- Cabochon: a polished gem that is not faceted

- Vintage: refers to something that either is or has been designed in an old style, often from the 1900’s

- Filigree: ornamental work in which thin strands of wire are bent into shapes, such as roses or vines, or into specific patterns; the wire may stand on its own or may be soldered onto a piece of metal or jewelry

- Blown glass: a glass-shaping technique in which molten glass is inflated into a bubble using a blowpipe

- Sterling silver: an alloy of silver that is comprised of at least 92.5% pure silver—hence the reason that “.925” is stamped on sterling silver jewelry!

- Oxidized: combined with oxygen molecules to create an oxide, which is a kind of rust; a technique in jewelry-making that adds the look of age or depth to a piece

- Stainless steel: a form of steel that contains chromium and is resistant to tarnishing and rust

- Swarovski crystal: man-made gems created in Austria, named after Daniel Swarovski, who invented a machine that makes these precision-cut gems from a certain combination of quartz, sand, and minerals—the exact “recipe” for these crystals is a company secret!

- Inlay: a material, design, or pattern that is embedded into a piece of jewelry

- Celtic: type of design modeled after ancient Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Gaelic, and British symbols

- Snake chain: a tight-linked chain with a circular or square cross-section that gives off the appearance of a snake’s scales.

- Nickel-free: containing no nickel, a metal that some people are allergic to

- Millefiore: a type of decorative glass created by fusing multicolored glass pieces

- Mother of pearl: a pearlescent material found on the inside of mollusk shells; often used as an inlay in jewelry

- Pearl: an organic gem created by mollusks in response to the presence of a foreign body within their shells; they take years to create

- Rhodium: a platinum-like metal that is a liquid at room temperature; often added over base metals to give them a platinum gleam

- Facet: a small, flat surface cut onto a polished stone

- Cubic zirconia: man-made gems that closely resemble diamonds but have slightly different properties; often called CZ’s