cuts of a cutter leaving thin stripes.

Embossed Leather Band
The leather has the look of crocodile (or another animal) but is not made from that animal.

Crown
A knob on the outside of the watch case used for winding the mainspring and setting the time and calendar functions.

Deployment Buckle
A hinged fold–over style metal clasp that opens and closes easily, allowing the watch to be placed on the wrist or removed without the use of a traditional buckle.

Dual Time
A watch that displays the time from two separate time zones. Normally, these watches are made with two separate movements.

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
GMT. Abbreviation for Greenwich Mean Time. As a feature of watches, it means that two or more time zones are displayed. In this case, the second time may be read from a hand, making a full rotation in a 24–hour ring (thereby also indicating whether it is a.m. or p.m. in that zone).

IPG–plated
This is a different process that is not micron plating but gives an equivalent of 5 Microns. It holds better under certain conditions than plating.

Jeweled Movement
The internal part of a watch used to reduce friction, such as a bearing. Normally made of synthetic material. However, some high grade watches use both precious and semi–precious stones.

• The basic 7 jewels are part of the escapement and balance and are found on watches. They include cap and hole jewels for both the top and the bottom of the balance wheel (total of 4), the two pallet jewels and the roller jewel.
• The next 8, making 15 jewels, are hole jewels for the fast moving part of the gear train.
• The next 2, making 17 jewels, are jewels on the center wheel.
• The next 2–4, making 19–21 jewels, are cap jewels on the escape wheel and the pallet fork.

Krystena Crystal
Watch crystal that is extremely hard and very scratch resistant.

Luminous Hands
Hands that glow in the dark.

Mechanical Automatic Wind
A watch which has mechanical moving parts and winds its mainspring automatically using an internal rotor system.

Mechanical Manual Wind
A watch which has mechanical moving parts and requires its mainspring to be manually wound.

Mineral Crystal
Clear watch crystal, scratch resistant.

Moonphase
The function or complication of a watch which displays the phases of the earth’s moon cycle.

Power Reserve Indicator
An indicator hand on a dial which displays how much the mainspring is wound up or down.

Quartz Movement
A watch whose battery–powered mechanism uses electrical energy to cause vibrations in a synthetic quartz crystal at the very high rate of 100 kilocycles per second. Electronic quartz watches are some of the most accurate watches produced.

Rotating Bezel
Style of bezel which rotates to measure elapsed time, dual time and mathematical functions. These style bezels are normally designed for and used on aviation and scuba diving watches.

Sapphire Crystal
Synthetic watch crystal that is extremely hard and very scratch resistant.

Shock Resistant
A watch movement in which the balance staff end stone jewels are sprung so that when the watch is subjected to a shock, there will be some "give."

Skeleton
A mechanical watch movement that has had as much material cut away from the plates and dial as possible during the manufacturing process to render the greatest view possible of the watch wheels and escapement. It is normally cased in a watch case where the crystal is mounted on both the front and back to create a very decorative watch.

Sub–dial
A smaller dial on the main dial of a watch displaying a feature of the watch. Example: constant second hand, minute and hour counters, days, dates, months, leap years, etc.

Sub–seconds Hand
A smaller sub-dial on the main dial displaying constant seconds.

Tachymeter ⁄ Tachometer
Watch or stop watch used for the measurement of speed. Normally a timer or chronograph with a graduated dial or bezel allowing the speed of a vehicle to be figured in miles per hour or kilometers per hour.

Water Resistance (ATM)
A watch whose case(s) is designed in such a way as to resist infiltration by Water.
Examples:

• 3 ATM corresponding to a conventional depth of 30 meters.
• 5 ATM corresponding to a conventional depth of 50 meters.
• 10 ATM corresponding to a conventional depth of 100 meters.
• 15 ATM corresponding to a conventional depth of 150 meters.
• 20 ATM corresponding to a conventional depth of 200 meters.
• 100 ATM corresponding to a conventional depth of 1000 meters.

Moisture Resistant
A watch designed to withstand rain and splashes of water, but not designed to withstand bathing or submerging.

Fold–over Clasp
A hinged and jointed element, normally of the same material as the one used for the case. It allows easy fastening of the bracelet on the wrist. Often provided with a snap–in locking device, sometimes with an additional clip or push–piece.

Helium Valve
Valve inserted in the case of some professional diving watches to discharge the helium contained in the air mixture inhaled by divers.

