Glossary of Terms used by Thorn to Descibe Mens Jewellery

Carat (ct)
Carat is a unit of weight for precious stones. It is important not to confuse this with ‘karat’, which is a measure of the purity of gold. ‘Carat’ is abbreviated to "ct." One carat is equal to 1/5 of a gram (200 milligrams). Stones are measured to the nearest hundredth of a carat. There are a hundred points in a carat, so that a .10 carat stone can also be described as a 10 point stone.

Cut
refers to diamond shape and/or quality of cut

Enamel
Enamel is produced by fusing coloured powdered glass ‘paste’ to metal to produce a glass-like, decorative surface. The colour of the enamel and its transparency depend on the metal oxides in the glass and the temperature at which the glass melts and coheres to the surface. In some cases, the enamel may be translucent with fancy engraving on the metal underneath, which produces guilloche enamel.

Engrave
This is gouging out a design in metal with graver's tools, or embellishing metal or other material with patterns using a stamping tool or drill. This was fashionable in mid-Victorian jewellery. The resulting depressions were often filled with coloured enamel.

Gold Purity
Gold Purity is expressed in karats ('K'). Gold is alloyed with other metals such as silver, copper, zinc, or silicon to produce varying colours and purities less than 24 carat. Typically the finest gold used in jewellery is 18K (75% pure).

Hallmark
This is a stamped mark applied to items of jewellery and silverware by the Assay Offices of Britain as a guarantee of authenticity. The mark consists of four components: The sponsor (or manufacturer) mark; the standard mark, which denotes the precious metal content of the item; the Assay Office Mark (Assay Offices are found in London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Edinburgh) and the date letter which shows the year in which the article was hallmarked.

Inlay
An Inlay is when a space is formed or routed out of the metal and a contrasting material is fitted into the created space.  The Stephen Webster Sex Drugs and Rock n Roll Ring with Onyx Inlay is a fine example of this technique in craftmanship.

Karat
Karat is a measure of the purity of gold. The ratio of gold to other metals is measured in 24 parts, called ‘karats’.  Hence pure gold is 24 karat gold, while 18 karat gold used in Jewellery making is 18 parts gold and 6 parts other metals.

Pave
Pave is a multiple small set of gemstones as closely together as possible in two or more rows

Sterling Silver (925)
The Sterling Silver standard used extensively in mens jewellery has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925. Meaning that Sterling silver is an alloy containing 92.5% Silver and no more than 7.5% other metals.