Essential Resources

Carbon Steel

A type of steel that contains carbon, with other alloys making up a trace portion. This term is also used generically to refer to steel that's not stainless.

Briolette

A briolette is an elongated, pear-shaped stone covered with bands of triangular or rectangular facets, usually with a pointed end and without a girdle.

Vermeil

Vermeil items are made of sterling silver, electroplated with gold. Vermeil has an equivalent of 2-1/2 microns of 24Kt gold.

Titanium

Neutral gray, lightweight metal. After manufacturing into the desired shape, such as earposts, the base metal titanium can be anodized into six colors.

Bridge Jewelry

A category of jewelry generally thought of as the "bridge" between fine jewelry and costume jewelry. It may use vermeil, gold-filled or sterling silver metals and semi-precious stones such as amethyst, citrine, turquoise, jade, topaz, cultured freshwater pearls, garnet and others. Most bridge jewelry is artisan-made, but it can also be mass produced.

Bead

A generally hard material, in any shape and small to medium size, which contains a hole for stringing.

Troy Ounce

The "ounce" used for precious metals differs from the avoirdupois ounce, used for non-precious metal. One troy ounce = 31.1 g. One avoirdupois ounce = 28.4 g.

Sterling Silver

Items made of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper or other alloy, proportions fixed by law. Sterling silver will "patina" in time, taking on an antique look.

Stainless Steel

Get technical with stainless steel! Uncover its composition, delve into its myriad applications in jewelry- making, and explore the diverse varieties available.

Silver-Plated

A fine silver film deposited on a base metal by electrolysis, in the same kind of electrically-charged bath used to make gold electroplate.

Station

A pendant that is the focus of a design.

Pottery Shard

A piece of broken pottery.

Silver-Finished

Also called Silver Color or "washed." The base metal is brass or steel and the product is electroplated with a non-standardized thickness of silver.

Accu-Guard

A horseshoe-shaped loop of metal used to cradle and protect beading wire, thread or cord from fraying through contact with metal components such as clasps or links.

Polymer Clay

A plastic sculpting material made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), used to create jewelry beads and components.

Pewter

A metal alloy that is largely made from tin with trace elements, like copper or antimony added for hardness. Older or classic pewter contains tin while lower grades of pewter may contain lead or zinc and have a darker silver-grey color. Newer or modern pewter uses antimony or bismuth rather than lead.

Nickel Silver

An alloy, mostly containing nickel, popularized in German and Native American jewelry. Nickel silver resembles sterling silver in color, with a greyer tone.

Nickel-Plated

Items have an industry standard of .15 to .25 mils thickness of nickel which is plated to the surface of the base metal.

Preciosa Crystal Beads - Color and Effect

Discover the vibrant world of Preciosa Crystal with our handy chart! Identify, color match, and shop for the perfect crystals for your creative projects.

View Chart