Jewelry Term Definitions – Alphabetical G’s
Garnet Gemstone
Garnet - A semi precious stone that is generally red in color. Includes Bohemian Garnets, which were used extensively in Victorian turn of the century jewelry.
Gemstones - Precious and semi-precious stones used in jewelry. Examples include diamonds, emerald, agate, ruby tourmaline, blood stone, cat's eye, and many others.
German Silver - A metal alloy that consists of copper, nickel, and zinc. Invented in Germany in the 1860s as a substitute for silver.
Gold - A soft, yellow, corrosion-resistant element, which is a soft metal used as an international monetary standard, and in jewelry for decoration. The symbol for this element is Au. Gold is typically combined with other metals to strengthen it enough to be made into jewelry. In the U.S. gold is measured in Karats, which refers to the number of parts of pure gold per 24 in an alloy. For example 14Karats means 14/24 parts pure gold, or about 58%. In European countries it's common to mark gold with the number of parts per thousand. A piece marked 585 means 585 per 1000 parts gold, equivalent to U.S. 14K.
Gold Filled - Abbreviated G.F. Jewelry made with a thin layer of gold on top of base metal. To qualify as gold-filled a piece must be at least 1/20 Gold Fill, or 12kt. This means it's at least 1/20th gold and is layered with 12kt gold.
Gold Plated - A very thin layer of gold applied to base metal by means of electroplating. Usually wears much faster than gold filled jewelry. Many times gold plated jewelry is marked G.E.P.
Goldstone - Glittery translucent quartz spangled with bits of mica or other minerals.
Guilloche - Pronounced "gee-oh-SHAY". An process by which an enamel finish is applied over a carved metal surface.
Filed Under: Jewelry Terms Glossary
About the Author: Wanda Fitzgerald is a Florida native and an vintage charm collector who loves to share her adventures in an e-commerce jewelry business with anyone who is interested.
