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PACIFIC CAT'S EYE
Pacific Cat's-eye is the operculum of
a sea snail called the Turban Shell (Turbo
petholatus, found in the South Seas north
of Australia). The operculum is part of
many shelled animals - it is the calcified,
disc-shaped "trap door" that opens and
closes to protect the animal inside its
shell. The Turban Shell's operculum is
an eye-like disc with a natural cabochon
shape - it is used in jewelry. This jewelry
was popular in Victorian Era Britain.
PADPARADSCHA SAPPHIRE
Padparadscha sapphires (also
spelled padparadschah) are a rare pink-orange
variety of corundum or the synthetic equivalent.
These gems are mined in Sri Lanka and
are usually heat treated to improve and
intensify the color. The name padparadscha
comes from the Sinhalese word for lotus
flower. Hardness = 9, Specific Gravity
= 4.
PALETTE
A palette is a board which artists
apply paint to when they are preparing
to make a painting. In regards to any
medium outside of painting, the palette
simply refers to the group of colors chosen
by a particular factory or decorator.
PALLADIUM
Palladium is a valuable, durable,
and malleable light-gray metal used in
some jewelry; it is related to platinum,
but is less dense and has a lower melting
point. Unlike platinum, palladium reacts
when exposed to aqua regia, sulfuric,
nitric, and hydrochloric acids. It also
develops a tarnish when it is heated.
Pallasium is not a shiny as platinum.
Palladium was only isolated as an element
in 1802 by William Hyde Wollaston and
Smithson Tennant. It was first used in
jewelry in 1939 (during World War 2, platinum
was used for war purposes, and was not
available for jewelry making - palladium
was temporarily used as a substitute for
platinum). White gold is sometimes alloyed
with palladium (instead of nickel), resulting
in a gray-white gold. After World War
2, palladium was rarely used in jewelry
making beacuse of some difficulties in
working with it. Palladium was recently
discovered to be useful in engine catalytic
converters, and its price skyrocketed
to over $700 per ounce (it had previously
been much less expensive than platinum
or gold) and is no longer practical to
use as jewelry.
PALMETTE
A stylized palm leaf which is
a common motif in Greek and Persian art.
PANTHER LINK
A flat chain in which each link
resembles three bricks stacked on top
of each other with the center brick offset
one half-step to the side. The offset
brick is then connected to the space left
by the offset brick of the next link in
the chain by means of a pin. These bricks
are commonly rectangular, but may also
be shaped like the diamond in a deck of
cards.
PAPER ROULE
A paper roule is a bead made
by rolling up paper (usually triangles).
PARENTI
Parenti is a rare mark seen on
beautiful, handcrafted silver jewelry
from the early 20th century. Parenti jewelry
was made by the two Parenti sisters, who
immigrated from Florence, Italy, to Massachusetts,
USA. The sisters had been trained as silversmiths
in Europe, and later opened a shop at
97 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.
Pieces from the 1930's to the 1940's-1950's
are available. The sisters had a second
shop on Cape Cod.
PARURE
A parure (meaning "personal adornment"
in French) is a matching set of jewelry,
usually containing a necklace, earrings,
brooch and a bracelet (or two bracelets).
See demi-parure.
PASTE
Paste is glass that is cut and
faceted to imitate gemstones. The Trifari
set above has high quality paste emeralds,
rubies and sapphires.
PASTILLE BURNERS
A form of incense burners popular
from 1820-1850 in the form of cottages,
churches, or summer houses, with detachable
lids.
PATE DE VERRE
Pate de verre (also known as
glass paste) is glass that is ground into
a paste, molded, and then melted. The
final piece is an opaque, dense glass
with a frosted surface.
PATINA
Patina is the change of an object's
surface layer that result from aging.
Exposure to the air for an extended period
of time oxidizes many metals, turning
copper and bronze green, and gold reddish.
Artificial patinas can be applied to newer
objects by using acids or electrolytes.
PAVÉ
Pavé settings are stones set
very close together. The stones hide the
underlying surface. In better pieces,
claw settings are used; in less expensive
pieces, the stones are simple glued in.
PAVILLION
The pavilion is the lower part
of a cut gemstone, below the girdle.
PAVILION HEIGHT
The distance from the girdle
to the culet of a cut gemstone.
PEACOCK PEARL
Peacock pearls are a type of
black pearls that are dark-green (almost
black). These pearls (like all black pearls)
are produced by the oyster Pinctada margaritifera.
