River Market ArtSpace

How'd They Do That? -- Jewelry

Visitors to ArtSpace will find a wide variety of jewelry from beads, to glass, to silver, and gold. We thought you might like to learn a little bit about some of the techniques our artists use to make their jewelry!

Commonly Used Jewelry Terms

Basics

Fabrication: Term used to distinguish work that metalsmiths make by hand from that which is made by casting.

Gold Alloy: Pure gold is usually combined with other metals, such as nickel or copper, to make it stronger for use in jewelry. The metals used can affect the gold’s color, making it white, pink, green, or yellow.

Karat: A measure of gold’s purity, based on a total of 24 parts. Pure gold is called 24kt. In the United States, an alloy must have at least 10 parts of gold to be marked as gold.

Malleability: How easily a metal can be stretched, rolled, or drawn. Gold is very malleable.

Patina: An altered surface color of a metal resulting from the use of chemicals. The object is dipped into a chemical bath, sprayed or wiped with the chemical. The process works best on metals with a high copper content.

Settings

Bezel Setting: A setting in which a stone is surrounded by a strip of metal and fused to a flat surface.

Box Setting: A setting in which a stone sits down in the metal, which creates a frame around it.

Pavé Setting: A setting in which many stones are placed very close together, so little metal shows.

Prong Setting: A claw-like setting, made from sheet metal or wire, often used on faceted stones. It raises the stone, allowing light to penetrate.

Stones

Cabochon: One of the two basic types of stones (the other being faceted). The stone is polished to be a smooth, rounded surface. This technique is typically used only for colored stones, when light reflection isn’t important.

Faceted: One of two basic types of stones (the other being cabochon). It has a flat face with sides cut in a variety of angles, and reflects light in many different ways.

Processes

Casting: The process of creating multiple copies of the same item, using a model or mold of wax or metal.

Chasing: Decorating the front of a metal sheet by making tiny indentations with an incising tool.

Enameling: The process of melting glass powders onto metal to create a colored surface.

Basse-taille: A style of enameling from Renaissance Europe in which transparent enamels are applied over the complete surface of a textured metal. This technique gives the illusion of depth.
Champlevé: A style of enameling in which carved cells are filled with enamel. The result creates thick metal edges.
Cloisonné: A style of enameling in which cells, created by adhering flat wires to copper discs, are filled with enamel. The wires leave clean lines on the surface.
Grisaille: Coming from the French word for “gray,” this style of enameling uses only black and white enamels.
Limoges: An enameling technique from 15th-century France in which enamel is painted on top of enameled surfaces, creating very fine detail.
Plique-à-jour: A style of enameling that uses no backing metal, allowing light to pass through. Its appearance is similar to that of stained glass.
Engraving: Decorating metal or a stone by incising a design into the front surface.
Forging: A hammering process to shape metal.
Granulation: A process in which tiny metal beads are adhered to a metal surface by heat fusion.
Inlay: A process in which different metals are laid into a base piece of metal, creating intricate patterns and designs.
Kum Boo: The process, adapted from Korean jewelers, of applying 24kt. Gold foil to silver. The foil is adhered under heat, then quenched in water.
Mokumé Gané: This process, developed in 17th-century Japan creates the grain appearance of wood on metal. Thin layers of different metals are soldered together, rolled, hand-carved, and drilled.
Repoussé: A technique in which metal tools are used to create patterns on a sheet of metal. It is done from the back, unlike engraving or chasing.
Reticulation: The manipulation of metal by heat to produce a wavy appearance on the surface.
Stamping: A technique in which steel punches are used to imprint an image, pattern, or maker’s mark on metal.

Information used in this glossary adapted from the following:

Art Jewelry Today by Dona Z. Meilach (Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2003)
Designer Jewelry Showcase Volume 3, edited by Glen R. Serbin (Serbin Communications, Inc., 1997)
Ornament and Object: Canadian Jewelry and Metal Art by Anne Barros (Boston Mills Press, 1997)
“Niche” magazine, Spring 2005