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Whether it's understanding
gemological or jewelry terms in an
article you're reading or simply
gaining a greater understanding of
the world of jewelry and gemstones,
our Jewelry & Gem Dictionary is a
handy reference guide. And, unlike
most dictionaries, ours makes for
interesting reading all on its own!
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WATERMELON TOURMALINE
Watermelon tourmaline is a tourmaline gemstone that
is multicolored, going from pink to green. The
Schreiner pin above is made of paste (glass)
watermelon tourmaline.
WATER SAPPHIRE
"Water sapphire" is not a true sapphire, but is
iolite, a more common, softer, and much less
expensive mineral. It is a transparent, violet-blue,
light blue or yellow-gray mineral. Iolite is
pleochroic; a single stone will show many colors (in
the case of Iolite, violet-blue, light blue, and
yellow-gray). Iolite has a hardness of 7 - 7.5.
Iolite is found in Sri Lanka, India, Madagascar and
Burma.
WAX PEARL
Wax pearls are hollow glass beads that are filled
with wax and resemble pearls.
WEDDING CAKE BEADS
Wedding cake beads are lamp worked glass beads that
are decorated with intricate, colorful glass
overlays, often of roses and decorative swirls and
dots. This type of bead was originally made in
Murano, Italy.
WEDGWOOD
Wedgwood is an old pottery company that also makes
some porcelain jewelry. The company was founded in
Burslem, England in 1752 by Josiah Wedgwood (1730 -
1795), who was Charles Darwin's grandfather. Their
signature Jasper ware (white on blue porcelain
formed into a cameo) is made into pins, pendants,
and necklaces.
WEISS
The Weiss company made high-quality costume jewelry
from 1942 until the 1970's. The company was founded
in New York City by Albert Weiss, a former employee
of the Coro Company (the largest costume jewelry
manufacturer). Weiss' jewelry was often studded with
Austrian rhinestones. The Weiss Maltese cross brooch
(above left) has red paste stones and a Japanned
finish. The paisley-shaped pin has faux emeralds,
malachite and pearls.
WELD
Welding is a process that joins two pieces of metal
using very high heat. Rolled gold is formed in this
fashion.
WHITE GOLD
White gold is gold that has been alloyed with a mix
of nickel, zinc, copper, tin, and manganese (and
sometimes palladium). White gold was originally
developed to imitate platinum during World War II
(during this time in the US, platinum was considered
a strategic material and its use was prohibited for
most non-military applications, like jewelry
making).
SPJ's
Favorite Sources
for Diamonds, Colored Gemstones, and Antique,
Vintage & Estate Jewelry
Original Diamonds ¿
Artistic Colored Stones
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Multicolour
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