PEAR CUT
A pear cut gemstone (also called
a drop cut) is teardrop shaped This type
of cut is used for pendants, drop earrings,
rings, and other pieces of jewelry.
PEARL
Pearls are organic gems grown
within oysters and a few other mollusks.
Pearls are formed when a foreign object
(like a tiny stone) has made its way into
the mollusk's shell. The mollusk secretes
nacre, a lustrous substance that coats
the intruding object. As thousands of
layers of nacre coat the intruder, a pearl
is formed; this process takes up to seven
or eight years (an oyster's useful life
span). The most valuable pearls are perfectly
symmetrical, large, naturally produced,
and have a shimmering iridescence (called
orient luster). There are many types of
pearls, including natural pearls (made
with no human interference), cultured
pearls (pearls made by inserting a bit
of a mother-of-pearl) into [nucleating]
a living oyster or by inserting a bit
of foreign tissue), baroque pearls (irregularly-shaped
pearls), freshwater pearls, seed pearls
(tiny pearls), Biwa pearls (a type of
freshwater pearl from Lake Biwa, Japan
from the freshwater mussel, Hyriopsis
schlegeli), blister pearls (grown attached
to the shell), black pearls (gray to black
pearls), Mabe pearls (cultivated blister
pearls), etc. Pearls can be gently cleaned
with mild soap and water. The biggest
natural pearl, known as the "Pearl of
Allah" or "Pearl of Lao-tse," weighs 14
pounds (6.4 kg).
PEARL OF ALLAH OR PEARL OF LAO-TSE
The biggest natural pearl, known
as the "Pearl of Allah" and later, the
"Pearl of Lao-tze," was found off the
Phillipine island of Palawan in 1934.
It weighs 14 pounds (6.4 kg). It was formed
inside a giant clam, Tridacna gigas, the
only mollusk big enough to create such
a giant.
PEARL OPAL
Pearl opal (also called Tabasheer
or tabashir opal) is an organic stone
that forms in damaged joints (nodes) of
bamboo plants. This hydrated form of silica
appears as a rounded mass of opal, and
looks like seed pearls.
PEKING GLASS
Peking (Beijing) glass was first
made in China in the late 1600's, during
the Quing Dynasty, when a German priest
introduced glass-making techniques to
he Imperial court. Early Peking glass
was made to imitate porcelain (it often
has a translucent, milky sheen). Later
(after 1725), an overlay technique was
developed in which two (or more) layers
of glass are fused together, and then
the upper layer(s) are partially carved
away, creating a multi-colored bas relief
(similar to a cameo). Peking glass and
overlay glass is used for vases, bowls,
dishes, beads, snuff bottles, and other
objects. Peking glass is still made, but
is now manufactured in Poshan, China,
and shipped to Peking for final finishing.
PEKING JADE
Peking jade is the same as jade,
but often refers to nephrite.
PELL
Pell is a costumy jewelry company
that was founded in 1941 by the brothers
Bill, Joe, Toy, and Alfred Gaita. Pell
makes high-quality pieces; older jewelry
was pedominantly figural and made of clear
rhinestones; later pieces are primarily
gold-plated with faux pearls. The pin
above is a older Pell butterfly with clear,
round rhinestones and tiny, red glass
eyes.
PENANNULAR BROOCH
Penannular brooches are a type
of early Celtic jewelry. They are circular
brooches with a long pin (oftern hinged
to the base of the pin). These pins were
used to fasten two pieces of cloth together
(before buttons were invented). The earliest-known
piece is the Hunterston brooch from 700
A.D.
PENDANT
A pendant is a hanging ornament.
Necklaces, pins, and earrings often have
a pendant. The Christian Dior pendant
shown above is costume jewelry.
PENDELIQUE
A pendelique cut in one that
is lozenge shaped. This cut is frequently
used for flawed stones. Pendelique cut
stones are often used as pendants.
PENNYWEIGHT
The symbol for "pennyweight",
or 1/20th of a troy ounce, approx 1.555
grams.
PERFUMED BEADS
Beads that release a scent when
warmed by the body.
PERICLASE
Also called periclase, magnesia
is a light, solid, white earthy mineral
composed of magnesium oxide. It is a source
of magnesium and is used as a laxative.
