Costume Jewelry Glossary
As I explore the world of costume jewelry, I will be adding more terms to the glossary. Consider this a work in progress.
aurora borealis (or AB): stones or beads coated with an iridescent finish that shines rainbow colors
bezel: securing a stone in a strip of metal without prongs
bling: flashy, ostentatious jewelry, usually worn by rappers, but now part of my everyday attire
brooch: a lovely old-fashioned word for a large, decorative pin. My daughter doesn’t ever wear a brooch, but my grandmother did!
button earring: a flat, round earring that fits over the earlobe and has no dangles
cabochon: a polished gem cut convexly without facets
chandelier earrings: Earrings with dangles that hang from a base
cluster setting: smaller stones mounted around a central, larger stone
door knocker earrings: earrings with two main parts, where the bottom part swings from the upper piece, like a door knocker!
figural: jewelry that looks like real animals, flowers, objects
fruit salad: fruit made from colorful molded glass or plastic stones
graduated: necklace strung with larger beads in the front that taper to smaller beads at the back
hammered: shaped or worked with a hammer and often showing hammer marks
parure: a French word meaning a set of three or more matching jewelry pieces (earrings, necklace and brooch, for example). A demi-parure is two matched pieces.
pave: stone settings so close together that no metal shows
rhinestones: artificial clear or colored stones made of glass or quartz crystal
ruticulate quartz: quartz with hair-like inclusions made up of rutile crystals
shoulder dusters: chandelier earrings that are long enough to brush your shoulders
