G
Gaillard: French Art Nouveau era jewelry known for Japanese motifs.
Gallery: the undercarriage of a ring mounting.
Gardinetto or giardinetto/giardinetti (Italian for ‘little garden’): Jewelry item, often a brooch, in the form of a vase of flowers or a flower basket.
Garnet: Type of gemstone.
Garrard: British jewelers since 1843.
Gaud: a charm or trinket typically found at the end of a rosary.
Geiss: Johann C. Geiss (1771-1846) was an innovator in the field of iron jewelry.
Gem: a precious or semi-precious stone.
Gemologist / gemology: One who is an expert on gemstones / study of gemstones.
Geometric Style: A style of jewelry design that reached its zenith in the 1920s-1930s; another name for Art Deco or used to describe an aspect of Art Deco.
Georgian Jewelry: era of antique jewelry from the years 1714-1837.
Gemstone Surface Enhancements: gemstone treatments such as foiling.
Gem Phenomena: gem phenomena, or optical phenomena, are the observable characteristics of gemstones.
German Silver (also called ‘nickle silver’ or ‘alpaca’): A misnomer for silver, this is actually an alloy that looks like silver.
GGG Gadolinium Gallium Garnet: A synthetic gemstone used as an early diamond substitute.
GIA: abbreviation for the Gemological Institute of America.
Giacomo Raffaelli (1753 – 1836): an Italian artist who specialized in mosaic jewelry.
Gilding: A process of applying a thin gold film to another surface.
Girandole: A type of chandelier-like design often seen in brooches and earrings of the 17th and 18th centuries. Generally, three pear-shaped gems, usually diamonds are suspended from the main component.
Girasol: Any gem variety that has a floating, milky sheen that moves about as the stone is turned or as the light source is moved.
Girdle: The thin band that runs around the widest part of a diamond.
Gimmel Ring: (from the Latin gemellus meaning twin) is a ring that is made up of two or more separate hoops, sharing a split shank.
Giuliano, Carlo (1831-1895): Italian jeweler.
Glove Ring: A ring that is worn over a glove.
Glyptography: the art of gemstone carving used in cameo and intaglio.
Golay Fils & Stahl: Geneva jeweler, founded in 1837
Gold: A type of metal
Gold Alloy: A mixture of metals of which gold is one.
Gold Electroform: A technique in which a negative mold is put into a special gold bath. Through the use of electricity the metal builds up on the mold forming the object.
Gold Electroplating: Electroplating involves coating one metal with another through the use of a chemical bath and an electric current.
Gold-filled: A layer of gold applied to another, usually base metal, surface.
Gold plated: coated with gold by the processes that produces gold-filled or rolled gold plate.
Gold-in-quartz: A variety of quartz that is colorless or white with inclusions or granules of gold running through it.
Gold Leaf: An extremely thin layer of gold amounting to approximately 0.005 mm in thickness.
Gold Nugget: A lump of native gold that is generally found in river or stream beds.
Gold Smudge: a colored smudge, left by jewelry or other metallic object, on the skin of the wearer.
Gold Wash: a gilded layer with a thickness less than 0.2 micron.
Gold Wire: basic component of many jewelry items throughout history; extremely thin and long strand of gold.
Goldsmith: one who works with gold
Gourmette Chain (also called ‘curb chain’): a chain which is created from round or oval interlocking links which are twisted until they are flattened out.
Gorget: a flat metal collar either open at the back, penannular, or a complete circle with a hinged opening.
Gothic Revival Jewelry: Jewelry inspired by the gothic styles of the 12th and 13th century.
Gun Metal: (Also known as red brass). Alloy of copper, tin and zinc.
Gutta Percha: a hard rubber that can be made into black coloured jewellery (popular in Victorian era).
Graduated: of increasing or decreasing size.
Graduated strand: A necklace with the largest gem in the center and progressively smaller gems towards the clasp.
Graff (1962-present): Diamond dealer and retailer.
Grain: the smallest unit of measure in the Troy system.
Grand Era – 1861-1880: The era began in 1861 with the death of Prince Albert, which plunged Queen Victoria into mourning for decades to come.
Grand Period 1860-1885: Victorian era. Also called ‘mid-Victorian’.
Graver: a cutting tool used to engrave metal.
Greasy Lustre: the term used for the surface reflection on certain materials (ie Serpentine.)
Greek Key: geometric meanders which were used in ancient Greece as a border decoration, used as motifs during the Greek Revival of the 1800 and 1900s.
Granulation: A textured design formed by minute grains of gold, soldered onto an object.
Green Gold: A gold alloy that utilizes a higher percentage of silver to create a greenish tinted gold.
Grey Gold: an alloy of gold and iron or gold, silver and iron that is a pale grey color.
Grissaille: A monochrome enameling technique displaying shades of gray, black and white.
Guard Ring: A type of interior “U”-shaped ring placed within a ring for comfort.
Guilloche (French): An enameling technique (translucent polychrome enamel placed on top of a geometric engraved pattern).
Gutta-Percha: A plastic or rubber-like substance produced from the natural fluids of certain Malaysian trees.
Grisaille (French ‘in the grey’): an enameling process that begins with a layer of black enamel, then white enamel is used to apply the design and then details are scratched through to the black.
Grossular: Gemstone.
Gueda: Colorless Sri Lanka sapphire that can be made blue with heat treatments.
Guild: Organization of workers.
Guirlande: a decorative hanging ornament, usually in the form of a flower wreath.
Gunmetal: an alloy of 90 percent copper and 10 percent tin. Also blue-black finish caused by electroplating a coat of iron on an item and coloring it in a chemical solution.Gypsy Setting: Flush setting, used in rings (Gypsy Rings).
Gübelin: Swiss jeweler and sons (late Victorian).
Gypsy Setting: setting where the gem sits flush with the surface of the metal (also called ‘flush’ setting.)
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