Jewelry and Ring Terminology Glossary

A mixture of metals. Gold engagement rings are alloys: 18k yellow gold is 75% pure gold and 25% other metals. The alloy determines colour, hardness, and allergy properties.More

A ring given at a milestone anniversary. Typically eternity or half-eternity style. Often used interchangeably with eternity band.More

The Latin term for the Ancient Roman betrothal ring, traditionally iron worn at home and gold in public.

A square-shaped diamond cut with large step facets and a distinctive octagonal outline. Created in 1902 by Joseph Asscher. Popular in Art Deco jewelry.More

A ring with a continuous plain or stone-set circumference without a pronounced raised setting. Wedding bands are the most common type. 'Band' and 'ring' are often used interchangeably in retail contexts.

A setting where a metal collar wraps around the entire perimeter of the stone, holding it in place without prongs. The most secure setting for active wearers.More

The most common diamond cut. The round brilliant cut has 58 facets optimised to maximise light return, fire, and scintillation.More

An engagement ring and matching wedding band sold together, designed to stack perfectly. Often 8-15% cheaper than buying separately.More

A unit of diamond weight. 1 carat = 0.2 grams. Carat is weight, not size; a well-cut 1ct diamond looks larger than a deep-cut 1ct diamond of the same weight.More

A band style where diamonds are set in a channel (a groove cut into the metal) without prongs. Durable and smooth, but resize is limited.More

One of the 4Cs. Measures the presence of inclusions (internal) and blemishes (external) in a diamond. GIA scale runs from FL (flawless) to I3 (heavily included). SI1 is typically eye-clean and represents strong value.More

British term for prong setting. A small metal prong or claw grips the girdle of the stone from the side.More

One of the 4Cs. GIA grades white diamonds from D (colourless) to Z (light yellow). G-I is the near-colourless value range: visually colourless in a ring setting but 15-30% less expensive per carat than D-F.More

A band interior that is domed or rounded rather than flat, allowing the ring to slide over the knuckle more easily and feel more comfortable during wear.More

A wedding band shaped to curve around the underside of an engagement ring setting, allowing flush stacking without a gap. Also called chevron, curved, or shadow band.More

The upper portion of a diamond, above the girdle. The crown facets determine much of the diamond's brilliance and fire.More

The decorative metalwork above the ring shank that holds the centre stone. Also called the head or basket.More

A diamond simulant made from zirconium oxide. Mohs hardness 8.5. Less brilliant than a diamond. Much cheaper. Not a diamond.

The small facet at the very bottom of a diamond. In older cuts, the culet was sometimes a large flat facet visible through the table. Modern ideal-cut diamonds have a pointed or very small culet.

One of the 4Cs. The only C created by humans. Cut quality determines light return and is the most important C for visual sparkle. GIA grades Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor for round brilliants.More

One of two methods used to grow lab-grown diamonds. A hydrocarbon gas is broken down to deposit carbon atoms onto a seed crystal in a vacuum chamber. CVD production scaled dramatically from 2017 onward, contributing to the fall in lab-grown diamond prices.More

A diamond mining and marketing company founded in 1888 by Cecil Rhodes. Their 1938-1947 US marketing campaign created the modern convention of the diamond engagement ring. Their 'A Diamond Is Forever' slogan (1947) was written by copywriter Frances Gerety.More

A diamond's total height (from table to culet) divided by its diameter, expressed as a percentage. Ideal depth for round brilliants is approximately 60-63%.

A mineral composed of carbon atoms in a cubic crystal structure. The hardest natural substance (Mohs 10). Formed under extreme heat and pressure in the earth's mantle over billions of years. Lab-grown diamonds are chemically identical.More

A rectangular step-cut diamond with clipped corners and long parallel facets. Emphasises clarity; shows inclusions more easily than a brilliant cut. Sophisticated look popular since the 1920s.

A band with diamonds or gemstones set continuously around all (full) or part (half) of the circumference. Symbolises unending love. Full eternity bands typically cannot be resized.More

A diamond with a strong natural colour other than the near-colourless D-Z range. Yellow, pink, blue, green, and red are the most valuable fancy colours. Priced completely differently from white diamonds.

Any diamond cut other than the round brilliant: oval, pear, marquise, princess, cushion, emerald, Asscher, radiant, heart.

Delicate metalwork made from fine twisted wire, often in ornate patterns. Common in Victorian and Art Nouveau engagement rings.More

The dispersion of white light into spectral colours when light passes through a diamond's facets. Related to cut quality.

The most internationally respected diamond grading laboratory and the creator of the 4Cs grading system. GIA grades tend to be stricter than other labs.More

The narrow band around the widest part of a diamond where the crown meets the pavilion. The girdle is what prongs typically grip.

A narrow band worn between two rings to prevent them from rubbing against each other, or to keep a larger ring from spinning.

