Jewelry Designers Glossary, Part 5 - Da to Dif

In Part 5 of my jewelry designers glossary we consider jewellery terms from "Da" to "Dif", including perhaps the most popular jewel of all, the diamond. Once again I've illustrated this week's edition with some stunning pieces of jewelry that I found for sale on Etsy, all individually handmade by artisan jewelry designers

D is for …

Dalmation Jasper Bracelet
by mcrdesigns

Dalmatian Jasper/Dalmatiner
Dalmatiner, also known as spotted jasper, is a brown-and-black-speckled form of jasper and named after the spotty-coated Dalmatian dog breed it resembles

Damascening
The inlaying of a soft metal, such as gold, silver or copper, into a hard base metal such as steel

Danburite
Danburite is a fairly common calcium boric silicate which ranges from colourless through to yellow, tan, and occasionally pink colours. Its brilliance rivals topaz, but its dispersion is very modest so  most cut Danburite gemstones lack fire. It is a hard, durable stone that can generally be cut into most of the common gemstone shapes, but because large and facetable specimens are rare, it is still relatively unusual for this stone to be used in jewellery

Ebony Elegance Dangle Earrings
by ErikaPrice

Dangle
Any part of a piece of jewelry that hangs free and can move with the wearer, adding motion to a piece

Dangle Earrings
Also called drop earrings, dangle earrings hang below the earlobe

Dangle Ring
A ring featuring a dangling gemstone, or having metal chains hanging off the main ring band



Dead Soft
Very soft-tempered metal that is easily bent and malleable

Dead Spot
Part of a gemstone that has dull areas, or areas that poorly reflect the light

Deco Style

Bluebird Deco Style Necklace
by ArtMadeByTammy

A term for a jewellery style derived from the Art Deco movement and typified by abstract designs and linear, geometric patterns

Delica Beads
A brand of small cylindrical seed bead used in beadwork, manufactured by Miyukii of Japan. Delica beads have larger holes than regular seed beads and come in three sizes: 11/0 (the smallest), 10/0, and 8/0

Demantoid
A rare and glittering green variety of garnet

Demi-Hoop
A design forming only half a circle or loop, and also known as half-hoop design

Demantoid Garnet Ring
by Master68uk

Demilune
A stone or piece of jewellery shaped like a half moon

Demiparure
A matching set of two or three pieces jewelry, usually containing a necklace, earrings, bracelet and/or a brooch or pin

Dentelles
Rhinestones cut with 32 or 64 facets

Depose
The rights or patent granted for an exclusive jewelry design in France
Depth

Beautiful Designer Jewelry
by WearableByDesign

The measure of a cut gemstone from the tip of the pavilion to the table

Designer Jewellery
This term is used both for jewellery created by a specific jeweller designer, and for jewellery designed to cater to a particular trend

Diadem
A jewelled crown that fully encircles the head, and is worn by male and female monarchs

Diamanté
A faceted, glittery glass bead such as a rhinestone

Diamond

The birthstone for April, diamonds are clear transparent precious gemstones composed of pure crystallized carbon. The carbon has been highly compressed over millions of years, resulting in the hardest natural substance known to mankind. Diamonds are cut to a uniform ideal for maximum brilliance (white light reflections), fire (flashes of color) and scintillation (play of light). The quality and value of a diamond is rated by colour, cut, clarity and carat weight

Diamond Ring
by Laura Stamper Designs

The weight of a diamond is determined in carats (see Part 3), while the cut of a diamond is always designed to maximize its natural fire. Emerald, Heart, Marquise, Oval, Round Brilliant, Pear, Princess and Radiant cuts are the most popular diamond cuts

Inclusions are tiny natural features within the body of a diamond, many of which can only be seen under magnification. Thus a diamond’s Clarity depends on the number and size of these flaws. Flawless diamonds are rated FI, with the next best being IF (flawless at 10x magnification), through a series of V, S and I ratings, to PK which has inclusions that are visible to the naked eye

Diamonds range in colour from colourless, yellow, orange, brown, to almost black. Rarer colours, such as red, blue, green, and purple, are called fancies. Colourless and near-colourless diamonds are rare, and to the untrained eye, most diamonds look white. However, there are small differences in the degrees of whiteness seen. The colour, or saturation, of a diamond is rated on an alphabetical scale ranging from D (white) to Y (yellow), with Z for the fancy coloured diamonds in red, blue, green, and purple. Most coloured diamonds used in jewellery today are treated using a process called colour enhancement

Diamond Accent
Jewellery featuring one or more diamonds with a combined carat weight of less than one-quarter of a carat

Diamond Cut Ring
by onegarnetgirl

Diamond Cut (Gemstones)
Another name for a Brilliant Cut

Diamond Cut (Jewellery)
Jewellery which has been surface-cut using a diamond-tipped tool. The hardness of the diamond cuts through the metal to create a criss-crossed surface pattern that reflects more light and therefore appears to have more sparkle

Diamonique
A brand name for cubic zirconias made by QVC Inc

Dichroic
The effect observed when two different colours are observed in a gemstone when viewed from different angles. Examples of dichroic gemstones include Alexandrite and Opal

Dichroic Glass
Dichroic coated glass transmits some wavelengths of light and reflects others, giving it a distinctive metallic appearance. The glass is coated with a very thin metal film, such as aluminum, chromium, silicon, zirconium, colloidal gold or the metal alloy titanium, which makes the glass change colour slightly when viewed at different angles

Dichroic Glass Pendant
by RadicalGlass

Dichroism
The property of certain types of gemstone to show two different colours or shades when viewed from different angles. Many minerals like rubies are naturally dichroic, but the effect can also be created artificially by depositing a thin layer of metallic oxide on the surface of a material

Dichroite
Another name for Iolite, a transparent dichroic gemstone



Dichroscope
An instrument used to view the different colors of a dichroic mineral or determine is a gemstone is dichroic. Dichroscopes are used by jewellers to categorize a rough stone that has not yet been cut or faceted, or to determine the central axis or true colour of a gemstone

Die
A mould used for shaping metal by force. When used to draw (reduce) wire, the die is a block of hardened metal though which a shaped hole of a known dimension runs. Wire can be gradually reduced in size by drawing it through a series of dies

Dichroic Glass Pendant
by DebrasDivineDesigns

Die Stamping
Commonly used in the mass-production of jewellery findings, die stamping is a process in which sheet metal is cut and shaped between two dies, forming a pattern in relief. Two steel dies are used, the “male” die has the design in cameo (protruding) and is placed on top of the metal, while the “female” die has the design hollowed out and is put on the underside of the metal. A press is forcefully brought down on top of the dies and metal, and this forces the metal into the shape of the mould. The technique is also referred to as machine-stamping

Diffusion
Diffusion is the process of enhancing the colour of a stone by heating it in the presence of compounds such as iron oxide, chromium oxide and titanium dioxide. This alters the natural colour of the extreme outer surface of the stone, and may also change the stone's refractive index. If the stone is faceted, the colour will appear stronger where the facets meet. The process is commonly used on sapphires and topaz