| Aegis |
a shield, sometimes decorated with a Gorgon's head, carried by a deity |
| Allegory |
the use of fictional characters to symbolize moral, religious or historical meaning |
| Alloy |
a mixture of two or more metals
|
| Antique |
having a circa-dated age of more than 100 years
|
| Art Nouveau |
a style of design popular from ca 1890 to 1920, featuring flowing, swirling lines, floral motifs and graceful human figures
|
| Chilton |
a tunic worn by men and women in ancient Greece |
| Chlamis |
a cloak worn in ancient Greece |
| Cithara |
a stringed instrument, similar to a lyre |
| Classical |
characteristic of the aesthetic elements of the visual arts of ancient Greece and Rome |
| Coin Silver |
an alloy with a ratio of 80% silver to 20% copper. Many European silver pieces are made of coin silver; these are usually marked 800 to indicate that 800 of 1000 parts are silver |
| Engraving |
lines incised into metal |
| Etruscan Revival |
a style of decoration featuring a gold beads against a flat gold background |
| Fibula |
a brooch used to clasp two sides of a garment together |
| Filigree |
intricate, lace-like ornamental work made from fine twisted wire |
| Gold electroplate |
less than 5% gold bonded thinly to base metal |
| Gold filled |
5% gold bonded to the surface of base metal |
| Gold wash |
similar to Gold Electroplate (q.v.) |
| Habille |
a cameo decorated with one or more attached jewels, typically a tiny diamond or seed pearls |
| Himation |
a cloak worn by men and women in ancient Greece |
| Intaglio |
design carved into the surface of hard metal or stone |
| Jet |
a type of shiny black stone, mined at Whitby, England, and used widely in 19th-century mourning jewellry |
| Karat Gold |
the karat of gold is determined by the ratio of gold to other metals. Gold is measured in 24 parts: if a piece is 10 karat, then it is 10 parts gold to 14 parts baser metals; 14 karat is 14 parts gold to 10 parts baser metals, and so forth |
| Kerykeion |
the messenger's staff carried by Mercury |
| Kylix |
greek libation bowl |
| Mother-of-Pearl |
the iridescent inner layer of a mollusc shell |
| Neoclassical |
the revival, in the 18th and 19th centuries, of classical aesthetics in the decorative arts |
| Nickel Silver |
an alloy of zinc, copper and nickel, whitish in color. Despite its name, it contains no silver |
| Parure |
a set of jewellry that may include earrings, necklace, bracelet and brooch |
| Pendant bale |
a loop on the back of a cameo through which a chain passes so that the piece can be worn as a pendant |
| Pewter |
a dull, silver-colored alloy of tin, antimony and copper |
| Pinchbeck |
5% or less of gold included with other metals to simulate gold. Generally longer-wearing than gold electroplate or gold washed. From a process invented in London ca 1700 and principally seen in 19th-century costume jewellry |
| Relief |
the projection of a form against a flat background |
| Repousse |
metal decorated with designs in relief formed by hammering on the reverse side |
| Retroussee Nose |
the upturned 'Barbie Doll' nose seen on 20th century cameos |
| Rodhium plated |
A thin plating of rhodium, the metallic cousin of platinum, applied to the surface of sterling silver to give a bright, shiny, durable silver-color |
| Rolled gold |
similar to pinchbeck (q.v.) |
| Suite |
same as parure (q.v.) |
| Vermeil |
gold electroplate over sterling silver |
| Vintage |
less than one years years old; in particular, dating to the first fifty years of the 20th Century |