PVD–gold Plating
PVD is a closely held proprietary process in which gold ions are bonded to steel. This process is utilized by a select few manufacturers and is the equivalent of 10 microns of 18 karat gold. It is longer lasting than the industry standard gold plating process.
 
To further explain, the average watch is flash plated – which is a dipping process where the level of microns of gold which adhere to the watch depends on how long the metal is in the tank. During PVD or IP (ion plating), the gold is bonded to the steel on a molecular level and lasts longer than flash plating (described above) with the equivalent to 10 microns of plating.

For more reference information please check out the following websites:
http://www.watchparadise.com/dictionary

10k Tri–color
10k yellow, rose and white gold in the design.

10k Two–tone
10k yellow gold with white or rose gold in the design.

10k White Gold
43% pure gold that has been alloyed with a mix of nickel, zinc, copper, tin and manganese.

10k Yellow Gold
43% pure gold that has been alloyed with a mix of 50% copper and 50% silver.

12k Leaf Accents
Leaves are 12k yellow, green and rose gold.

14k Rose Gold
Gold with a pink tinge.

14k Tri–color
14k gold with yellow, rose and white gold in the design.

14k Two–tone
14k yellow gold with white or rose gold in the design.

14k White Gold
58% pure gold that has been alloyed with a mix of nickel, zinc, copper, tin and manganese.

14k Yellow & Rhodium
14k gold that has parts plated with Rhodium to give a two–tone appearance.

14k Yellow Gold
58% pure gold that has been alloyed with a mix of 50% copper and 50% silver.

18k & Platinum
18k gold with platinum accents or vice-versa.

18k Two–tone
18k yellow and white gold in the design.

18k White Gold
75% pure gold that has been alloyed with a mix of nickel, zinc, copper, tin and manganese.

18k Yellow Gold
75% pure gold that has been alloyed with a mix of 50% copper and 50% silver.

3–D
This 3–dimensional image is true to life.

A quality
Quality of the diamond.

AA quality
Quality of the diamond.

AAA quality
Quality of the diamond.

Abalone
A type of mollusk shell.

Agate
A fine grained quartz found in a wide range of colors including black, gray, brown, reddish and yellow.

Amethyst
A purple color gemstone.

Ametrine
A quartz crystal that contains amethyst and citrine. It is a bi-color gemstone including the violet of amethyst and the yellow of citrine. On Mohs’ scale of hardness, ametrine is 7. It is primarily found in Bolivia.

Antique Finish
A finishing process that creates an aged look.

Aquamarine
March birthstone, light blue gemstone.

Aventurine
A type of quartz stone with tiny metallic particles. It ranges in color from yellow to red to light green to light brown.

Azotic Topaz
A stunning rainbow effect that makes it all at once unique the color, brilliance and clarity of the final product depend very much on the quality, cut and polish of the original gemstone.

Baguette
A narrow–cut rectangular stone.

Baguette & Round
This piece holds baguettes (narrow–cut rectangular gems) and round–cut diamonds or gemstones.

Baguette and Princess
This piece holds baguettes (narrow–cut rectangular gems) and princess–cut (square shaped) diamonds or gemstones.

Barrel
A tube or cylinder clasp.

Bezel
A way of setting a stone in which the outside of the stone is wrapped in metal to hold it in place.

Black Dial
This watch has a black face⁄dial.

Black Pearl
This pearl ranges in colors from a shade of grey, silver or charcoal.

Black Rhodium
Rhodium plating that is black to give an antiqued look.

Blue Diamond
Heat treated diamond to attain blue coloring.

Blue Topaz
December birthstone, blue gemstone.

Box
A functional clasp that normally secures bracelets and is often times hidden.

Box Catch
A functional clasp that normally secures bracelets and is often times hidden.

Brass
An alloy of copper and zinc and a few other metals in lesser amounts.

Brass Accent
Portions of this piece have brass accents.

Brocaded Disc
The piece is turned on a lathe to create the design.

Bronze
Bronze refers to a broad range of copper alloys, usually with tin as the main additive, but sometimes with other elements such as phosphorus, manganese, aluminium, or silicon.

Brushed
A textured (satin) finish made from tiny parallel lines etched on the metal surface.

Carnelian
Reddish form of quartz.

Casted
Gold is poured into a mold to produce a dimensional object.

Casted Head
Non–removeable head on the ring that holds the stone in place.

