|
|
Home
> Jewelry
Glossary > D
D
 |
|
View Glossary
by Letter:
DACHE, LILLY
Lilly Dache is the mark of
Lilly Dache, Inc., a company
located in New York and Paris.
Lilly Dache produces high-quality
hats, clothing, accessories,
perfume, and cosmetics. The
Lily Dache mark was first
used on costume jewelry in
1923. Lilly Dache jewelry
pieces are relatively rare
and expensive. Lilly Dache
was born in France, and began
her fashion career there as
a milliner (hat maker). She
emigrated to New York, New
York, USA, in 1924. Dache
is reported to have said,
"Glamour is what makes a man
ask for your telephone number.
But it also is what makes
a woman ask for the name of
your dressmaker." Dache's
books include Lilly Dache's
Glamour Book (published
in 1956) and Talking through
my hats (published in
1946).
DALSHEIM
Dalsheim and "White Jet" are
marks on costume jewelry made
by Dalsheim Accessories, Inc.
of New York, New York, USA.
The company was founded by
Maurice Dalsheim. These relatively
rare marks were first used
in 1939.
DAMASCENING
Designs made of gold,
silver, or copper decorating
a base metal.
DANALITE
A reddish mineral composed
of iron, zinc manganese, glucinumand
sulphur occuring in massive
octahedral crystals. Danalite
is named after James Dwight
Dana.
DANBURITE
Danburite (Calcium borosilicate
- CaB2Si2O8)
is a clear to white silicate
mineral whose orthorhombic
crystals are transparent to
translucent (danburite can
also be yellow, greenish,
or brown); it resemblestopaz.
It was named for the city
of Danbury in Fairfield County,
Connecticut, USA (where the
original specimens were found
in 1839). Danburite is also
found in Russell, New York
(USA), Charcas and San Luis
Potosi (Mexico), Kyushu Island
(Japan), Madagascar, Siberia,
Mogok (Myanmar), Bolivia,
and Uri (Switzerland). Danburite
has a hardness of 7 - 7.3
and a specific gravity of
2.97 - 3.02. Its streak is
white.
DANECRAFT
Danecraft is a mark used on
silver and vermeil (gold-plated
silver) costume jewelry produced
by Felch and Company, which
was founded by Victor Primavera
in 1938 in Providence, Rhode
Island, USA. The company is
now called Felch-Wehr (since
1977) and still produces silver
and vermeil jewelry. Before
the fromation of Felch and
Company, Victor and his brother
Thomas had run the Primavera
Brothers Jewelry Company in
the 1930's, until Thomas'
death. Danecraft's Wingback
earrings (from the 1950's)
were a major product of the
company. The piece above is
a older Danecraft cat and
dog pin.
DANGLE
EARRING
An earring that dangles
below the earlobe. Also called
a "Drop Earring"
or "Chandalier Earring".
DARYA-I-NUR
Darya-i-Nur (meaning "Sea
of Light") is one of the largest-known
diamonds.
It is a flawless, transparent,
pink diamond from India, weighing
about 175 to 195 carats. It
was taken to Prrsia (now Iran)
after Persia's attack on Delhi,
India, in l739. The Darya-i-Nur
is in the crown jewels of
Iran, and was worn by the
Shah of Iran.
DEAD PAWN
Dead pawn is an item that
was pawned but was never collected
by the original owner.
"DEAD" STONE
A "dead" stone is a foil-backed
rhinestone that has lost its
original shininess, usually
after water has damaged the
foil. For example, a "dead"
clear rhinestone will appear
dull and off-white, greenish
or yellowish.
DEAD SOFT
Dead soft is a term that refers
to very soft-tempered
metal. Dead soft wire is the
most easily bent wire. For
example, copper electrical
wire is dead soft.
DECO STYLE
A term derived from the style
of "Art Deco" for
jewelry typified by abstract
designs and linear, geometric
patterns but not necessarily
created during the Art Deco
period.
