|
|
Home
> Jewelry
Glossary > E
E
 |
|
View Glossary
by Letter:
EAR CUFF
A wide decorative ring
with a gap designed to be
pinched onto the ear without
need for piercing. Ear cuffs
may be pinched onto any part
of the ear, not just the earlobe.
EARRING
Jewelry worn on the earlobe.
EARRING BACK
A disk or bead that fits over
an earring post and holds
the earring securely in place,
like a catch.
EARRING JACKTET
A small piece of jewelry with
a hole pierced in the center
designed to be held onto the
ear with a stud earring.
EBONITE
Ebonite (also called vulcanite)
is a hard, moldable, polished
dark colored (ranging from
brown to black) early rubber.
Ebonite was produced by adding
sulfur to vulcanized rubber.
It was used for combs, ornaments,
and buttons. Ebonite is sometimes
confused with gutta percha.
EBONY
Ebony is a hard, dark, dense
wood sometimes used in jewelry.
EDWARDIAN
Refers to the period during
the reign of Edward VII of
England (1901-1910), but the
style has it's beginnings
during the final years of
Victoria's reign, and continued
until shortly before World
War I when the more geometric
influences later to be called
Art Deco began to make headway.
In jewelry, this period was
characterized by delicate
filigree in white gold and
platinum, with diamonds and
pearls predominating, and
colored stones used less frequently,
producing a light, monochromatic
look. Delicate bows, swags,
and garland effects were used
in necklace and brooches.
Both dog collars, and long
fringed necklaces were also
"in", being popularized
by the graceful, long-necked
Queen Alexandra.
EGYPTIAN REVIVAL
Jewelry that evokes the
feeling of ancient Egypt in
its use of styles, symbols,
and motifs. It was popular
in the 19th century when archaeological
finds in Egypt were making
headlines and filling museums
with artifacts.
EISENBERG
The Eisenberg company creates
beautiful, high-quality costume
jewelry. It was founded by
Jonas Eisenberg in Chicago,
Illinois in 1942, and is still
in business. Originally, they
made dresses with ornate buttons
(made by the Ora company),
and expanded into the costume
jewelry business. The brooch
above is a classic sterling
piece from the 1940's. Eisenberg
marks include (script) E,
Eisenberg Original, and Eisenberg
Ice (current).
EILAT STONE
Eilat stone is only found
in King Solomon's copper mines
on the Red Sea, near Eilat,
Israel. This opaque green
mineral is composed of azurite,
malachite, turquoise, and
chrysocolla. The hardness
of this copper-based stone
varies. There are many variations
on its spelling, including
Eliat, Elat, and Ellat.
ELECTROPLATED
Jewelry that has been
coated with gold through the
process of electroplating.
The gold plating eventually
wears away.
ELECTROPLATING
The process of covering a
base metal with a thin film
of gold by setting it in a
chemical solution through
which an electric current
flows to coat it with precious
metal.
ELECTROTYPE
Electroplating applied
to a mold. The gold is then
peeled away from the mold
producing a cast object made
of pure gold.
ELECTRUM
An alloy of gold and silver
that occurs naturally.
ELEMENT
A substance that cannot be
broken down into different
kinds of matter. For example,
water is composed of the
elements oxygen and hydrogen.
ELIE RUBY
An Elie ruby is actually a
pyrope garnet (and not a ruby
at all).
EMAIL
Email (French for enamel)
is a method in which enamel
is applied to metal. It can
be applied in many different
ways, including cloisonné,
champlevé, and plique
à jour.
EMBOSS
Embossing is a method of surface
decoration in which a design
is raised slightly above the
surface. Sheets of metal,
leather, and plastic can be
embossed.
EMERALD
A rich green gemstone of the
beryl family. Fine emeralds
are among the most valuable
gemstones. Emeralds are created
when chromium combines with
various impurities. Unlike
most gemstones, inclusions,
(called “jardin,” the French
word for garden), are quite
common in emeralds, so they
lower the value much less
than with other precious stones
such a diamonds. As a remedy
to lessen the appearance of
common flaws, emeralds may
be oiled or dyed. The most
highly prized emeralds are
mined in Columbia. A valuable
emerald will be a bright,
vividly colored green. Those
with a slight blue cast to
the bright green are actually
the most valuable color. Many
emeralds seen in jewelry are
of relatively low quality.