Cat’s Eye
A honey brown stone with a bright slit of color in the middle.

Champagne Dial
This watch has a champagne–colored face⁄dial.

Channel Set
Stones are held in place without prongs, lined up directly next to each other in a row between two metal walls.

Child proof clasp
This catch is similar to a box catch, but in a more simple design. A pin or small pointed object is needed to release it making it very secure.

Citrine
November birthstone, yellow gemstone.

Closed Back
Piece will be hollow with a flat back.

Coin Pearl
Pearl that is shaped like a coin.

Coral
Gemstone grown in the ocean, ranging in color from orange, red and pink to white.

Created
Lab-–manufactured.

Created Opal
Opal manufactured in a lab.

Crystal
A glass or stone bead.

Cuff
Type of bangle that is open ended to slide on over the wrist.

Cultured Pearl
Manufactured pearls produced by oysters that have been injected with mother–of–pearl.

CZ
Cubic Zirconium. Lab produced gemstone.

Dangle
This style hangs below the earlobe.

Diamond
Mineral composed essentially of carbon crystallized at extremely high temperatures and pressures. Diamond is the hardest of all known natural substances. It ranges from colorless to a wide variety of colors.

Diamond Cut
A finishing process to give design, texture and shine.

Diamond Cut, Hand
A hand–finished process to give design, texture and shine.

Die Struck
Manufacturing process used to stamp design into the metal.

Dyed
A process that adds color.

Electroformed
Manufacturing process that electrically molds the metal, creating a hollow piece.

Emerald
May birthstone, green gemstone.

Enamel
A glassy substance fused onto metal to create a cover or inlay of color.

Epoxy Resin
Comes in two parts, a resin and a catalyst. The two parts get mixed, normally 1 to 1, and a chemical reaction takes place that adheres the two parts making them stable and tough.

Faceted
An angled cut that catches light.

Fancy Barrel
A fancy upgrade to the barrel clasp.

Fancy Lobster
A fancy upgrade to the classic lobster clasp.

Fancy Springlock
A fancy upgrade to the springlock clasp.

Filigree
Delicate or intricate ornamental design created by fine, twisted wire.

Findings
The parts that jewelers use in making jewelry such as clasps, jump rings and more.

Flat Back
The back of the piece is flat.

Flat Edge
A flat, as opposed to rounded, edge on wedding bands.

Flexible
This piece has bendable qualities.

Florentine
A pattern tooled into the metal, usually a little deeper than a brushed finish.

Fold Over
This clasp features a slotted bar and a folding device that locks around it for extra security. It is usually used for watches and nugget bracelets.

Freshwater Pearl
An irregular pearl of various colors produced by freshwater mollusks such as mussels and clams.

Garnet
January birthstone, red gemstone.

Genuine
Not manufactured by man.

G–Lock
A type of fold-over clasp used for heavy link chain.

Gold Filled
Gold filled refers to the mechanical process of applying two thin gold sheets to core metal such as nickel. To qualify as "gold filled" the amount of gold must be at least 1/20 of the total weight.

Gold–plated
Gold bonded to a base metal.

Gold–tone
Jewelry finished with a gold color.

Green Agate
A type of stone from the quartz family.

Green Topaz
Chemically and heat treated topaz to attain green coloring.

Green Tourmaline
Heat treated tourmaline to attain green coloring.

Hammered
Finishing process used to create design.

Heavy Duty Box
This strong, reliable clasp typically secures heavier weight link chains.

Hematite
A shiny, opaque blue–black to silvery iron stone.

Hidden Catch
The catch is incorporated into the design of jewelry.

Hinged
These hoop earrings have a hinge in the middle.

Hinged Post
Commonly found on hoop earrings.

Hollow
Not solid.

Hook Clasp
Typically used of the multi–strand beaded necklaces two circles that hook together.

Iolite
A gemstone with a slight variability in chemical composition between stones. It exhibits a blue–to–violet range of colors and sometimes shows a brownish streak.

Jade
An opaque semi–precious stone usually found in green but also found in lavender or rose.

Jasper
An opaque red, yellow or brown form of quartz.

Karat
A measure of the fineness of gold. 24 karat gold is pure; 18 karat gold is 75% pure; 14 karat gold is 58% pure; 12 karat gold is 50% pure; and 10 karat gold is 43.5% pure. Gold is usually mixed with other metals such as silver or copper to make it harder.

