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	Faceting Cutting and polishing of the surfaces of a gemstone into facets. The number and shape of the facets give the stone its style of cut.
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	Trichroic Refers to a gem that appears three different colors or shades when viewed from different directions.
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	Secondary Deposit Gems or minerals that have been separated from their original rock and redeposited elsewhere.
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	Placer Deposit Concentrated (secondary) deposit of minerals, usually in rivers or seas.
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	Geode Cavity within a rock, in which crystals line the inner surface and grow toward the center.
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	Amorphous Without a regular internal atomic structure or external shape. Examples are glass, opal, or amber.
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	Spectroscope Instrument used to view the absorption spectra of gemstones.
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	Schiller A form of platy iridescence.
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	Opalescence Milky blue form of iridescence.
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	Moh´s Scale of Hardness Measure of a mineral´s hardness in relation to other minerals, based on its ability to resist scratching.
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	Birefraction The difference between the highest and lowest refractive indices in doubly refractive gems.
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	Allochromatic Refers to gems colored by impurities, without which the gem would be colorless.
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	Annealing A heat treatment of metal that realigns its crystalline structure to its natural, more malleable state. Annealing removes stresses created in manipulation during the work process.
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	Refraction Bending of light as it passes from air into a different medium.
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	Fancy Cut Name applied to a stone given an unconventional shape when cut.
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	Alloy The result of combining two or more metals, or a metal and a chemical element. For example, sterling silver is an alloy composed of pure silver and copper.
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	Centrifugal Casting A casting technique whereby molten metal is thrust into a mold by centrifugal force. The most common method is by means of a spring driven arm supporting a crucible and a mold flask.
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	Species Individual gems that have distinct characteristics which may be defined and verified.
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	Luster Shine or "look" of a gemstone due to reflection of light off the surface.
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	Buffs Buffs are usually layered cotton, muslin, felt or leather layered and mounted on a motor driven spindle. Buffs are charged with abrasive compounds and spun against surfaces to cut and polish and buff the metal.
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	Synthetic Gemstone Laboratory made stone whose chemical composition and optical properties are similar to those of its natural equivalent.
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	Stone Term used for any gemstone.
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	Doublet Composite stone made of two pieces cemented or glued together.
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	Primary Deposit Material still in its original rock.
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	Intergrown When two or more minerals grow together and become interlocked.
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	Habit Shape in which a crystal naturally occurs.
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	Composite Stone Stone assembled from several pieces, often to imitate a gem.
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	Cabochon Gem cut and polished to have a domed outer surface. Such stones are said to be cut en cabochon.
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	Axis of Symmetry Imaginary line through a crystal. If the crystal were rotated about its axis, it would present an identical aspect two or more times in a rotation of 360 degrees.
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	Refractometer Apparatus used to measure the refractive indices of gems.
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	Imitation Gemstone Material that has the outward appearance of the gem it is intended to imitate, but which has different physical properties.
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	Alluvial Deposits Concentrations of material that have been separated by weathering from the host rock, then deposited by rivers or streams.
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	Chasing A surface embellishment technique applied to the front of a form. Chasing punches are commonly used to refine or delineate the front of cast or repousse` decorated work.
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	Pavilion Lower part of a cut stone, below the girdle.
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	Paste Glass made to imitate gems.
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	Hydrothermal Refers to processes that involve the alteration or deposition of minerals by water heated by igneous activity.
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	Dapping Punch A punch with a spherical work tip. It is used to form domed pieces from discs of flat sheet metal. The metal is tapped into a steel dapping block that has hemispherical recesses.
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	Intrusive Igneous rock that has solidified within other rocks, below the Earth´s surface.
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	Crypotcrystalline Mineral structure in which crystals are so small they are not distinguishable with a microscope.
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	Conchoidal Fracture Shell like fracture.
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	Annealing Booth An enclosed area designed to keep light off the workpiece during the annealing process. The metal´s color or annealing point can be seen much sooner in a darkened area.
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	Refractive Index Measure of the slowing down and bending of light rays as they enter a gemstone. May be used to identify individual gem species.
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	Organic Gem Gem made by or derived from living organisms.
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	Granite Coarse grained igneous rock comprising mainly quartz, feldspar, and mica.
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	Metamorphic Rocks Rocks that have been changed by heat and/or pressure to form new rocks consisting of new minerals.
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	Mineral Inorganic, naturally occuring materials with a constant chemical composition and regular internal atomic structure.
