Jewelry Glossary: Terms From Bail to VVS

• Karat (K or kt): gold purity out of 24 parts. 10K is 41.7% gold, 14K is 58.3%, 18K is 75%, 24K is pure.
• Solid gold: the piece is karat gold all the way through, not coated.
• Hollow: solid gold formed into a tube, lighter and cheaper than a solid link of the same size, and easier to dent.
• Gold plated: a thin layer of gold over a base metal. The FTC requires plated items to be marked as plated.
• Gold filled: a thicker layer of karat gold bonded to a base metal, at least 1/20 of the item's weight by industry rules.
• Vermeil: gold plating over sterling silver.
• White gold: gold alloyed with white metals, usually coated with rhodium for a bright white look.
• Rose gold: gold alloyed with more copper for a pink tone.
• Two-tone or tri-color: two or three gold colors in one piece.
• Hallmark or stamp: the mark showing karat (10K, 14K, 585, 750) and often the maker.

More detail: carat vs karat.

• Carat (ct): diamond weight; 1 carat is 0.2 grams.
• CTW or TW: total carat weight of every stone in the piece added together. See what total carat weight means.
• Point: one hundredth of a carat; a 25-point stone is 0.25 ct.
• 4Cs: cut, color, clarity and carat, the grading system GIA created.
• Color grade: D (colorless) to Z (light yellow). E is the second-highest grade.
• Clarity grade: FL, IF, VVS1, VVS2, VS1, VS2, SI1, SI2, I1, I2, I3.
• VVS: very, very slightly included; inclusions are very hard to see even at 10x.
• VS: very slightly included; minor inclusions seen with effort at 10x.
• Inclusion: a natural internal mark in a diamond.
• Lab-grown diamond: a real diamond made in a lab, chemically the same as a mined one. The FTC requires the origin to be disclosed.
• Natural diamond: a diamond mined from the earth.
• Moissanite: silicon carbide, a different stone that looks like diamond.
• Grading report: a lab document listing a stone's grades, often from GIA or IGI.
• Laser inscription: a tiny number on the girdle matching the report. See diamond laser inscription.
• Girdle: the thin outer edge of a diamond.
• Melee: small diamonds, usually under about 0.2 ct, used in pavé and halos.

• Prong: a metal claw holding a stone; four and six prongs are common.
• Bezel: a metal rim that wraps the stone's edge. On a watch, the bezel is the ring around the face.
• Pavé: many small stones set close together with tiny beads of metal, so the surface looks paved.
• Micro pavé: the same idea with very small stones.
• Channel set: stones held in a row between two metal walls.
• Halo: a ring of small stones around a center stone.
• Solitaire: a ring or pendant with one main stone.
• Eternity band: stones around the whole band; half-eternity covers the top half.
• Cluster: small stones grouped to look like one larger stone.
• Illusion setting: metal shaped around a stone to make it look bigger.
• Shank: the band part of a ring.
• Head: the part of a ring that holds the center stone.

• Bail: the loop that connects a pendant to a chain. See the pendant bail size guide.
• Cuban link: thick, interlocking oval links twisted to lie flat; a Miami classic.
• Franco: a dense V-shaped link chain with four sides.
• Rope: links twisted into a spiral like a rope.
• Box chain: square links that form a smooth, boxy chain.
• Tennis chain or bracelet: a flexible line of individually set stones.
• Lobster clasp: a spring-loaded hook shaped like a claw; the most common clasp.
• Box clasp: a tab that clicks into a box, often with a safety latch, used on heavy chains.
• Spring ring: a small round clasp on fine chains.
• Width (mm): how wide a chain's link is, side to side.

• Iced out: covered in diamonds or stones. See iced out jewelry.
• Bust down: fully iced, usually a watch covered on the case, bezel, dial and bracelet.
• Flooded: another word for fully iced.
• Baguette: a long, rectangular step-cut stone, common in iced pieces.
• Pendant or piece: the charm on a chain; a custom piece is made to order.
• Bling: flashy, diamond-heavy jewelry.
• Hip-hop jewelry: bold chains, pendants and iced pieces. Browse hip-hop jewelry.

• Case size: watch diameter in millimeters, without the crown.
• Dial: the face of the watch.
• MOP: mother of pearl, a shiny dial material.
• Automatic: a mechanical movement wound by wrist motion.
• Quartz: a battery-powered movement kept on time by a vibrating crystal.
• Factory set: diamonds installed by the watch maker.
• Aftermarket: diamonds or parts added later by someone other than the maker.
• Full set: the watch with its original box and papers.

Every one of these terms shows up on real listings. Our diamond jewelry and lab diamond jewelry pages state metal, karat, stone origin and carat weight for each piece. Shopping by person? See men's jewelry and women's jewelry.