It takes its name from Magnesia, an ancient
city of Asia Minor, and is a mineral ingredient
of the philosophers' stone.
PERIDOT
Peridot (also known as the "evening
emerald" and chrysolite) is a yellow-green
semi-precious stone with an oily luster;
peridot is a transparent, green form of
olivine. Peridot exhibits double refraction;
when you look through the stone, things
appear double. For example, when looking
into a faceted peridot gemstone, the number
of bottom facets appears to be double
the actual number of facets. Most peridots
are from a volcanic island in the Red
Sea, Zebergit/St. John, the "Serpent Isle."
Peridots have been found in meteorites.
Peridot has a hardness of 6.5. Peridot
cat's eye also exists.
PETIT POINT
A stone shaped to a fine point
which is usually somewhat larger than
needle point and is characterized by being
round, oval, or having one rounded end.
PETRIFIED WOOD
Petrified wood (also called xyloid
jasper or jasperized wood) is wood that
has fossilized - all the original chemicals
in the wood have ben replaced with minerals,
making a stone-like replica of the original
wood.
PEWTER
Peweter is an metal alloy that
is composed mostly of tin combined with
lead, antimony, bismuth, copper, and/or
silver (the formulation varies quite a
bit). When pewter is polished it has a
silvery luster. Most pewter is over 90
percent tin. Pewter is a soft alloy that
is worked by casting, hammering, or turning.
PHENACITE
A glassy, colorless mineral occuring
in rhombohedral crystals composed of beryllium
silicate. From the Greek for imposter,
deceiver, phenacite is a silicate of glucina,
and receives its name from its deceptive
similarity to quartz. It is sometimes
used as a gemstone.
PHOSPHATE
A salt composed of the most highly
oxidized acid of phosphorus, and forms
an important and extensive series of compounds.
PHOSHORUS
A highly reactive, poisonous,
nonmetallic element occurring naturally
in phosphates, especially apatite, which
is found as a white, or yellowish, translucent
waxy substance, having a characteristic
disagreeable smell and a faint glow.
PICTURE JASPER
An opaque tan colored variety
of jasper with medium and dark brown patches
that make the "pictures."
PIDIDDLY LINKS
Pididdly Links is a costume jewelry
company that was formed in 1969 in Lake
Katrine, New York. Pididdly Links creates
antique reproduction pieces (including
pins, earring, necklaces, bracelets, and
barrettes) in Victorian, Art Nouveau,
and other decorative stlyes. The jewelry
mostly has a gold-tone finish and Swarovski
crystals.
PIERCED
A hole punched completely through
an object.
PIERCED EARRINGS
Earrings that are attached to
an ear by means of a wire or post that
is inserted through a hole pierced in
the ear.
PIERCED WORK
Pierced work is jewelry (or other
metal work) that has patterns cut out
of the metal. Pierced work is done with
a piercing saw, a tiny chisel, or a stamping
machine (with a die as the pattern). When
a saw is used, the pattern is drawn on
the metal, then a small hole is drilled
in each of the future holes. The saw is
then used to cut out the desired areas.
PIETRA DURA
Pietra dura (meaning "hard rock")
is an ancient technique of inlaying semi-precious
stones (like alabaster, agate, onyx, lapis
lazuli, jasper, topaz, and carnelian)
into marble or other soft stone. This
art form superficially resembles mosaics.
PIGEON'S-BLOOD
A deep red-violet shade of ruby
which is the most desirable color of ruby.
PIN
A pin (also brooch) is an ornament
that can be pinned to a garment. The pin
above is by Trifari.
PINS
Jewelry attached to clothing
by means of a small metal rod with a sharp
point.
PINCHBECK
Pinchbeck (also known as "false
gold") is a alloy of copper that looks
like gold. Pinchbeck was invented by the
British watchmaker Christopher Pinchbeck
(1672-1732) in the early 18th century.
Pinchbeck consists of 83% copper and 17%
zinc. Ironically, there have been many
imitations of Pinchbeck (which itself
is an imitation).
PINK GOLD
Pink gold (also known as rose
gold) is gold with a tinge of pink. It
has been alloyed with a mix of 90% copper
and 10% silver.
PINK TOPAZ
Pink Topaz (Aluminum silicate
fluoride hydroxide) is a very hard pink
gemstone. Pink topaz is usually created
by irradiating common yellow topaz. Topaz
has a hardness of 8 and a specific gravity
of 3.5-3.6.
