product knowledge of merchandising

ore

a metal bearing rock that contains one or more metallic minerals. natural pure metals are gold, silver, copper, and platinum

ferrous

metals that are iron bearing

non-ferrous

metals which do not contain iron

is gold ferrous or non-ferrous

non ferrous

white gold

gold alloyed with palladium, silver, or zinc

rose gold

gold alloyed with copper

yellow gold

gold alloyed with silver and copper

casting

melted metal poured into a mold

drawing

pulling metal through increasingly smaller holes

extrusion/drawn stock

hot metal forced through a shaped die to create rods, pipes and hollow tubes

forging

hammering heated metal to a desired thickness with a hammer and anvil

soldering

an alloy, most commonly tin or lead, is heated and applied to the 2 surfaces that are being joined.

brazing

"hard solder" using brass, uses high heat and is stronger than plain soldering

welding

pressure, fusion, or resistance

riveting

passing a pin or bolt through a hole

numismatic gold

pure gold that is made into cpis

gold vermeil

gold that is plated or coated over a sterling silver base. the gold must be 1/40 of the total weight

etching

using acid to remove a small amount of metal so that there are recessions or depressions in the metal

hammering

tapping a design onto the surface using a hammer

repousse

hammering a design to make a 3 dimensional design, the hammering is done from the underside of the piece

Florentine

minute scratches are cut into the surface of the metal

4 basic methods of metal fabrication

casting, stamping, extrusion, forging

the lost wax method

a metal casting technique where a wax model is used to create a mold, which is then filled with molten metal, resulting in a cast piece that replicates the wax model's design

stamping

uses steel dies to create a 2d impression in sheet stock metal. used for mass production jewelry

enameling

cold method: is painted like nail polish but uses epoxy paints

heated enameling: more difficult and costly, uses ground glass

cloisonné

filigree wires are soldered onto metal to define a design. glass granules are melted into the appropriate spaces

plique a jour

similar to stained glass, glass granules are melted between unbacked filigree wire designs, very delicate

what are the precious gemstones

diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds

mohs scale

scale determining the hardness of a stone

diamonds

10 on the mohs scale, formed from coal/carbon

emerald cut

oblong shape , 49 facets, rectangular

brilliant cut

58 facets on a round stone

crystalline shape

repeated and identical molecular structure

amorphous

lacking a systematic arrangement of cells

what is the least reliable way to identify a stone

its color

the four C's

cut, color, clarity, carat

the five c's

color, cut, clarity, carat, country of origin

how is color graded

graded from d to z. d represents as close to perfect as you will find in nature, the more colorless. rating goes down as stone gets more yellow and brown

corundum

mineral that contains trace elements of chromium, which gives a ruby the red coloration of the stone

sapphire

formed from the mineral corundum, with traces of iron and titanium. can also be green, orange, and yellow

emerald

formed from the mineral, beryl, that has traces of chromium

alloy

solid mixture of two or more elements, usually metal, that are cooled

amalgam

alloy with mercury and another metal

costume jewelry

any jewelry made from materials other than precious and semiprecious stones or metals

bridge jewelry

is between costume and fine jewelry price points, can use 14k gold of 10k gold, sterling silver, and vermeil finishes. often used semi precious of faux stones

findings

the mass-produced components used in jewelry, including: clasps, hinges, pre-manufactured settings, earring backs, and pin closures

when was the first watch with a machine made part produced

1836

when were portable timepieces developed

1400s

where did the watch industry in the us first develop

the east coast, primarily Connecticut and massachusetts

what are the main components of a watch

case, dial, crystal, hands, mainspring, crown, bezel

crown of a watch

the winding mechanism on a mechanical watch, also sets the hands

bezel

the rim around the dial

analog watch

moving hands on a dial to indicate time

digital

numeric time display on the dial

automatic

a self-winding mechanism, such as the movement of your wrist which winds the mainspring

mechanical

a watch movement that is gear driven (analog) that requires winding the mainspring which will then uncoil. does not use a battery

quartz watch

a battery operated watch movement.

amber

fossilized tree resign

stras

brilliant glass used to make artificial gemstones

baroque pearls

any pearl with an irregular shape

nacre

a smooth, iridescent, and hard substance that's also known as mother-of-pearl. found in the inner shell of an oysters mollusk

Orient pearl

A pearl that has formed naturally, with no human intervention

teri

the result of a combination of light reflection and light interference, which causes the pearl to shine from the inside out

Cabachon

gemstone that has been shaped and polished, as opposed to faceted. usually resulting in a flat surface