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WATERMELON TOURMALINE
Watermelon tourmaline is a
tourmaline gemstone that is
multicolored, going from pink
to green. The Schreiner pin
above is made of paste (glass)
watermelon tourmaline.
WATER SAPPHIRE
"Water sapphire"
is not a true sapphire, but
is iolite, a more common,
softer, and much less expensive
mineral. It is a transparent,
violet-blue, light blue, or
yellow-gray mineral. Iolite
is pleochroic; a single stone
will show many colors (in
the case of Iolite, violet-blue,
light blue, and yellow-gray).
Iolite has a hardness of 7
- 7.5. Iolite is found in
Sri Lanka, India, Madagascar
and Burma.
WAX PEARL
Wax pearls are hollow glass
beads that are filled with
wax and resemble pearls.
WEDDING CAKE BEADS
Wedding cake beads are lampworked
glass beads that are decorated
with intricate, colorful glass
overlays, often of roses and
decorative swirls and dots.
This type of bead was originally
made in Murano, Italy.
WEDDING CUP
The tradition of the Jungfrauenbecher,
meaning "maiden's cup" originated
in Germany during the 16th
century. The legend goes that
a goldsmith was challenged
by the father of the girl
he loved to build a cup that
two people could drink from
at the same time in order
to marry his daughter. He
came up with a chalice with
a split in the handle which
suspended a cup on a swivel.
The contraption is now often
referred to as the wedding
cup for the role it plays
in nuptial feasts. The bridegroom
drinks a toast out of the
larger cup and then rights
the figure, without spilling
the wine in the smaller pivoted
bowl, which is then to be
drunk by the bride. The Jungfrauenbecher
has also been known as the
"wager cup" - the challenge
is having the couple drink
from both cups at the same
time without spilling the
contents of either.
WEDGWOOD
Wedgwood is an old pottery
company that also makes some
porcelain jewelry. The company
was founded in Burslem, England
in 1752 by Josiah Wedgwood
(1730 - 1795), who was Charles
Darwin's grandfather. Their
signature Jasper ware (white
on blue porcelain formed into
a cameo) is made into pins,
pendants, and necklaces.
WEISS
The Weiss company made high-quality
costume jewelry from 1942
until the 1970's. The company
was founded in New York City
by Albert Weiss, a former
employee of the Coro company
(the largest costume jewelry
manufacturer). Weiss' jewelry
was often studded with Austrian
rhinestones. The Weiss Maltese
cross brooch (above left)
has red paste stones and a
Japanned finish. The paisley-shaped
pin has faux emerals, malachite
and pearls.
WELD
Welding is a process that
joins two pieces of metal
using very high heat. Rolled
gold is formed in this fashion.
WHITER AGATE
A form of agate from the chalcedony
family which is semi-translucent
with white to yellowish-white
banding.
WHITE GOLD
White gold is gold that has
been alloyed with a mix of
nickel, zinc, copper, tin,
and manganese (and sometimes
pallladium). White gold was
originally developed to imitate
platinum during World War
II (during this time in the
US, platinum was considered
a strategic material and its
use was prohibited for most
non-military applications,
like jewelry making). White
gold jewelry is sometimes
plated with rhodium.
WHITE MARBLE
White colored crystalline
limestone used primarily in
sculpture and architecture,
especially by the ancient
Greeks and Romans. See also
Marble.
WHITE METAL
Any combination of alloys
of nonprecious metals such
as lead and tin. Also called
"Pot Metal".
WHITE ONYX
A form of agate from the chalcedony
family which is semi-translucent
with white to yellowish-white
banding.
WHITE QUARTZ
A translucent white mineral
consisting of silicon dioxide
in crystal form. White Quartz
is basically clear quartz
with a high degree of cloudiness.
It is usually uniform in terms
of the color, but has areas
of more or less opacity.
WHOLESALE
Of, relating to, or engaged
in the sale of goods in large
bulk or quantity for resale
by a retailer or jobber rather
than directly to consumers.
WIDTH
The horizontal measurement
across the widest area of
an item of jewelry.
WWJD
Stands for "What Would Jesus
Do?". Worn by Christians as
a reminder to think before
acting. It is often seen on
all sorts of jewelry including
pendants, necklaces, bracelets,
and rings.
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