Jewelry Designers Glossary, Part 6 - Din to Dy

Welcome to the latest edition of my jewelry designers glossary. In Part 6 we are taking a look at jewellery terms from "Din" to "Dy". The contemporary jewelry in this edition was made by members of Jewelry on Etsy (JETs) and members of Starving Artists - both teams comprise artisans specialising in designing stunning individually handcrafted jewelry. And I couldn't resist using two photos of beautiful old pieces from a couple of my favourite sources of vintage and antique jewellery here in the UK

London Blue Topaz Dinner Ring
by Emerald Pixie
D is for ...

Dinner Ring
An alternative name for a Cocktail Ring (see
Cocktail Ring, Part 4)

Dinosaur Bone
Sometimes known as Gem Bone, Dinosaur Bone is more properly known as silicified fossil of dinosaur bone, where the bone has been replaced by chalcedony

Diopside
Green Chrome Diopside Earrings
by EleganceAndSparkles
A crystallized silicate of lime and magnesia , gem quality diopside is relatively soft and brittle and most often bottle-green in colour, although it is also found colorless, brown, black, violet-green, and blue. The two most well-known varieties of Diopside are the emerald-green Chrome Diopside and the Black Star Diopside. Chrome diopside contains chromium, which gives it a rich green colour, and is relatively soft and brittle. Violane is a rare manganese-rich variety of diopside, and is violet to light blue in colour

Black Star Diopside is an opaque stone, relatively soft and brittle, that is usually black but is occasionally green. It is unique in that is has needle-like inclusions that align to produce a white 4-rayed star asterism (see Asterism, Part 1), and sometimes needle-like surface crystalline inclusions are also visible. Black Star Diopsides are occasionally confused with Black Star Sapphires which exhibit six or twelve rays. Chrome Diopside is the variety most often seen faceted, whereas Violane is generally used for beads and inlay work. Black Star Diopside is invariably cut as a Cabochon to show the beautiful asterism present in the stone

Disc Earring
A round flat stud attached to the earlobe with a post and clutch (see Butterfly, Part 2)



Diva Fashion Brooch Bouquet
by mabellecherie
Dispersion
Also known as fire, dispersion is the prism of light refracted from within a finished diamond or stone. Technically, dispersion is the splitting of white light into its constituent spectral (rainbow) colours, when it passes through inclined surfaces such as those on a prism or faceted gem

The way a stone is cut can often determine whether dispersion (rainbow) or brilliance (white light) is more prominent so, for example, a diamond with more brilliance will show fewer flashes of colour or dispersion. Most cuts are optimized to maximize both equally wherever possible

Diva Fashion
Jewellery designed to be worn exclusively by women, diva jewellery is usually quite flashy and extravagant with lots of beads, pearls, and/or faceted stones

Dog Tag Necklace
by The Beadgirl


Dog Collar
A broad necklace that fits tightly around the neck, above the collar bone, just like a dog’s collar (hence the name!) This style of choker was very Popular in Victorian and Edwardian era. Dog collars measure around 14 to 15 inches

Dog Tag
A dog tag is the informal name for identification tags worn by military personnel

Dolomite
A calcium magnesium carbonate, dolomite is a soft stone that reacts slowly to acids. It is usually white, grey or brown but can also be black if iron is present.  Zebra dolomite has bands of coarse white/grey layers alternating with finer dark-green to black layers

Domed
Jewellery with a convex shape, thicker in the center and tapering at the edges, like the outside surface of a ball or sphere

Dome Ring
by OneGarnetGirl
Dome Pearl
A solid blister pearl

Dome Ring
A ring with a solid, round cabochon setting, or a highly polished stone on top of the shank

Doming Block
Also known as a dapping block, this is a steel block with depressions used to form domes out of metal



Doming Punches
Steel punches with rounded heads, used for making dome shapes in conjunction with a doming block

Doorknocker Earrings
Dangle earrings that have a hinged base and hang below the earlobe

Double
Beaded Marquis Earrings
by gwenbeads
The bonding of a precious metal veneer, such as gold, on to a different precious metal, usually silver. Where a veneer of carat gold is bonded to another carat gold of a different colour, the process is also known as onlay

Double Hoop Earring
Double hoop earrings feature a smaller hoop inside a larger hoop

Double Marquise Jewellery
This term can refer to a piece of jewellery featuring two marquise shaped gemstones, or to the repetition of the marquise shape in the piece

Double Refraction
This is the term for the phenomenon where each ray of visible light is split into two as it enters a noncubic mineral. Each light ray in the spectrum travels at different speeds and has its own refractive index

Doublet
A doublet is a layered gemstone comprising two layers cemented or glued together. Most frequently used to imitate valuable gemstones, the technique is also used with opals to create a stone from a thin vein of precious opal that would otherwise be too fragile to use. The bottom layer is usually an inexpensive mineral such as glass or a non-precious stone with the more valuable stone cemented on top. A layer of clear quartz is sometimes added to the top of a thin stone to protect its surface or to enhance its colour, and diamonds may be enlarged by cementing to a crystal base