DELFT
JEWELRY
Jewelry made from Delft faience
(tin-glazed earthenware) is
usually set in silver, often
with delicate filigree work
and granulation. The classic
hand-painted blue-on-white
pottery often depicts windmills,
flowers, and Dutch landscapes.
Delftware jewelry includes
necklaces, pendants, earrings,
pins, bracelets, rings, charms,
and cufflinks. Delft pottery
has been in production in
Holland since the middle 1600s,
but Delft jewelry dates from
much later. Delft blue is
the most recognized Delft
style, but other colors and
styles have been used in Delft
pottery and jewelry.
DE LIZZA & ELSTER
The De Lizza & Elster
(D & E) company manufactured
costume jewelry, buttons,
and buckles; they sold wholesale
to costume jewelry companies.
De Lizza & Elster made
pieces for Weiss, Kramer,
Kenneth J. Lane, Hobe, Celebrity,
Hattie Carnegie, Alice Caviness,
Karu, and many others (including
department stores). D &
E was founded in New York,
New York, by William De Lizza
and Harold Elster around 1947.
William De Lizza was the main
designer. The pieces they
made were not marked (only
a paper hangtag indicated
the brand). In 1967, D &
E began making in-house pieces
that they called "Juliana"
-- these pieces were designed
by Frank DeLizza (the co-founder
William De Lizza's son) and
were marked by a paper hangtag.
Although D & E went out
of business in the late 1990s,
Frank DeLizza is producing
copies of many of his popular
original pieces.
DEMANTOID
A small, rare, bright and
glittering green variety of
garnet of the andradite family
first mined in the mid-nineteenth
century.
DEMI-HOOP
A bangle, bracelet, or ring
in which only half of the
circumference of the piece
is set with stones.
DEMI-HOOP STYLE
A bangle, bracelet, or
ring in which only half of
the circumference of the piece
is set with stones.
DEMILUNE
A demilune (meaning "half
moon") stone is shaped like
a half (or smaller) moon.
DEMI PARURE
A set of two or three
matching pieces of jewelry,
usually consisting of a necklace,
pin, bracelet, or earring.
DENDRITIC
Dendritic means tree-like,
having a branching pattern
(like moss agate).
DENIM LAPIS
Denim lapis is a relatively
pale, inexpensive variety
of lapis lazuli that is from
Chile. It is the color of
denim cloth due to calcite
inclusions (which whiten the
stone and lower its value).
DENTELLE
Dentelles (meaning "lace"
in French) are rhinestones
cut with 32 or 64 facets.
DEPOSE
The rights or patent granted
for an exclusive jewelry design
in France.
DEPTH
The measure of a cut gemstone
from the tip of the pavilion
to the table.
DEROSA
DeRosa was a mark of the Ralph
DeRosa Company of New York,
New York. DeRosa produced
very high-quality costume
jewelry, including necklaces,
earrings, bracelets, pins
and fur clips, made from 1934
until 1970. Pieces were often
made of Sterling silver, and
had beautiful prong-set rhinestones,
faux pearls, and/or excellent
enamelling work.
DIADEM
A semi circular jeweled
ornamental head band or fillet
worn by Eastern monarchs as
a badge of royalty.
DIAMANTE
A faceted, glittery glass
bead like a rhinestone or
strass.
DIAMOND
A clear transparent precious
gemstone composed of pure
crystallized carbon which
has been highly compressed
over millions of years. Diamonds
are the hardest substance
known to mankind, rating a
10 on the Mohs scale. They
are valued because it is difficult
to produce a faceted diamond
and when properly cut they
have high refractivity and
brilliance. The quality and
value of a diamond is rated
using the "4 C's"
of color, cut, clarity and
carat weight. (See individual
listings). The diamond is
the birthstone for April.
DIAMOND ACCENT
Jewelry that has one or
more diamonds with a combined
carat weight of less than
one-fourth of a carat.
