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List of Pages
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The Electronic Guide of Jewellery & Giftware Terms
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| DESIGN STYLES |
These are some of the styles that influence the jewellery that is currently being designed and sold in the marketplace. Some of the styles overlap in time while some are still being developed today.
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| ART DECO |
The geometric style that succeeded Edwardian jewellery inspired by the French "Art Decoratif" movement, from the 1920's and 30's. . Zigzags and sharp angles rather than the curves of the Art Nouveau era characterized this style. Coloured stones were utilized more, and the opaque stones such as jade, onyx and coral were set in geometric shapes. Sleek animals such as Borzoi and Greyhound dogs were featured in some designs. The style started out with relatively delicate designs but more geometric and angular than the previous Edwardian style and progressed to more the more bold and blocky style also called Art Moderne.
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| ART NOUVEAU |
A flowing style of jewellery with sinuous curves and naturalistic motifs produced mainly from 1890s - 1915. It typically has flowing lines and highly stylised depiction's of floral motifs, beautiful women, and fantasy creations inspired by nature. A common motif was a women's head with flowing hair.
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| ARTS & CRAFTS |
A design movement that began in the late 1800s as a rebellion against the mass-produced, machine made designs of questionable aesthetic value common in the late Victorian era. The designers felt that their work should look handmade, and therefore they often left hammer marks on the piece. Although pieces were made of gold, silver was more commonly used to emphasize the craftsmanship of the piece rather than the intrinsic value of the components. Stones were commonly less expensive cabochon stones such as moonstone, mother or pearl, agates or amber. Enamel work was also used.
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| CELTIC |
This style is derived from the myths and legends of the Celtic Races. Visual punning and metamorphosis are common: the eye is tricked into seeing a number of animals or faces if the object is turned or the patterns allowed to dissolve and reform themselves into different configurations. Geometry and numbers are the bedrock of Celtic art. The circle and the number 3 are particularly significant. Underlying all of this art is a deep appreciation of the potential for natural forms - leaves, animals, and faces - to shape the Celtic ideas of beauty or good taste.
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| JEWELLERY FINISHES |
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| ROLLED GOLD |
Rolled gold is a very thin sheet of gold alloy that is laminated to both sides of a base metal alloy (usually brass). The layers of metal are heated under pressure to fuse them together. The sheet is then rolled until it was thinned down to the desired thickness. The item is then punched out or cut from the sheet and the bare edge covered and then used to make jewellery or other object. Rolled Gold wire is also made in a similar way with the core a base metal alloy (usually brass) and rolled or drawn to get the desired diameter.
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| VITREOUS ENAMEL |
Vitreous Enamel is a glassy substance (powdered glass with colorants) fused normally onto metal using heat (see basse taille, cloisonné, champlevé, guilloche, and plique à jour). Several layers of enamel may be fired in succession. The enamels may be translucent or opaque. |
| BASSE TAILLE |
Basse taille is a type of enamelling in which translucent enamel (powdered glass with colorants) is applied over a metal surface that has been textured by etching, engraving, stamping or chiselling by hand. This results in the metal background and the pattern over it being seen through the translucent enamel. |
| CHAMPLEVÉ |
(meaning sunken enamel) Champlevé is a method of applying enamel (powdered glass with colorants) to metal in which the design is first outlined on the metal surface by cutting lines into the surface by engraving, etching or otherwise grooved . The engraved grooves are then filled with enamel, then fired to a glassy sheen, and polished |
| CLOISONNÉ |
Cloisonné is a method of applying enamel (powdered glass with colorants) to metal or porcelain in which the design is first outlined on the surface using a metal wire. The space between the wires is filled with enamel and then fired to a glassy sheen. Technically the chamber formed by the wire enclosure is known as a cloison |
| GUILLOCHE |
Guilloche is a type of enamelling in which translucent enamel (powdered glass with colorants) is applied over a metal surface that has been textured by engraving, stamping or chiselling using an engine-turning lathe. This results in the metal background and the pattern over it which is extremely regular and precise, predominantly in radiating patterns of sunburst and rosette design or linear patterns such as moiré silk and wave design, being seen through the translucent enamel. |
| PLIQUE À 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) that will not bond to the enamel. Enamel (powdered glass with colorants) is fired into the wire cells. After the enamel has melted and cooled, the backing (metal or mica) is peeled away or may be etched away and the translucent enamel is left suspended in a supporting framework of cloisonné wire. |
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| WEIGHTS & MEASURES |
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| AVOIRDUPOIS |
Avoirdupois is a weight system, utilized by the United States and some Commonwealth Countries, for measuring commodities except precious metals, precious stones and medicines. The unit weight is the pound (7000 grains) and is divided into 16 ounces. This system was made illegal for trade to the public in England from 1st Jan 2000 and replaced by the metric |
| CONVERSION TABLE |
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Grains |
Grams |
Penny-
Weights |
Troy
Ounces |
Avoir-
dupois
Ounces |
Avoir-
dupois
Pounds |
Troy
Pounds |
| 1 Grain |
1 |
0.064799 |
0.041667 |
0.002083 |
0.002286 |
0.000143 |
0.0001736 |
| 1 Gram |
15.4324 |
1 |
0.643014 |
0.032149 |
0.035274 |
0.002205 |
0.0026791 |
1 Penny-
Weight |
24 |
1.555174 |
1 |
0.05 |
0.054857 |
0.003429 |
0.0041667 |
1 Troy
Ounce |
480 |
31.10348 |
20 |
1 |
1.097143 |
0.068571 |
0.0833333 |
1 Avoir-
dupois
Ounce |
437.5 |
28.34952 |
18.22917 |
0.911458 |
1 |
0.06250 |
0.0759549 |
1 Avoir-
dupois
Pound |
7000 |
453.5924 |
291.6667 |
14.58333 |
16 |
1 |
1.215278 |
1 Troy
Pound |
5760 |
373.2417 |
240 |
12 |
13.16571 |
0.822857 |
1 |
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| GRAIN |
One of the earliest units of weight standardized in 1233 by Henry III. One grain being the equivalent of one grain of barley. It was found that 32 grains of dry wheat taken from the middle of the ear weighed the same as 24 grains of barley and barley was easier to obtain. |
| PENNYWEIGHT |
One of the earliest units of weight standardized in 1233 by Henry III. One pennyweight being the equivalent of 32 grains of dry wheat taken from the middle of the ear. This was also the nominal weight of silver in an English silver penny of that time. |
| TROY |
Troy is a weight system for measuring precious metals and precious stones. The Troy pound (5760 grains) is divided into 12 Troy ounces. It is possibly named after a weight used at the annual fair at Troyes in France in the Middle Ages. |
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