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	Cleavage Breaking, or tendency to break, of a stone along lines of weakness related to the internal atomic structure.
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	Asbestos A natural rock fiber that is flame-resistant. It has been used to make insulation, protective gloves, solder pads, flask liners, etc.
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	Multicolored Used to describe single crystals made of different colored parts.
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	Intaglio Design in which the subject is cut lower than the background.
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	Inclusions Markings or foreign bodies found within a stone. Some can be used to identify a particular species.
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	Drawplate A plate of hardened steel with holes of graduated sizes through which wire is pulled to alter its dimension.
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	Sedimentary Rock Rocks formed by the consolidation and hardening of rock fragments, organic remains, or other material.
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	Metamict Refers to material that is breaking down from a crystalling to amorphous state, due to the presence of radioactive elements.
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	Basal Pinacoid Feature relating to crystal symmetry. A columnar or prismatic crystal with flat ends may be referred to as having a basal pinacoid.
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	Carat A unit of measure used to determine the weight of gemstones - one carat equals 200 milligrams.
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	Polycrystalline Refers to a mineral made of many small crystals.
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	Columnar Type of habit in which crystals form in the shape of columns.
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	Chatoyancy The cat´s eye effect shown by some stones when cut en cabochon.
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	Heat Treatment Application of heat to a gem with the purpose of enhancing the color or clarity.
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	Faces Flat surfaces that make up the external shape of a crystal.
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	Cut Term used to describe the way in which a stone is faceted.
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	Bezel A metal collar fitting around a stone to secure it into the jewelry piece.
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	Lava Molten rock erupted from volcanoes.
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	Dispersion The splitting of white light into its constituent spectral colors - the rainbow of colors - when it passes through inclined surfaces, such as those on a prism or faceted gem. Dispersion in a gem is called fire.
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	Binding Wire Soft iron used to hold joints and pieces of metal in the desired position while being soldered.
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	Dichroic Refers to a gem that appears two different colors or shades when viewed from different directions.
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	Casting The pouring or introduction of a molten material into a mold.
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	Crystal Structure The internal atomic structure of a crystal. All crystalline gems may be classified in one of seven groups according to the symmetry of their structure: cubic, tetragonal, hexagonal, trigonal, orthorhombic, monoclinic, and triclinic.
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	Girdle Band around the widest part of a cut stone where the crown meets the pavilion.
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	Asterism Star effect seen on some stones when cut en cabochon.
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	Damascus Steel Pattern welded, laminated steel originally popularized in Damascus. Today´s process is a modification of the original technique.
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	Specific Gravity (sg) Density, measured as the weight of the material, compared with that of an equal volume of water.
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	Schist Metamorphic rock in which the crystals are in parallel arrangements.
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	Rough Term used to describe a rock or crystal still in its natural state, before faceting or polishing.
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	Massive Used to describe minerals that have an indefinite shape or that consist of small crystals in masses.
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	Gemstone Decorative material, usually a mineral, prized for some or all of the qualities of beauty, durability, and rarity. It is used synonymously with gem, stone and jewel.
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	Cameo Design in low relief, around which the background has been cut away. The result is a design that protrudes from the base of the stone.
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	Botryoidal Shape similar to a bunch of grapes. An example of this habit is malachite.
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	Ductility A metal´s capacity to be drawn into wire. A good indicator of a metal´s ability to stretch.
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	Crucible A ceramic or graphite container in which metal is melted.
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	Burr A rotary steel cutting tool used in a flexible shaft machine.
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	Pegmatite An igneous rock formed as residual liquids from magma cool, often forming large crystals.
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	Mammillated Smooth rounded shape.
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	Lapidary Craftsman who cuts and polishes gemstones.
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	Facet Surface of a cut and polished gem.
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	Crown The angled facets on a gem just above the girdle.
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	Rhomb A shape much like a skewed cube.
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	Platy Habit characterized by flat, thin, platelike crystals.
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	Crystal A solid that has a definite internal atomis structure, producing a characteristic external shape and physical and optical properties.
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	Anvil Usually a heavy supporting surface over which metal is hammered. Anvils have a traditional form composed of a squarish base, flat face, and tapered horn.
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	Carat (ct) Unit of weight for gems. A carat is one fifth of a gram.
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	Absorption Spectrum Pattern of dark lines or bands seen when a gem is viewed through a spectroscope.
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	Diffraction The splitting of white light into its constituent spectral colors - the colors of the rainbow - when it passes through a hole or grating.