Art Deco Double Dress Clip Brooch from
Rebecca & Simon's Antiques and Collectables
Dramatic Style
Jewellery that is sensational in its presentation. Many costume jewellery pieces were designed in this style, and the most popular dramatic style today is the cocktail ring

Draw/Drawing
The process of passing or pulling metal though a series of reducing plates or dies to stretch, thin or shape wire

Drawn Beads
Drawn beads are glass beads, drawn from a blob of hot glass with an air bubble to make the bead hole, and sliced from a long tube

Drawplate
Dies containing a series of holes of diminishing sizes, through which wire is drawn in order to reshape it or reduce it in size

Shell Pendant with Pearl Drops
by CatsWire
Dream Catcher
Originally made using leather strips and beads, a dream catcher is a decorative object traditionally hung above the bed to prevent the sleeper having bad dreams

Dress Clip
A brooch that fastens to clothing using a hinged clip or two-pronged pin

Dress Set
A matching gentleman’s set of jewellery items. The items usually comprise cufflinks, shirt studs, and/or buttons

Drop
A small, usually teardrop shaped, ornament which dangles from a piece of jewellery

Drop Bead
A bead which is wider at one end. The beading hole may be vertical, from top to bottom through the length of the centre of the bead, or horizontal, from one side to the other through the smaller end

Pink Drop Bead Earrings
by ArtMadeByTammy

Drop Cut
Another name for a briolette, a pear-shaped cut gemstone with triangular facets

Drop Earrings
See Dangle Earrings, Part 5

Dropped Post
A functional design technique that lowers the back post of an earring, so that the entire earring is on display. This can be effective with large or heavy earrings that would otherwise droop, because the drop post creates leverage and pushes the design forward

Druk Beads
Pressed glass beads that are round and smooth

Druze/Druzy
Druzy Necklace
by Your Daily Jewels
A layer of tiny crystals that form within or on the surface of gemstones, resulting in a surface texture similar to fine sugar crystals and a striking sparkly appearance. Amethyst crystals are often found in a druze, and the inner cavity of agate geodes are often lined with a druze of sparkling quartz crystals. Although the quartz crystals may be the source of the colour, it is usually the host stone that shows through the quartz and gives it its colour

Ductile
Ductile metal is metal which is pliable and malleable, allowing it to be stretched and thinned

Duette
A combination of two clips on a pin back, that can be worn as one larger pin or as two smaller pins. Duette was originally a design registered by the Coro company, but is now used as a generic term for this particular type of jewellery

This beautiful vintage Ciro Art Deco Duette
was recently sold by Hattons Antiques of London

Dull
The term used to describe gems which exhibit an earthy or dull luster, meaning their surface does not reflect light very well (see Dead Spot, Part 5)

Dumortierite
A borosilicate mineral, typically blue or violet in colour. Similar in appearance to sodalite and lazurite, it is commonly used to imitate Lapis Lazuli




dwt
A measure of troy weight, dwt is the abbreviation for one "pennyweight", a measure used to weigh gold, silver, and jewels. A pennyweight is equal to approx 1.555 grams, and 20 pennyweights equals one troy ounce. In troy weight, there are 12 ounces to one pound, and 24 grains to one troy pennyweight

Dyed Agate Necklace
by BeadsMe
Dyed Agate
Because agate has a porous nature (see Agate, Part 1) it is often dyed to enhance its colour and beauty. It should never be cleaned with household chemicals, only warm soapy water and a soft brush. Prolonged exposure to extremes of heat can cause damage to agate, and it is advisable to store agate jewellery wrapped in fabric to avoid damage and scratching

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Comments

  1. This is a very extensive and comprehensive undertaking. I'm impressed. Thank you for including a pair of my earrings in this jewelry writing adventure!

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  2. A comprehensive must read for jewelry designers and lovers. I look forward to every next installment. I am honored you used my Druzy. Thank you Erika!

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  3. A pleasure, Gwen! Your work is gorgeous :)

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  4. wow what a great post! amazing and enlightening. thank you for including me with all these other gifted artists!

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  5. Erika, this is a lot of great information. Your blog is beautiful. Thank you also for featuring a pair of my earrings.

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  6. Fantastic Blog - very informative! I'm so honored to be featured among such amazing pieces and findings.

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  7. I love this glossary! What a fabulous idea!

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  8. Soooo cool Erika, you have a beautiful brain!

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  9. Another great post. Waiting for the next letter! LOL

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  10. Amazing work, Erika!

    Thank you so much for including my pendant in this installment!

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  11. Erika, this is wonderfully educational, beautifully photographed, and an altogether splendid read!

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  12. I'm not even a jewelry maker and I find this very useful and impressive! Nice job, Erica!

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