Jewelry Designers Glossary, Part 9 - Fa to Fin

Red Hibiscus Cuff
© Faberge 2011

If you've been following this occasional series of jewelry terms, which I began back in January, you'll know this latest installment is long overdue - sorry, I've been rather busy lately! Anyway, better late than never, here is part 9 of my Glossary, where we will be looking at terms beginning with Fa to Fin

With the exception of the fabulous (and fabulously expensive!) Faberge cuff pictured right, all the handcrafted jewelry pieces illustrating this edition were made by members of the Jewelry on Etsy (JET) team and are available for purchase from the Etsy website

You may also be interested to learn that the JETs have just been named as the winners of Etsy's first ever Team Spirit Award - You can read the announcement here: Team Spirit Award - well done the JETs!




F is for…



Faberge
Legendary Russian goldsmith and jeweller to the Tzars of Russia

Faces
Faces are the flat surfaces that make up the external shape of a crystal

Faceted Lavender Earrings
by CrystalImpressions

Facet/Faceting
Facets are small flat planes cut on the surface of a three-dimensional geometric shape such as a cut and polished gem, glass or crystal, to allow the stone to sparkle

The process of cutting and polishing the surface of a gemstone into facets is called faceting, and the cut is chosen to enhance the stone’s appearance and maximize the reflection of light. The number and shape of the facets give the stone its style of cut


Faith Ring
Also called Fede Rings, Faith rings have a bezel cut or cast in the form of two clasped hands to symbolising faith, trust or engagement. They date from Roman times and were popular throughout Europe in the Middle Ages

Customised Family Jewelry
by thebeadgirl

False Topaz
Another name for yellow quartz

Family Jewellery
Jewelry embellished with the name or relationship of a member of the family

Fancy Cut
Also known as fantasy cuts or fancy shapes, Fancy Cut describes any type of gemstone cut in a shape other than the standard round-cut. Examples include single cut marquise, emerald, pear, heart, square and baguette, as well as variations of common cuts such as oval

Fancy Diamond
A diamond in a colour other than white, including yellow, blue, green, red, and black

Rough Cut Fancy Jasper Bracelet
by DesignedByVal

Fancy Jasper
An opaque gemstone varying in shade from pastel green to forest green, pink to purple-red and yellow-gold. Often these colours are found in the same stone

Fan Ring
A ring that resembles a fan when worn

Faux
The French word for false, fake, artificial or imitation (pronounced "foe")

Glass Pearl Bracelet
by DesignsbyCher

Faux Pearls
Imitation pearl beads that are made from plastic or glass, but have the look and feel of real pearls

Feathers
A fissure in a precious stone or diamond, usually only a tiny crack. The feather may not affect the strength or beauty of the stone, but depending on the depth or location can make the gemstone more fragile and susceptible to cracking

Fede Ring
See Faith Ring

Feitsui
Feitsui is the royal stone of China, a highly prized variety of pale green jade

Howlite Earrings with Gray Feldspar
by RoughMagicCreations

Feldspar
A group of common rock-forming minerals that have a vitreous lustre, and are usually white or nearly white, flesh-red, bluish, or greenish in colour. The feldspar family includes Amazonite, Labradorite and Moonstone


Fetish
An amulet, pendant or charm believed to have magical powers to protect its owner. Fetish charms are often in the shape of small animals or birds

Fibula
A clasp or brooch worn by ancient Greeks and Romans to fasten their togas

Figaro Chain
A style of chain with an alternating series of one long link and three short links

Silver Figure Eight Earrings
by TraceDesigns

Figogucci Chain
A chain with twisted, diamond-cut links that lie flat like a curb chain

Figural Jewelry

Jewellery made to look like real objects such as animals, birds and flowers

Figure of Eight Earrings
Also known as infinity earrings or infinity hoops (because they look like the symbol for infinity), these are earrings that have been twisted or formed to resemble the number eight

Figure of Eight Safety Catch
A type of safety catch, in which a hinged wire in the shape of a figure eight closes over a pin

Filigree
Intricate and lacy metalwork, typically in gold or silver, featuring plain or decorative curves, twists, plaits and spirals. Also known as telkari work, filigree jewellery can be made with the wire soldered to a metal backing, or as openwork without a metal base

Topaz filigree ring
by metalicious

Filigree Enamel
Similar to cloisonné enamel but made with twisted wire instead of flat strips of metal

Fimo
A German brand of polymer clay that can be shaped and baked in the oven to harden

Finding
A component used in jewellery making, such as a clasp, bail, headpin & jump ring

Fine Condition
A piece of jewellery which shows very slight wear, but not enough to have developed a patina


Fine Gold and Silver

Fine Silver Sakura Blossom Pendant
by ErikaPrice

Fine Gold is gold in its purest form, that is 24ct gold, unalloyed and with no additions or impurities. Similarly Fine Silver is silver in its purest form, unalloyed with no additions or impurities, and may be hallmarked as .999FS

Finish
The way the surface of a piece is polished or textured. Popular metal finishes include brushed, hammered, matte and shiny mirror finish

Finish (Florentine)
Also known as brushed finish, a Florentine Finish is crosshatching, applied by hand with a line graver to the surface of metal


Read Previous Instalments of My Glossary Glossary Part 1 - A Glossary Part 2 - B Glossary Part 3 - Ca to Ch Glossary Part 4 - Ci to Cz Glossary Part 5 - Da to Dif Glossary Part 6 - Din to Dy Glossary Part 7 - Ea to Em Glossary Part 8 - En to Ey