All About Jewels: Illustrated Dictionary of Jewelry

FACET A facet is one of the flat surfaces of a cut stone or glass.

FACETING Faceting is the cutting and polishing of the surface of a stone.

FANCY DIAMOND Fancy diamonds are rare diamonds that are red, blue, green, or purple; these diamonds are quite valuable. Diamonds are precious, lustrous gemstones made of highly-compressed carbon; they are one of the hardest materials known. Diamonds have a hardness of 10, a specific gravity of 3.5, and a refractive index of 2.417 - 2.419.

FANCY CUT Fancy cut stones are cut in unusual ways. Some fancy cuts include the heart, fan, rivoli, trapezium, cathedral window, half-moon (lunette), kite, and triangle.

FANTASY CUT The fantasy cut is a new way of faceting stones that uses freeform angles - virtually anything goes.

FASHION JEWELRY Fashion jewelry is another name for costume jewelry. The Trifari leaf pin above is gold-plated and has glass stones.

FETISH A fetish is a charm, amulet, pendant or other decoration associated with magical properties; it often represents an animal or person.

FIBULA A fibula is a brooch (pin) that looks a bit like a safety pin. Fibulas have been used since ancient times to secure clothing.

FIGURAL Figural jewelry is disigned to look like real objects. Common subjects are the human body, animals (especially butterflies, dogs, cat, birds, and shells), flowers, leaves, and everyday objects (like baskets and fans).

FINGER RING SIZE To size a finger for a ring, a finger-ring gauge is used. The rings are marked with their size and the person determines which one fits well. Another, less accurate method is a cardboard card with cut-out holes marked with the ring sizes. To determine the ring size of a finger using the circumference of the finger, or to determine the size of a ring given its diameter, the formulas are: System Formula using Circumference Formula using Diameter USA Circumference in mm = 36.107 + (2.5890*Ring Size) Diameter in mm = 11.4931 + (0.8241*Ring Size) Europe Ring Size =Circumference in mm Ring Size = 3.1416 * Diameter in mm UK Circumference in mm = 36.667 + 1.2368*Ring Size(where 1=A, 2=B, etc.) Diameter in mm = 11.6713 + [0.3937 * Ring Size(where 1=A, 2=B, etc.)]

FIRE A stone's fire is the streaks of brilliant color within it. Good quality opals, like the one above, have a lot of fire.

FIRE OPAL Fire opals are a type of opal that is fiery orange to red in color (but have no opalescence). These opals are rarely transparent - they are usually milky. Opal is a mineral composed of silica (and some water) and is a species of quartz. Many opals have a high water content - they can dry out and crack if they are not cared for well (opals should be stored in damp cotton wool). Opals have a hardness of 5.5 to 6.5 and a specific gravity of 1.98-2.50. Fire opals are found in Western Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, and Honduras.

FLEUR DE LIS The fleur de lis (meaning "flower of the lily" in French) is a heraldic symbol of French royalty; it is still used in many French flags. Fleurs de lis are a motif often used in jewelry. The green enamel fleur de lis pin above is by Trifari.

FLOATER NECKLACE An floater (or invisible) necklace looks as though the beads are simply floating on the skin; the beads or pearls are strung far apart from one another on an almost invisible string (like clear fishing line).

FLORA DANICA Flora Danica is a Danish jewelry company that uses real plant parts to make jewelry. The plant material (usually leaves or sprigs) is electroplated with silver and then gold plated. The delicately-detailed jewelry is used as pins, earrings, pendants, etc.

FLORENTINE FINISH A Florentine finish on a metal's surface reduces the metal's reflectivity. It is accomplished by engraving parallel lines into the surface using a sharp tool, and then making more lines or curves at right angles (cross-hatching).

FLORENZA Florenza was a costume jewelry design company started by Daniel Kasoff Inc. in 1948 in New York City. The name Florenza was first used in 1950 (it was named for Kasoff's wife, Florence). Florenza produced pieces until 1981 (when Dan's son Larry, who was then in charge of the company, was injured in a car accident). Florenza made well-designed, intricate (mostly) gold-finished pieces that often contained colored stones (usually pastel, frosted or aurora borealis stones), enameled surfaces, filigree work, intaglio, and/or carved cameos. The styles used were often Renaissance revival/Victorian-inspired pieces, including cameos, Maltese crosses, floral designs, and cherubs. Florenza designed pieces (including cosmetic boxes, compacts, lipstick holders, picture frames, etc.) for other companies, including Estee Lauder and Revlon. The Florenza cameo pin above is hand carved.

FLOWERING OBSIDIAN Flowering Obsidian (also called snowflake obsidian) is a volcanic glass that is usually dark (black or brownish) with white "snowflakes". This glassy, lustrous mineral is found in lava flows, and obsidian stones can be massive. Obsidian is formed when viscous lava (from volcanos) cools rapidly. Most obsidian is 70 percent silica. Obsidian has a hardness of 5 and a specific gravity of 2.35.

FOB A fob is a short chain or ribbon that attaches to a pocketwatch; it frequently had a decorative medallion or other ornament attached to one end. Fobs were worn hanging from a pocket. Fob is also the word for the small pocket in trousers that held a pocket watch. The word fob is also commonly used for the fob charm itself.

FOILBACK A foilback (or foiled stone) is a stone that has a metallic foil backing; this thin metallic backing is frequently composed of mercury and tin. Silver-colored, gold-colored, or other-colored foil is applied to the back of a stone to make the stone more reflective. Before scintillating cuts (like the brilliant cut) were invented, even precious stones were foiled to enhance their sparkle. Moisture can damage foil and make the stone "dead," losing its brilliance. Stones are rarely foiled any more.

FOLD OVER CLASP A fold over clasp is a jewelry fastener that is composed of a device that opens and closes with a hinge, and latches shut. It is used to attach the two ends of a necklace or bracelet.

FRESHWATER PEARL A freshwater pearl is a pearl that was harvested from a freshwater mussel (a mollusk). These pearls are frequently shaped like crisped rice cereal, and are less valuable than oyster pearls. Biwa pearls are very good quality freshwater pearls.

FROST AGATE Frost agate is agate with white markings (that look like frost).

FRUIT SALAD "Fruit Salad" jewelry is costume jewelry that is set with colorful, molded stones. The stones are glass or plastic, and can be transparent or translucent.

FUCHSITE Fuchsite is a deep emerald green variety of the mineral muscovite that is rich is the chromium. It has a glassy luster. Fuchsite is relatively soft; it has a hardness of 2-2.5 and a specific gravity of 2.77-2.88. The chemical formula for fuchsite is K(Al,Cr)2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2.

FULL CUT A full cut stone is a gemstone with 58 facets.

FURNACE GLASS Furnace glass (also called furnace worked glass) is made by working (shaping) hot glass by hand (the glass was heated in a glass furnace). Long tubes of glass are drawn from molten glass, then beads are cut from the tube (and later tumbled and reheated to smooth the edges of the beads). Furnace glass beads are made in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and designs.

All About Jewels: Illustrated Dictionary of Jewelry

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