Kidney Wire
Also known as a French Wire, it is a fish hook shaped wire used on dangly earrings were the wire goes through your pierced ear.

Labradorite
A gemstone in the feldspar family. It is known for a brilliant play of color and exhibits lustrous metallic tints of blue, green, yellow, red, gold and purple.

Lapis
A rich blue opaque semi–precious stone.

Laser Cut
Finishing process used to create design and give sparkle.

Leather
Animal skins and hides treated to preserve them and make them suitable for use.

Leverback
The backs of these earrings close with a hinged lever, connecting behind the ear.

Lobster
This clasp features an elongated hook and contains a spring to open and close the catch in order to connect the ends of chain.

London Blue Topaz
Darkest shade of the blue topaz.

Mabe ⁄ Mobe
A Japanese term for cultured pearls which are cultured against the shell so that only half a pearl is formed resembling a half-sphere.

Marcasite
Also known as iron pyrite, this semi-precious shiny, metallic stone is usually faceted.

Mesh
Any arrangement of interlocking metal links or wires with evenly spaced, uniform small openings between, as used in jewelry or sieves.

Milgrain
A raised, beaded edge on a ring done with a special engraver’s tool; resembling the edge of a coin.

Milky Quartz
May be the most common variety of crystalline quartz and can be found almost anywhere. The white colour may be caused by minute fluid inclusions of gas and/or liquid trapped during the crystal formation.

Mother of Pearl
A thin slice of shell from the iridescent coating on the inside of oyster shells.

Mother of Pearl Dial
This watch features a face/dial in mother of pearl.

Mounting
The setting of a piece, not including the diamonds or gemstones.

Moveable
Part or parts will move.

Mystic Fire Topaz
A natural topaz gem that has been color enhanced.

Nickel–plated
Plating that is used in Sterling Silver jewelry to keep from tarnishing.

No Safety Bar
No bar on the clasp for extra security.

Non–pierced
Earring is a clip–on design.

Omega
Type of clip–back for an earring.

Onyx
A black stone. A form of agate.

Opal
A luminous, iridescent stone that is white in color with a sparkle of colored hues. October birthstone.

Opaque
This milky colored stone is not transparent or translucent.

Open Back
The back of the piece is not finished. Light can show through the stone.

Oxidized
Finishing process to give an antiqued look.

Palladium White
A charcoal gray form of platinum, has many of the same properties as platinum, resists corrosion.

Pearl
The gem grown within an oyster shell.

Pearl Clasp
A marquise shaped clasp that is usually filigree and has one end hook in the other and then is pushed in to lock.

Peg Set
Setting uses a peg mounting to hold stone.

Peg Set Head
The head of a ring that holds the stone.

Peridot
August birthstone, light green gemstone.

Pierced Clip Back
A spring powered hinge on the end of a hoop closes the clasp following insertion of the post through the ear.

Pink Quartz
Quartz ranging in color from pink to deep red.

Pink Sapphire
Heat treated sapphire to attain pink coloring.

Pink Spinel
Transparent to opaque mineral species appearing in shades of red, pink, orange, blue, violet and purple, and rarely displaying the phenomena asterism (star) and color change..

Pink Tourmaline
October birthstone, pink gemstone.

Plastic
Polymers that can be molded or shaped, usually by heat and pressure.

Platinum
60% heavier than gold, platinum is a very strong, dense white metal. Platinum jewelry is usually 90-95% pure.

Platinum–plated
A thin layer of platinum is bonded to the piece.

Polished
Mirror–like finish.

Porcelain
A hard, non–porous white ceramic, made of fine clay and usually covered with a glassy, decorative glaze.

Post
The earring has a straight pin–like finding that goes through the ear with a separate nut to hold the earring in the ear.

Princess Cut
Square shape stone, highly faceted.

Prong Set
Prongs hold the stone in the setting.

Push Lock
A modern spin–off of the traditional lobster. You push instead of pull.

Quartz
A transparent crystal forming a hexagonal shape. Quartz comes in many colors and forms including amethyst, aventurine, citrine, opal, tiger’s eye and many others.

Resin
A translucent type of plastic.

Reversible
The piece is finished on both sides and can be worn showing either side.

Rhodium
A durable, white precious metal used for plating to give a two–tone appearance.

Rhodolite Garnet
A type of garnet, usually a rose to raspberry red.

