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ACRYLIC: (Ah-crill-ick) A clear plastic material that can be molded into jewelry.

ALLOY: A fusion of two or more elements, where at least one component must be a metal. Most often used to describe the composition of the metal in a piece of jewelry.

ANTIQUE JEWELRY: Authentic jewelry from past decades, and/or jewelry styled to represent fashions of the past such as ART DECO or VICTORIAN. See also VINTAGE JEWELRY.

ARCADE SETTING: An arcade setting (also called coronet or claw setting) is one in which the stone is held in by many metal claws around a metal ring.
ART DECO: Originally a French jewelry style in the 1910s and 1920s, exemplified by distinct geometric lines and angles.

ART NOUVEAU: (new-voh) Turn-of-the century jewelry style featuring curved pieces and enamel accents.

ANNIVERSARY BAND: A ring which features gems going partially or completely around the circumference. A traditional anniversary gift, it usually matches the wedding ring set. ETERNITY BANDS are often used as anniversary bands. See also WEDDING RING SET.
ASSAY: An assay is a test of the purity of an alloy. A tiny piece of metal is scraped from the piece and the percentage of gold or silver is determined. Official assay offices determine whether a piece qualifies for an appropriate hallmark.

ASSCHER CUT: (Ash-err) A STEP CUT stone with cut corners that form 8 total edges. Made popular by recent celebrities, this cut adds a distinctive and classy touch to jewelry.

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BAGUETTE: (Bag-ette) A small, rectangular stone that is often used as an accent or border on ENGAGEMENT RINGS. Similar to an EMERALD CUT but smaller and usually more narrow.
BAIL: A bail is a triangular finding that attaches a pendant to a necklace.
BAND: A band is a ring that is made from a thin, flat, ribbon-like strip of material (usually metal). The band can be unadorned or decorated. Wedding rings are often bands.

BANGLE: A bracelet that forms a continuous circle with no clasps or openings. Usually stiff, this bracelet must slide over the hand to be worn.
BAROQUE: Baroque is a term that refers to irregularly-shaped stones or pearls.
BAR PIN: A bar pin (also called a bar brooch) is a long pin that is worn horizontally.
BARRETTE: A barrette is an ornament worn clipped into the hair.
BATON: A baton is a stone that is cut in a long, thin rectangular shape. A baton is larger than a baguette.
BEADS: Beads are small objects, each with a hole through it for stringing. Beads are made of glass, stones, wood, plastics, seeds, and ceramics.

BEZEL SETTING: (Behz-uhle) Stones are set inside a tube of metal, which holds them secure without inserting metal between them. Since the metal edges fold over the stones to hold them in place, it can make stones look slightly smaller.
BIB NECKLACE: A bib necklace (also known as a collarette) is a short necklace with flowing ornaments in the front.
BIRTHSTONE: In the 1930's, the British and U.S. jewelry industries assigned stones to the months of the year as follows: January ? Garnet, February ? Amethyst, March