If an emerald appears to be
very fine, it may actually
be a synthetic. There are
several types of synthetic
emeralds on the market, and
some of them are challenging
to identify, even for a trained
gemologist. Emeralds have
long been regarded as a symbol
of fertility, rebirth and
springtime. They were believed
to protect the wearer from
the perils of long journeys.
Emerald is the birthstone
for May.
EMERALD CUT
(Also referred to as "table-cut"
or "step-cut").
A rectangular or square shaped
cut with chamfered corners
and stepped facets, typically
parallel to the girdle. This
cut is also used for precious
stones other than emeralds.
EMMONS
Emmons Jewelers, Inc., of
Newark, NY, is a costume jewelry
company that was founded by
Charles H. Stuart. Emmons
produced high-quality pieces
under the marks Emmons, and
Emmolite (and later, the Sarah
Coventry line). Emmons jewelry
was only sold at home jewelry
parties organized by an Emmons
representatives. The Emmons
mark was first used in March,
1949. The Emmolite mark (for
pieces made from base metal)
was first used in January,
1955. During the late 1950's,
the Emmons company started
using the Sarah Coventry name.
Emmons costume jewelry is
very collectible and can be
difficult to find.
EN TREMBLANT
A moveable, trembling effect
generally achieved through
the use of coiled springs
of metal mounted to the brooch
fitting, often found in antique
brooches or hair ornaments.
ENAMEL
Colored, opaque glassy
material fused onto metal,
pottery or glass. In its simplest
terms, all enamel is produced
by fusing colored powdered
glass to metal to produce
a vitreous or glass-like,
decorative surface. See Enameling.
ENAMELING
A decorative technique in
which a vitreous pigment of
metallic oxide is mixed with
finely powdered glass is applied
to the surface of a metal--normally
bronze, copper, silver or
gold. This glass composition
adheres to the metal through
fusion under very high temperatures.
The color of the enamel and
its degree of transparency
depend on the metal oxides
that exist in the glass and
the temperature at which the
glass melts and coheres to
the surface. Popular during
the mid-Victorian period was
a solid black, blue, or white
enamel used to fill engraved
designs. See Arts and Crafts,
champlev?, cloisonn?, faberge,
filigree enamel, guilloche,
and plique-a-jour.
ENGAGEMENT RING
A ring set with a gemstone,
(usually a diamond), that
is traditionally given to
a woman by a man to signify
their intention to be married.
ENGRAVE
To decorate metal by gouging
a design with graver's tools;
embellishing metal or other
material with patterns using
a stamping tool or drill.
This was a popular technique
in mid-Victorian jewelry.
The resulting depressions
were often filled with colored
enamel in a technique called
champlev?. Also refers to
inscribing a dedication or
monogram to identify a piece.
Stamped pieces can be designed
to imitate hand engraving.
Under magnification, the design
is much more sharp in a hand
engraved piece, with subtle
irregularities.
ENGRAVING
Any pattern design or mark
that is cut into a piece of
jewelry with a special engraver's
tool; The process of cutting
or carving lines into a surface.
ENHANCED
Nearly all gemstones
available today have been
enhanced to bring out their
best color or to strengthen
them. For example, an accepted
industry practice in the polishing
process for sapphires involves
heating the stones to bring
out their color. This process
simply extends what nature
began, since it is heat and
pressure that give gemstones
their color in the first place.
EPIDOTE
A silicate of alumina, lime,
and oxide of iron, or manganese.
It is commonly of a yellowish
green (pistachio) color.
ESPO
ESPO and ESPO-FLEX are the
marks of Esposito Jewelry,
Inc., a costume jewelry company
located in Providence, Rhode
Island, USA. These marks were
first used in 1951.
