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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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