DIAMOND CUT
In the context of gemstones,
it means the same as "Brilliant
cut". In the context
of diamond cut objects, (usually
metal objects), it means that
part of the object has been
cut into a flat diamond shape.
DIAMOND-CUT ROPE
A chain in which a portion
of the chain link is cut into
a flat diamond-shaped face
and polished to a high shine.
DIAMONIQUE
A registered trade mark
belonging to QVC Inc., and
the brand name they choose
to use for cubic zirconia.
DIAPERING
Diapering is a crisscross
pattern of diamond-shaped
lines on a raised-dot enamel
pattern.
DICHROISM
The property possessed
by some crystals of exhibiting
two different colors when
viewed from different angles.
See Alexandrite, Ammolite,
Iolite, Opal.
DICHROITE
(also called Iolite or
water sapphire). A silicate
of alumina, iron, and magnesia
which is usually violet-blue,
but can be deep blue, light
blue-gray, and yellow-white.
Makes a beautiful transparent
gemstone which is remarkable
for its dichroism.
DIE STAMPING
Die stamping (also known as
machine-stamping) is a process
in which sheet metal is cut
and shaped between two dies,
forming a pattern in relief.
Two steel dies are used, the
male die has the design in
cameo (protruding); the female
die has the design hollowed
out. The male die is put on
top of the metal, the female
die is put on the underside
of the metal. The press is
forcefully brought down onto
the dies and metal, forcing
the metal into the shape of
the mold. Many medallions
and mass-produced jewelry
findings are made this way.
DIFFUSION TREATED
Diffusion treated stones are
color-enhanced (not naturally
colored) stones. The diffusion
process only colors the outer
surface of the stone, so chipping
or repolishing will result
in a loss of color. Diffusion-treated
stones are already-cut stones
that are heated in the presence
of other compounds (like iron
oxide, chromium oxide, titanium
dioxide, etc.) that will infuse
the extreme outer surface
stone with color. Under a
microscope, you you can see
the loss of color within each
tiny scratch. Diffusion treatment
can also change the stone's
refractive index. Also, if
the stone is faceted, the
color will appear stonger
where the facets meet.
DINNER RING
Another name for a Cocktail
ring.
DIOPSIDE
A crystallized silicate of
lime and magnesia found in
igneous rocks which ranges
in color from clear, grayish
green to almost black.
DIOR
Christian Dior (1905-1957)
was an influential French
fashion designer. In the 1950's,
Dior jewelry was produced
by Kramer (in the 1950's),
Henkel & Grosse (from
1955) and Mitchel Maer (from
1952-1956). In 1955, Swarovski
and Christian Dior developed
the iridescent aurora borealis
stone Licensed Dior jewelry
continues to be produced.
DIOXIDE
A compound containing
two oxygen atoms per molecule.
DISC EARRING
A round flat stud attached
to the earlobe with a post
and clutch.
DISPERSION
(or "fire"). The
prism of light refracted from
within a finished diamond
or stone. The better a diamond
or stone is cut or faceted,
the more colors are emitted
from the stone as it is turned.
DISTRIBUTOR
Somebody, such as a wholesaler,
who markets or sells merchandise
to a retailer rather than
directly to the consumer.
See also jobber.
DIVA FASHION
The term "diva"
was originally applied only
to prima donna opera singers,
but it has come to be used
for any female who takes great
pride in being a woman. "Diva
fashion" is designed
to be worn exclusively by
women and is usually quite
flashy, extravagant, and effeminate,
exemplified by necklaces with
lots of beads, pearls, and/or
faceted stones.
DOG COLLAR
A broad choker worn tightly
around the neck above the
collarbone, just like a dog's
collar, that often incorporated
parallel strands of pearls,
beads, stones, diamonds, and
platinum to great effect.
It was made popular in the
late Victorian and Edwardian
periods by Queen Alexandra,
who had a long graceful neck.
DOG TAG JEWELRY
Dogtag jewelry is based on
the dogtags issued to soldiers.