ESSEX CRYSTAL
(also called Reverse Crystal
Jewelry) A clear crystal is
cut as a cabochon. A carving
is made on the flat side,
like an intaglio, and painted
with a thin layer of mother
of pearl to produce a three-dimensional
effect.
ESSONITE
(Also called "Cinnamon
stone") A brown or yellowish-brown
variety of garnet.
ESTATE JEWELRY
The term does not necessarily
refer to jewelry that has
come from an estate, but simply
jewelry that has been previously
owned.
ETCHED
Very faintly carved decoration
scratched onto the surface
of a piece.
ETCHED FINISH
An etched finish on a metal's
surface reduces the metal's
reflectivity. It is done by
using harsh chemicals to eat
into the surface or by cutting
into the surface using a sharp
tool.
ETERNA GOLD
A trademarked name for
a type of 14k gold that is
more durable, more luminous
and more resistant to tarnishing
than other 14k gold products
ETERNITY RING
A ring set with a continuous
line of gemstones.
ETRUSCAN REVIVAL
Like Egyptian revival, which
drew inspiration from the
archaeological digs in Egypt,
Etruscan revival was a popular
style of jewelry in the 19th
century that drew its inspiration
from the archeological discoveries
at Herculaneum and Pompeii.
ETUI
French for "case",
an etui is a small, usually
ornamental, case for holding
articles such as needles,
scissors, tweezers, and other
articles of toilet or of daily
use.
EUCLASE
A silicate of alumina and
glucina occuring as light
green, transparent crystals
with a brilliant clinodiagonal
cleavage. Named after the
Greek word "euklas",
in French "euclase",
meaning "to break",
because it is so brittle.
EUGENE
Eugene was a jewelry designer
who worked for Miriam Haskell
and later started his own
company around 1950. Eugene
pieces were produced until
the 1960's. These pieces are
often complex, having beads
and pearls, rhinestones, or
enamel work.
EUROPEAN CUT
A style of diamond cutting
popular from approximately
1890 to the 1930s typified
by a round girdle, a smaller
table in relation to the diameter
of the stone, and a large
culet. The large culet appears
to create a hole at the bottom
of the diamond when viewed
from the top, since the large
culet lets light escape instead
of reflecting back to the
viewer.
EUROPEAN WIRE
A means of attaching an
earring to a pierced earlobe
with a curved wire which passes
through the earlobe and clasps
shut.
EVERGREEN TOPAZ
EverGreen (R) is a trademarked
type of diffusion-treated
topaz. This deep green stone
is produced by heating a cut,
colorless topaz with coloring
chemicals (mineral oxides),
resulting in a thin layer
of green coating the outside
of the stone.
EXCELLENT CONDITION
A piece of jewelry in Excellent
condition will show reasonable
evidence of wear, and have
developed a fine patina. See
condition.
EXCELSIOR DIAMOND
The Excelsior is the second-
or third largest diamond
(depending on whether or not
the Braganza
diamond was actually a
diamond). This irregular-shaped
blue-white diamond was roughly
995 carats.
It was found in l893 by a
worker at the De Beers mine
at Jagersfontein, Orange Free
State, South Africa. The Excelsior
diamond was cut in 1904 by
I.J. Asscher
and Company of Amsterdam into
21 stones, including a 69.80-carat
marquise, an 18-carat marquise
stone (which was displayed
at the l939 World's Fair by
the De Beers company), and
many other stones.
EXPORT
To carry, send, or transport
a commodity abroad for trade
or sale.
EXTENDER CHAIN
A chain which may be attached
to another chain in order
to increase the length.
EYE AGATE
An agate that when cut
at the right angle reveals
a series of concentric rings
resembling an eye. Unlike
other agates which are categorized
by their color, this agate
is distinguished by the pattern.
Eye agates come in a large
variety of colors.
EYEPIN
A type of finding, an eyepin
is simply a long piece of
wire with a loop, or "eye",
at one end, resembling a needle
with an extra-large eye. Beads
are strung along the wire
to settle on the loop so that
they don't fall off the other
end. The long end is then
crimped or attached to another
finding, such as an ear hook.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
