CHANNEL SETTING:  A type of setting in which stones of the same size are held in place by a continuous strip of metal at the top and bottom literally creating a channel for the stones.

CLARITY GRADE:  The quality of a diamond in terms of the clearness or absence/presence of imperfections, expressed according to standard scale.

CLAW SETTING:  A style of ring settings in which the stone is held by a series of vertically projecting prongs.

COLOR GRADE:  The color quality of a diamond, expressed according to a scale of letters representing different grades of color (see “Grading Section”). Crystal clear, or absolute lack of coloration, is the most desirable, these are often referred to as “white” diamonds.

CROSS-OVER:  A style of ring, bracelet or brooch in which the stone set decorative portions overlap and lie alongside each other.

CUSHION CUT:  A square or rectangular shape with rounded corners. Also called “antique cut”.

EMERALD CUT:  A style of rectangular or square cut, featuring steps of elongated facets.

ENGRAVED:  To cut into, to form a pattern or design either by hand or machine.

EYE-CLEAN:  A diamond in which no internal imperfections can be seen with the naked eye by a person with normal vision.

FANCY DIAMOND:  A colored diamond, whose color is intense enough to be a plus rather than a minus. Faintly colored stones are invariably worth less than pure colorless ones.

FILIGREE:  Ornamental open work executed in fine gold or silver wire.

FLAW:  A blemish or imperfection, either on the surface of a diamond or the interior.  This may be in the form of a scratch, feathering, carbon spots, etc… Bad color is not technically considered a flaw; nor is anything relating to the proportioning or cut.

FOUR C’s:  Common trade term to collectively describe the major considerations in a diamond’s value: clarity, color, carat and cut.

GERMAN SILVER:     A silver-white alloy composed mainly of copper, zinc and nickel, called silver but containing none.

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