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 earrings: a flat, (usually round) earring that fits flat 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 ring or cluster setting: smaller stones grouped together; there may be a central stone, but it is not significantly larger than those surrounding it. If the center stone is larger, and encircled by smaller stones, that is called a halo.
demi parure: a matching set of jewelry, containing a necklace, earrings, and/or a pin
door knocker earrings: earrings with two main parts, where the bottom part swings from the upper piece, like a door knocker!
drop earrings: earrings that drop below the earlobe, usually with a gemstone, charm or bead that hangs from the base of the earring.
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
halo: a larger, center stone encircled by smaller stones.
hammered: shaped or worked with a hammer and often showing hammer marks
mille grain (or millegrain): a texture effect in metal that looks like thousands of tiny balls. It’a a technique that originated in the 19th century, and can look like a tiny metallic rope encircling a jewel.
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.
negligee necklace: a long necklace with two drop ends, usually of irregular length. Frequently ending with tassels or drop jewels. Popular during the Edwardian era.
pave: stone settings so close together that no metal shows
rhinestones: artificial clear or colored stones made of glass or quartz crystal
rutilated quartz: quartz with hair-like inclusions made up of rutile crystals
shoulder dusters: chandelier earrings that are long enough to brush your shoulders