Glossary

(A little bit of help on some of those confusing jewelry terms)
14kgf Fourteen karat gold-filled, made by heat and pressure bonding a thin layer of gold to a brass core.  When worn, 14kgf acts as 14k gold against the skin and holds up very well.
Cabochon Any precious or semi-precious stone cut in a convex shape and polished but not faceted.
Cinnabar beads These Chinese beads are carved boxwood stained red to appear like the Mineral Cinnabar.  Some are left in the natural state of black.
Cloisonné  Miniature masterpieces created by skilled artisans, each bead can take up to four hours to produce.  Dozens of tiny cells are arranged on the bead surface, filled with enamel color and fired.  Then, each bead is polished revealing intricate and beautiful designs.
Crow beads Large beads generally used for Native America regalias, chokers, necklaces etc. Large holes for stringing, they are made of opaque glass, translucent glass, and plastic.


Czech Czechoslovakia
E. Indian silver Lower quality than Sterling silver, but it is quite beautiful, handmade and ornate.
Freshwater Pearls Often known as Biwa pearls as they originated from Lake Biwa in Japan, freshwater pearls are mostly cultured in China today.
Givré The word means frost, and was used in the early to mid 1900s to label crystal beads that have a clear or light color layer of glass over an inner core of color.
Heishi Heishi means "shell" and specifically refers to pieces of shell drilled and ground into beads and then strung into necklaces. Most recently, however, heishi (pronounced hee-shee) has come to refer to handmade tiny beads made of any natural material.
Margarita A swarovski crystal shaped like a flower.
Milk Glass Milk Glass is a term used for opaque white glass. It looks like white porcelain. It was first made in Venice in the 14th or 15th century.  The opaque white color is usually made with tin oxide.
Millefiori Complex mosaic beads developed during the first millennium BC.  Very colorful beads made by placing slices of millefiori cane on a molten base bead and heating until the cane colors run together then pressing into a round shape.
Occupied Japan Beads made in Japan during the1940's.
Patina The natural weathering of copper to the characteristic blue-green or gray-green hue, a direct consequence of the mild corrosive attack of airborne sulfur compounds.
Pewter A dull silver-gray alloy of tin with brass and copper.  We use only 100% lead free pewter.
Scarabs Scarab beads with hieorglyphics engraved on them were placed in the mummifying fabric to accompany bodies to the after-life in ancient Egypt.  Made in 1920's Czechoslovaki, Egyptian style beads became popular after Tutankhamon's tomb was opened in 1922.
Sommerso beads Venetian beads Sommerso beads are named after the technique which submerges different colors beneath clear glass. The use of aventurina gives them sparkle.
Sterling Silver A term used to describe silver alloy that contains 92% silver and 7.5% copper.  Legally, 7.5% of any metal may be used with the product still marked "sterling".
Swarovski In 1895 Daniel Swarovski founded a family-owned company specializing in the cutting of jewelry stones.  These crystals were so superior in quality that the company's name was soon well-known in Paris, America and the Russian Empire.
Venetian Italian beads named after the Venice glass work area that was moved to the island of Murano in 1292. Venice is still a major bead manufacturing area today.
Vintage Generally, beads and crystals dating from the 1930's to the 1980's.


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