PIQUE
Pique is a tortoise shell inlaid
with precious metal (usually gold or silver).
Pique is made by inserting hot metal into
the tortoise shell; the hot metal melts
the shell upon contact.
PLAGIOCLASE
Another name for Oligoclase.
PLAIN
An object with one plain uniform
color and no decorations of any kind.
PLANE OF SYMMETRY
A plane of symmetry is a plane
that divides a solid into two mirror-image
pieces of the solid.
PLATING
Plating or electroplating (also
called Galvanotechnics after its inventor,
Luigi Galvani) is a process in which one
metal is coated with another metal using
electricity. In jewelry, inexpensive metals
are frequently electroplated with more
expensive metals, like gold (gold plating),
copper (electrocoppering), rhodium (rhodanizing),
chromium (chromium plating), or silver
(silver plating). The thickness of the
metal coat varies. Electrogilded coating
is the thinnest (less than 0.000007 inches
thick); gold-cased metals have a coating
thicker that 0.000007 inches.
PLATINUM
Platinum is a very strong, dense
precious metal with a white color. Platinum
jewelry is usually 90%-95% pure, is very
sturdy, and holds stones well; to strengthen
the metal and increases the workability
of the platinum, platinum is usually alloyed
with 5 to 10 percent of another platinum
group metal (like ruthenium, palladium,
or iridium) and/or cobalt. Platinum is
60% heavier than gold. Platinum was only
discovered in the 1700's in Russia. Platinum
is abbreviated Pt. and Plat.
PLATINUM GROUP METALS
The Platinum Group Metals (abbreviated
PGM) are the precious metals platinum,
iridium, palladium, ruthenium, rhodium,
and osmium. They are all rare (platinum
and palladium are the most common) and
expensive; they are also often found together
in nature.
PLEOCHROISM
Pleochroism is the property of
having more than two colors, especially
when viewed from different angles. In
pleochroic minerals, a single stone will
show many colors (in the case of Iolite,
violet-blue, light blue, and yellow-gray
will be visible).
PLIQE Á JOUR
Plique à jour is a back-less
enamel that is a bit like stained glass.
In plique à jour, the enamel work is translucent
(light shows through it) since the backing
of the enamel is absent. Cells of enamel
are surrounded by delicate wire. Plique
à jour is made by shaping cloisonné wire
on a thin sheet of metal (or mica). Enamel
(powdered glass) is fired into the wire
cells. After the enamel has melted and
cooled, the backing (metal or mica) is
peeled away and the translucent enamel
is left suspended in a supporting framework
of cloisonné wire.
POESY
A ring or other piece of jewelry
with a short love poem inscribed on it.
Popular in the medieval period.
POINT
A point is a hundredth of a carat
or 0.002 gram.
POISON RING
A small hinged box secured to
a ring which is made to resemble a normal
setting, but can be opened to reveal a
small space which could conceivably be
used to hold poison. See also Prayer ring.
POISON PENDANT
A small box worn as a pendant
that could conceivably be used to hold
poison. See also Prayer pendant.
POLISH
The process of rubbing an object
to make it smooth and shiny and reduce
the appearance of flaws.
POLYCHROME
Literally meaning "many colored",
in the context of jewelry it simply refers
to a decoration that uses three or more
colors.
POLYPROPYLENE
A hard, tough polymer of propylene
used as a thermoplastic molding material.
POLYURETHANE
A polymer containing urethane
used as plastic, adhesive, paint, rubber,
or to form a tough, resistant coating.
POPPY JASPER
An opaque variety of jasper with
colors such as brick red, white, brown,
and blacks.
PORCELAIN
Porcelain is often used in jewelry.
It is made of fine clay (containing kaolin)
which is fired in a kiln to about 2,000°F.
The porcelain is covered with a glassy,
decorative glaze.
POROSITY
Areas of the mold that absorbed
some of the casting material leaving the
cast object with a rough, granular surface.
POROUS
Porous stones have tiny holes
in them. These holes allow water, oils,
and other substances to penetratethe stone,
frequently changing their appearance over
time. Many stones are porous, including
turquoise.
POST
The pin that sticks out the back
of a stud earring. The post goes through
the pierced ear and is secured in place
with a catch that slides onto it behind
the earlobe.
POSY
An alternate spelling of poesy
POT METAL
Pot metal is an inexpensive metal
alloy, usually containing lead. It is
sometimes used for inexpensive costume
jewelry.