Round
Having every part of the surface or circumference equidistant from the center.

Round Edge
A rounded edge for wedding bands.

Rubber
An elastic substance that is obtained by coagulating the milky juice of any of various tropical plants, is essentially a polymer of isoprene, and is prepared as sheets and then dried.

Ruby
July birthstone, red gemstone.

Safety Bar
Bar on the clasp for extra security.

Safety Clasp
A clasp on the side to give extra security.

Saltwater Pearl
Cultured pearl grown in saltwater.

Sapphire
September birthstone, blue gemstone.

Satin
A very finely brushed surface texture resembling satin.

Screw Back
For added security, the earring nut needs to be unscrewed to be removed.

Screw Top
Refers to the top bezel.

Semi–finished
A mounting that is not polished.

Semi–mount
This setting is sold without the center stone. Only side stones are included.

Shared Prong
Two or more stones using the same prong to be held in.

Shell
Pieces of a conch or various other ocean shells.

Shepherd Hook
A wire that usually holds dangly earrings. It slips through the ear and has no catch.

Silver–plated
A thin silver coating adhered to a piece.

Simulated
Made to look like an original piece. Not real.

Slip on
Usually referring to the bangles, as they slip on over your hand.

Smokey Quartz
A brown variety of quartz caused through the natural (or artificial) irradiation of aluminium–containing rock crystal. A very dark brown to black opaque variety is known as morion.

Sodalite
A solid vivid blue stone with white streaks.

Solid
This piece is solid, not hollow. Casted or stamped pieces are usually solid.

Solid Titanium
Titanium is a metal with an extremely high melting point and is part of group of other metals with high melting points known as refractory metals. Under controlled conditions, titanium is highly reactive and can be permanently colored for various decorative applications.

Springlock
A circular metal closure with a spring built in the ring for opening and closing. This attaches the jump ring to the chain.

Springring
A spring ring (also known as a bolt ring) is a hollow circular metal fastening ring with a spring opening. It is used to attach two other rings or links of a necklace or bracelet.

SS & 14k Yellow Gold
Sterling Silver with 14k gold accents.

SS & Vermeil
Sterling silver plated with a fine coating of pure gold.

Stainless Steel
An alloy of steel with chromium and sometimes another element (as nickel or molybdenum) that is practically immune to rusting and ordinary corrosion.

Stamped
A process using a punch or die to shape the design.

Sterling Silver
Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper.

Synthetic
Stones are man–made in laboratory. They usually lack imperfections.

Swarovski Crystals
Crystals that are mined from the Swarovski mines.

Tanvorite
Synthetic stone, deep blue–purple gemstone, resembling tanzanite.

Tanzanite
Gemstone with color ranging from deep purple to lilac to blue–violet.

Textured
Surface roughness.

Textured Back
The back of the piece has a textured finish.

Threader
Dangling earring that is thread into the ear by one end that is usually a solid bar.

Tigers Eye
A yellow–brown to reddish-brown stone with a bright slit of color in the middle.

Titanium
A strong, corrosion–resistant white metal.

Titanium & 14k
Titanium and 14k gold piece.

Titanium & SS
Titanium and sterling silver piece.

Toggle
An attractive loop and bar fastening system that adds to the design of the piece.

Tourmaline
Tourmaline is a fascinating mineral that can actually exhibit two or more colors in one crystal. It possesses one of the widest color ranges, reproducing every conceivable color in the universe.

Transparent
Has the ability to be seen through.

Tsavorite
It is a member of the garnet family group in which trace amounts of vanadium or chromium provide the green color..

Turquoise
An opaque and porous stone in blue–green color.

Two-tone
Two colors of gold.

Vermeil
Gold–plated silver.

White Dial
This watch has a white face⁄dial.

Yellow Dial
This watch has a yellow face⁄dial.

Yellow Sapphire
Sapphire is most commonly blue but also occurs as purple, yellow, orange, pink, green, color shift and white varieties.

Yellow Topaz
A light yellow variety of quartz.

Diamond Merchandise

The following cross–reference table is approximate:

Diamond Chart

The following cross–reference table displays the millimeter size in relation to the carat weight of our loose diamonds.

Weight and size are approximate by stone

Information Source: Gem Reference Guide. Gemological Institute of America, 1995.

Gemstone Abbreviations

Birthstone Chart

Pearl Strand Qualities