H
Habille: a cameo in which the carved figure wears real jewelry. “Habille” comes from the French word “habiller”, meaning “to dress”.
Hair Jewelry: Jewelry made from Human hair (could also be made from horse and other animal hair).
Hair Ornament: Any form of jewelry worn in the hair.
Hallmark: this is the term used for an official mark made on metal.
Hammered Finish: the process whereby a small hammer is used to make a series of indentations in a piece of metal.
Hand Finishing: manufacture of jewelry in which the finish is completed by hand.
Heirloom: a highly valued possession that is passed down among family members from one generation to the next.
Hematite: an opaque gem which is dark gray to almost place in color. Non magnetic. (see lodestone)
Half-drilled; A pearl with a hole drilled halfway through for mounting.
Half-Hunter: a watch with a completely closed cover.
Half Pearls: Pearls, cut in half.
Hank: A strand of unfinished pearls, unknotted and without a clasp.
Handkerchief Ring: round ring for a handkerchief.
Handy Pin: decorative pin used for securing clothing.
Hardness: The ability of a gemstone, mineral, glass or other hard object to resist being scratched or abraded. Hardness is measured according to the Moh’s Scale.
Hardstone: opaque gemstones that are most often utilized for mosaics, pietra dura and cameo carving eg. agate, carnelian, onyx and sardonyx.
Hatpin: A long metal pin used to hold a hat in place.
HC: An abbreviation representing a hunting case or hunter watch, which is a watch with a cover on both sides.
Heat treatment: Something done to gemstones to effect color and clarity.
Heavy gold electroplate: plating of gold on metal accomplished by an electrolytic process of not less than 100 millionths of an inch of fine gold.
Heishe / Heishi (American Indian): A shell or stone bead that is hand craved by Indian tribes of the southwestern United States.
Hellenism: Ancient Greek Revival Style.
Hematite: Dark silvery grey to black gemstone.
Hera Gold: German name for a 10 karat gold alloy.
Hiddenite: Green gemstone.
Hobé: New York jewelry design house. 1930s – Present.
Holbeinesque: A style of jewelry popularized during the Late Victorian era. The style paid homage to famed Renaissance painter Hans Holbein.
Hololith Ring: A ring cut from a single, solid material.
Horsehair Jewelry: Jewelry made from horsehair.
Honeycomb: A motif popular in the 1930s resembling honeycomb.
Hoop earrings: earrings comprised of a decorative circle.
Horn: Material derived from animals popular in jewelry.
Hornbill Ivory: Made from the beak of the Helmeted Hornbill bird of Indonesia.
Horror Vacui: The opposite of minimalism, the tendency to decorate a surface entirely in ornamentation.
Horticultural: Using flowers and fruits as a motif.
Hotel Silver: white metals that do not contain any silver, often used in cutlery.
HPHT: Stands for ‘High pressure High temperature’. Treatment used for diamond enhancement.
Hue: Used to refer to the impression of the colour on a pearl
Hunting Case Watch: a watch which has a case that closes over it.
Hydrogrossular: Mineral in the garnet group, usually green to bluish green.
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