A centre stone surrounded by a ring of smaller accent diamonds, creating an illusion of a larger, more sparkly stone. A popular style since the mid-2000s.More

An eternity-style band with stones on the front half (180 degrees) only, with plain metal on the back half. Resizable. Common wedding band choice.More

An optical phenomenon visible in a precisely cut round brilliant: eight arrows when viewed face-up and eight hearts when viewed face-down through a special viewer. Represents the highest level of cutting precision.More

One of two methods to grow lab-grown diamonds. Replicates the conditions under which natural diamonds form: extreme heat (1300-1600°C) and pressure (5-6 GPa) applied to a carbon source.More

The most commonly used grading laboratory for lab-grown diamonds. IGI grades are generally considered slightly less strict than GIA.More

An internal characteristic of a diamond: a crystal, feather, cloud, carbon spot, or other feature that formed during diamond growth. Inclusions are measured and classified by GIA's clarity scale.

The oldest and most established standalone jewelry insurance provider in the US, founded in 1913. Covers loss, theft, damage, and mysterious disappearance.More

A measure of gold purity. 24k is pure gold. 18k is 75% gold. 14k is 58.3% gold. Higher karat means softer metal; lower karat means harder but less pure gold. Not to be confused with carat (diamond weight).More

A diamond grown in a laboratory rather than mined from the earth. Chemically and physically identical to a mined diamond. 30-50% cheaper at retail. FTC confirmed in 2018 that lab-grown diamonds are legally diamonds.More

Colloquial US term for a men's engagement ring. The word blends 'man' and 'engagement.' Emerged in the late 2010s as the practice of men wearing engagement rings became more common.More

A boat-shaped diamond cut with pointed ends, elongated to maximise the appearance of carat weight. Requires protective prongs at the tips.

Pavé setting using diamonds smaller than 0.01ct, set very closely together. Very delicate and sparkly; the smallest stones can fall out more easily than larger pavé.

A decorative edging technique where a series of small metal beads are applied along the rim of a ring setting. Common in vintage-inspired designs.More

A scale from 1 to 10 measuring mineral hardness. Diamond is 10. Moissanite is 9.25. Ruby/sapphire is 9. Platinum is 4-4.5. Gold is 2.5-4 depending on karat.More

A diamond simulant made from silicon carbide. Mohs hardness 9.25. Slightly more refractive than diamond (more 'fire'). Not a diamond. About 1/10th the cost of a diamond of similar size.

The metal part of a ring that holds the stone(s). Includes the shank, head, prongs, and other structural elements.

A platinum-group metal with near-identical appearance to platinum but lighter weight and lower cost. Hypoallergenic. Does not require plating.More

From the French for 'paved.' A setting style where small diamonds are set closely together in tiny prongs or beads, so the band appears paved with diamonds. More fragile than channel or bezel settings.More

The lower portion of a diamond, below the girdle. The pavilion's angle determines how much light is reflected back through the crown.

A dense, naturally white, hypoallergenic metal used for fine jewelry. Does not require rhodium plating. More expensive than gold. Mohs 4-4.5.More

A square brilliant-cut diamond with sharp pointed corners. Second most popular diamond shape historically after round.

A small metal claw that holds a diamond in place by gripping its girdle. Solitaire settings typically use 4 or 6 prongs. Prongs need periodic inspection for wear.More

A platinum-group metal used to coat white gold, giving it a bright white finish. Rhodium wears off with daily use and needs reapplying every 2-5 years at a cost of $40-$80.More

The internal diameter of a ring. US sizes are numeric (5, 5.5, 6 etc); UK sizes are alphabetic (J, K, L etc); EU sizes are diameter-based numeric.More

Gold alloyed with copper, creating a warm pink colour. Does not require plating. The copper content makes it harder than equivalent yellow gold. Popular since approximately 2012.More

The sparkle of flashes of light seen as a diamond moves. One of three optical properties of a well-cut diamond (along with brilliance and fire).

The technique or structure used to hold a gemstone in a ring. Major types: prong, bezel, pavé, channel, tension, flush.More

The band portion of a ring, beneath the setting. A split shank has two parallel shanks below the head. A tapered shank narrows toward the setting.

A ring with a single centre stone and no side stones. The most popular engagement ring style globally.More

The large flat facet on top of a diamond (the 'top'). The table percentage (table width as a fraction of total diameter) affects light performance.More

A setting where the diamond is held in place by the metal tension of the band walls, with no prongs or bezel. Dramatic appearance. Cannot be resized.More

An engagement ring with a centre stone flanked by two side stones, traditionally symbolising past, present, and future.More

French for 'you and me.' A ring with two stones of equal or contrasting shapes side by side. A romantic choice representing two people becoming one.More

Latin for 'vein of love.' An ancient Roman belief that a vein ran directly from the fourth finger of the left hand to the heart. Anatomically false, but this myth established the left ring finger convention in the UK and US.More

A diamond clarity grade (VVS1 and VVS2) where inclusions are very difficult to see even under 10x magnification. Excellent quality; inclusions completely invisible to the naked eye.More

A ring exchanged at the wedding ceremony, symbolising the marriage. Usually simpler than the engagement ring. Both partners typically exchange bands.More

Yellow gold alloyed with white metals (palladium or nickel) and plated with rhodium for a bright white finish. Requires replating every 2-5 years.More

A diamond industry analyst whose monthly lab-grown diamond price index is the most cited source for tracking wholesale lab-grown diamond price trends. His data shows approximately 65% decline in lab-grown wholesale prices from 2018 to 2024.More