This type of necklace has
become popular recently. Dogtag
necklaces consist of a flat,
dogtag-shaped pendant strung
on a silver ball chain.
DOLOMITE
Dolomite (calcium magnesium
carbonate, CaMgCO3)
is a common type of sedimentary
rock. Dolomite occurs in crystals
and in masses. This mineral
was named for the French mineralogist
Déodat de Dolomieu
(1750-1801), who first described
it in 1791.
DOMED
A piece of jewelry with a
convex shape, thicker in the
center and tapering at the
edges.
DOOR KNOCKER
EARRING
An earring with a hinged bottom
that hangs below the earlobe.
DOUBLET
A method of combining two
inexpensive stones and/or
glass to imitate more valuable
gemstones. For example, a
green glass bottom with a
garnet top will give the appearance
of a fine emerald because
the top is a natural gemstone
with cut facets, and a few
natural imperfections, and
the bottom is bright green
which reflects throughout
the stone.
DOUBLY
REFRACTIVE STONE
In doubly-refractive stones,
lthe light entering the stone
is split into two light rays,
and the rays travel in different
paths. These stones have more
than one refractive index.
Calcite, peridot, zircon,
tourmaline, and titanite are
doubly-refractive stones.
Bi-refringence is another
name for double refraction.
DRAWN BEAD
Drawn beads are cut from a
long, straw-like tube of glass
(the tube is made by drawing
a hot mass of glass fresh
from the furnace). The sharp-edged
cut beads are often tumbled
and reheated to give them
rounded edges. Some examples
of drawn beads include seed
beads, bugle beads, furnace
glass beads, and pony beads.
DRESS CLIP
A brooch that uses a
hinged clip or two-pronged
pin to fasten the article
to clothing. They were popular
during the 1930s and 1940s
and often made in pairs.
DRESS SET
A set of gentleman’s jewelry
composed of, usually matching,
cufflinks, shirt studs, and
sometimes vest buttons.
DROP
A small, usually teardrop
shaped, ornament which dangles
from a piece of jewelry.
DROP CUT
A drop cut (or briolette)
is a pear-shaped cut gemstone
with triangular facets on
top. This type of stone makes
a nice pendant.
DROP EARRING
Any earring which hangs below
the earlobe. Also called a
"Chandalier Earring"
or "Dangle Earring".
DROPSHIPPING
A method of selling an
item whereby an individual
retailer will advertise, sell,
and collect the money for
it, then contact a larger
merchant or warehouse where
the item is actually stored
and have them ship the item
to the consumer for a percentage
of the profit. The consumer
usually does not know that
the larger merchant or warehouse
is involved in the process
at all. A great way of starting
a home-based internet business.
DRUZE
Druze is a layer of crystals
that form within a mineral
crust, like the inner cavity
of a geode. Amethyst crystals
are often found in a druze.
The inner cavity of agate
geodes are often lined with
a druze of sparkling quartz
crystals.
DUCTILE
A ductile substance is easily
pulled or stretched into a
thin wire. gold is the most
ductile metal.
DUETTE
A combination of two clips
on a pin back. Duette was
a registered design by Coro,
but is now used generically
for this design.
DU JAY
Du Jay was a small costume
jewelry company that made
high quality (and high priced)
pieces during the middle 20th
century. Rhinestones and/or
false pearls often adorned
the lockets, pins, bracelets,
necklaces, and other jewelry
items which were often made
of silver (sometimes with
a gold wash). Du Jay items
are hard to find.
DUMORTIERITE
Dumortierite (Aluminum Boro-silicate
Hydroxide) is a blue to violet
silicate mineral that is used
as an ornamental stone (and
sometimes as a semi-precious
stone in jewelry). Dumortierite
quartz is a massive variety
of opaque quartz that is intergrown
with dumortierite crystals.
Dumortierite has a hardness
of 7 - 8.5 and a specific
gravity of 3.3 - 3.4.
DWT
The symbol for "pennyweight",
or 1/20th of a troy ounce,
approx 1.555 grams.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
