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Jewelry glossary: Over 45 jewelry terms explained, from hoops to karats
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What's the difference between hoops and huggies? What does 14 karat mean, and is zircon the same as cubic zirconia? The jewelry world is full of terms that can be hard to keep track of. Here are the most important jewelry terms explained simply, so you know exactly what you're buying.
Contents
- Earrings and piercings
- Necklaces and pendants
- Bracelets and rings
- Metals and finishes
- Stones, cuts and pearls
- Care and everyday wear
- Frequently asked questions
Earrings and piercings
Drop earrings
Earrings that hang below the earlobe, often with a pearl or stone at the bottom. They move as you move and add a feminine, slightly more festive touch. One example is the Baroque Pearl Drop Earrings.
Ear cuff
An ear cuff sits on the edge of the ear without needing a piercing. It is gently squeezed onto the cartilage and is an easy way to try a more decorated ear without getting a new piercing.
Ear stack
An ear stack is a combination of several earrings in the same ear, such as small studs at the top, huggies in the middle and a hoop at the bottom. The trend is all about putting together your own look, and many people let their two ears be different. Small motifs from the Mini Stud Collection are popular building blocks.
Earring jacket
An earring jacket, also called a behind-the-ear earring, sits behind the earlobe and is held in place by the stud in front. It gives a stud an extra layer and a bolder look. See, for example, the Single Sparkling Earring Jacket or the Single Pearl Earring Jacket.
Flat back
Flat back studs have a flat disc at the back instead of a regular butterfly back. They are comfortable to sleep in and are often used in cartilage piercings because nothing sticks out.
Helix
A helix is a piercing in the upper outer rim of the ear, in the cartilage. When people look for earrings for a second or third hole, they often mean the helix or extra holes in the earlobe. Cartilage heals more slowly than the earlobe, so always ask your piercer when you can change the jewelry.
Hoops
Hoops are round earrings shaped like a ring or loop that passes through the piercing. In Danish they are called creoler. They come in everything from small and discreet to big statement styles, with stones, pearls or completely plain. Read more in our guide to hoop earrings, or see the Pearl Hoops.
Huggies
Huggies are small, close-fitting hoops that "hug" the earlobe. They are easy to wear every day and ideal for an ear stack. Read the full guide to huggie earrings, or see the Sparkling Squares Huggies.
Single earring
An earring sold and worn on its own instead of as a pair. You can wear one earring alone or combine two different ones. Read more about the trend in our guide to single earrings.
Studs
Studs are earrings that sit directly on the earlobe, with a post through the piercing and a back behind it. They are the most classic and discreet type of earring and easy to combine with anything. See, for example, the Pavé Star Small Studs or the Mini Star Stud.
Necklaces and pendants
Chain length
Necklaces are measured in centimeters, and the length decides where the piece lands. Around 40 cm sits high by the collarbone, 45 cm is the most common length, and 50 cm and above falls further down the chest. Many necklaces are adjustable. Find the right length in our guide to necklace lengths.
Choker
A short necklace that sits close around the neck, typically around 35 to 40 cm. It works well on its own or as the top layer when you combine several necklaces.
Collier
The word collier comes from French and means collar. Today it is often used for a necklace where the motif or stones are fixed to the chain, so it lies neatly and doesn't turn around. See, for example, the Star Collier Necklace.
Name necklace and initial necklace
A necklace with a name, initials or a single letter as the pendant. It's one of the most popular personal gifts, for example with a child's name or a partner's initial.
Pendant
A pendant is the part of a necklace that hangs from the chain, such as a heart, a star or a stone. Many pendants can be moved between chains, so you can change the look. See, for example, the Heart Star Pendant or the Sparkling Disc Square Pendant.
Tennis necklace
A necklace where the stones sit close together in one long, continuous row all the way around. It's glamorous but works perfectly well for everyday wear. The Shiny Hearts Collier Necklace is a tennis necklace with pink heart-shaped stones.
Bracelets and rings
Charms
Charms are small pendants attached to a bracelet or necklace. Each charm can stand for a memory, a person or an event, so the piece becomes more personal over time.
Eternity ring
A ring with stones all the way around or along the entire front. The unbroken row of stones symbolizes eternal love, and the ring is often given for wedding anniversaries or the birth of a child. See what other symbols mean in our guide to symbols in jewelry.
Open ring
A ring where the band isn't fully closed but has an opening. The design is airy and modern and works well in a ring stack. See, for example, the Multi Stars Open Ring or the Sparkling Squares Open Ring.
Ring size
In Denmark and much of Europe, ring sizes are given as the ring's inner circumference in millimeters. Size 54 therefore means a circumference of 54 mm. If you only know the diameter, multiply it by 3.14 to get the circumference. Find your size with our ring size guide.
Ring stack
Several thin rings worn together on the same finger or spread across the hand. It creates a light, personal look, and you can easily mix gold and silver. See how in our guide to mixing gold and silver.
Signet ring
A ring with a flat plate on top, which was traditionally engraved with a coat of arms or initials and used to seal letters with wax. Today it's a popular piece for both women and men, often worn on the little finger.
Tennis bracelet
A slim bracelet with a long row of stones set close together all the way around. The name reportedly comes from a tennis match in the 1980s, when a famous tennis player lost her diamond bracelet on the court and asked for a break to find it.
Metals and finishes
925 sterling silver
Sterling silver consists of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper, which makes the silver strong enough for jewelry. The "925" stamp shows that it is genuine sterling silver. Read more in our guide What is 925 sterling silver?