POTASH
Any compound containing potassium.
POTASSIUM
A common soft, silver-white,
alkali metal element that is only found
in nature as a compound with other elements.
It is obtained by electrolysis of its
common hydroxide, oxidizes rapidly in
air and reacts violently with water, and
is used in glass making, soap making,
in fertilizers, and in many drugs and
chemicals.
POURED GLASS
Poured glass is a jewelry technique
in which glass is suspended within a metal
framework. The result is a stained-glass-like
effect with translucent glass. The Trifari
brooch above is made of yellow glass.
PRASE
A translucent leek-green variety
of chalcedony varying in color from light
green or light grayish-green.
PRASE OPAL
Prase opal is a green, translucent
opal that looks quite similar to chrysoprase
(hence the name "prase") or jade. This
type of opal is found in Tanzania, Africa.
This gem does not display the iridescence
found in some opals.
PRAYER RING
A small hinged box secured to
a ring which is made to resemble a normal
setting, but can be opened to reveal a
small space which could be used to hold
a small piece of paper with a prayer written
on it. See also Poison ring.
PRAYER PENDANT
A small box worn as a pendant
that could be used to hold a small piece
of paper with a prayer written on it.
See also Poison pendant.
PRECIOUS GEMSTONE
Gemstones that are highly valuable
for their hardness and rarity. There are
only four precious gemstones: diamonds,
sapphires, emeralds and rubies.
PRECIOUS METAL
Metals valued for their color,
malleability, and rarity. There are only
three precious metals: gold, silver and
platinum.
PRECIOUS STONE
A precious stone (also called
a gemstone) is one that is valuable and
rare.
PRINCESS CUT
A princess cut is a square-cut
stone. This fancy cut is relatively new
and is also known as a Quadrillion or
Squarillion cut.
PRINCESS LENGTH
A princess length necklace (usually
referring to a string of pearls) is 18"
long.
PROMISE RING
A promise ring is a pre-engagement
ring, usually with a relatively small
stone.
PRONG SET
Prong set stones are held securely
in a setting by tiny metal claws.
PRONG SETTING
A gemstone held in place by small
finger-like wires attached to the bezel
and bend over the edges of the stone.
PROVIDENCE
Providence, Rhode Island, is
a major US center for costume jewelry,
silversmithing, and other metalwork. Many
costume jewelry companies are/were located
in Providence, including Monet, Danecraft,
Barclay, J.J., Lang, Trifari, Speidel,
Van Dell, and many, many more.
PRYSTAL
A prystal is an imitation crystal
made from translucent, phenolic plastic.
PT.
Pt. is an abbreviation for platinum.
PUNCHES
Pointed tools used for stamping
a design on a surface.
PURPLE DIAMOND
Purple diamonds are rare, fancy
diamonds and are quite valuable. Diamonds
are precious, lustrous gemstones made
of highly-compressed carbon; they are
one of the hardest materials known. Diamonds
have a hardness of 10, a specific gravity
of 3.5, and a refractive index of 2.417
- 2.419.
PYRALIN
See French Ivory.
PYRITE
Pyrite (also known as fool's
gold) is a shiny, metallic mineral that
is a form of iron. Marcasite stones come
from pyrite.
PYROLUSITE
The most common ore of manganese
composed of manganese dioxide. It is a
soft, iron-black to dark-steel-gray colored
mineral and is used extensively in creating
brown and green tints of glass.
PYROPE GARNET
Pyrope garnet is the familiar
deep red garnet. Red garnet is the birthstone
for January. Garnet has a hardness of
6-8 and a specific gravity of 3.5 - 4.3.
The formula for garnet is: A3B2(SiO4)3.
Pyrope garnet is also called (misleadingly)
American Ruby, Arizona Ruby, Australian
Ruby, Bohemian Ruby, California Ruby,
Cape Ruby, Colorado Ruby, Elie Ruby, Montana
Ruby, and Rocky Mountain Ruby.
PYROXENE
Any of a group of crystalline
minerals common in igneous rocks containing
two metallic oxides . Pyroxene is a silicate
of lime and magnesia with sometimes alumina
and iron. Though it was named after the
Greek words for "fire" and "stranger"
because it was supposed to be a rare occurence
in igneous rocks, it is actually quite
common. It varies in color from white
to dark green and black.
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