Enamel
Enamel is a glass-like colored coating fused onto the metal. It adds color without stones, such as a red dot on a small stud like the Mini Heart Stud.
Gold-plated
A gold-plated piece is made from another metal, typically sterling silver, with a layer of real gold on top. You get the color of gold at a lower price than solid gold. The gold-plated jewelry at The Missing Touch is made from recycled sterling silver with 14 karat gold plating. Read the full explanation in our guide to gold-plated silver.
Karat
Karat indicates how much pure gold the gold contains. 24 karat is pure gold, 18 karat is 75% gold (stamped 750), 14 karat is 58.5% gold (585), and 8 karat is 33.3% gold (333). The higher the karat, the yellower and softer the gold. For gold-plated jewelry, the karat tells you which gold alloy the layer is made of.
Recycled silver
Silver that has been melted down and refined from old jewelry, cutlery or electronics. It is chemically the same metal as newly mined silver, so there is no difference in quality, but it spares the environment new mining. Read more about our sustainability.
Rhodium-plated
Rhodium is a rare, white metal in the platinum family. A thin layer of rhodium gives silver or white gold a bright, white finish and can slow down tarnishing. Several of our silver pieces, such as the silver mini studs, are rhodium-plated.
Solid gold
A piece made of gold all the way through, such as 14 or 18 karat. It lasts forever but costs considerably more than gold-plated jewelry.
Stainless steel
An inexpensive and very durable metal that doesn't rust or tarnish. Steel has a silver-like color but isn't silver, so be aware of what you're paying for.
Vermeil
Vermeil is sterling silver with a thicker layer of gold than regular gold plating. In the US, for example, the gold layer must be at least 2.5 microns and 10 karat to be called vermeil. The term isn't protected everywhere, so look for what is actually stated about the gold layer.
White gold
White gold is gold mixed with white metals to give it a light color. It is often rhodium-plated at the end to get a completely white, shiny surface. White gold resembles silver but is solid gold and therefore more expensive.
Stones, cuts and pearls
Baguette cut
An elongated, rectangular cut with straight facets, named after the French bread. It gives a clean, elegant look. See, for example, the Baguette Stud Earrings.
Baroque pearls
Pearls with an irregular, organic shape, so no two are alike. They add a modern twist to the classic pearl. Read the full guide to baroque pearls.
Brilliant cut
The classic round cut with many facets, which gives the stone the most possible sparkle. It's the cut most people associate with a diamond or a cubic zirconia in a ring.
Cubic zirconia
Cubic zirconia, often shortened to CZ, is a lab-created crystal that looks like diamond. It is clear, sparkling and hard but costs only a fraction of a diamond. Read more in our guide Cubic zirconia: What is it, and is it real?
Freshwater pearls and cultured pearls
Cultured pearls are real pearls where people have helped the process along by placing a small nucleus inside a mussel or oyster, which the pearl then grows around. Freshwater pearls are cultured pearls from freshwater mussels and are the most common pearls in jewelry today.
Moonstone
A natural stone in the feldspar family with a soft, bluish-white sheen that seems to move when the light hits it. It's often associated with intuition and calm.
Pavé
Pavé means paved in French. It's a setting where many small stones sit close together, so the surface looks covered in sparkle. See, for example, the Pavé Star Large.
Zircon
Zircon is a natural gemstone and should not be confused with cubic zirconia. Zircon occurs in nature and is one of the oldest minerals on Earth, while cubic zirconia is made in a lab.
Care and everyday wear
Cleaning silver
Silver is easiest to clean with a silver polishing cloth. Home methods with baking soda, salt and aluminum foil also work but can be too harsh for gold-plated jewelry, pearls and stones. Find all our tips in the guide to jewelry care.
Hypoallergenic jewelry
Jewelry allergies are most often caused by nickel. In the EU, there are rules on how much nickel jewelry may release. Sterling silver is normally alloyed with copper rather than nickel, but if you are very sensitive, always check the material and ask the retailer before you buy.
Jewelry box
A jewelry box with compartments and a soft fabric lining protects your jewelry from scratches and keeps pieces apart, so chains don't get tangled. A closed box also slows down tarnishing of silver.
Tarnish
When silver reacts with sulfur in the air, a dark layer forms and the silver turns dull or black. It's completely natural and a sign of real silver. Read why, and what to do about it, in our guide Why does silver turn black?
Waterproof
Jewelry is often called waterproof if it can handle water without damage. But even metals that tolerate water benefit from being taken off for showering, swimming and exercise, because soap, chlorine and salt water can wear on gold plating, pearls and stones.
Frequently asked questions
What does 14 karat mean?
14 karat means the gold consists of 58.5% pure gold. It is often stamped 585. 18 karat is 75% gold, and 24 karat is pure gold.
What is the difference between zircon and cubic zirconia?
Zircon is a natural gemstone, while cubic zirconia is a lab-created crystal that looks like diamond. The two have similar names but are different materials.
What is the difference between gold-plated and vermeil?
Both are sterling silver with a layer of real gold on top, but vermeil usually has a thicker gold layer. In the US, vermeil must have at least 2.5 microns of gold of at least 10 karat.
How do I find my ring size?
European ring sizes are the ring's inner circumference in millimeters. Measure the circumference of a ring that fits, or of your finger with a strip of paper. Size 54 equals 54 mm.
What is the difference between hoops and huggies?
Huggies are a small type of hoop that sits close around the earlobe. Hoops come in all sizes, from small to big statement styles.