BATON is a stone that is cut in a long, thin rectangular shape. A baton is larger than a baguette.
BAYADRE is a pearl necklace that has many strands of pearls twisted together.
BEADS are small objects, each with a hole through it for stringing. Beads are made of glass, stones, wood, plastics, seeds, ceramics and other materials.
BELL CAP is a jewelry finding that is used to convert a hole-less bead or stone into a pendant. A bell cap is glued onto the bead or stone and has a loop for attaching to the piece of jewelry.
BENITOITE is a rare, blue gemstone that is found mostly in the San Benito River in San Benito County, near Coalinga, California. Lesser quality benitoite is found in Mont St. Hilaire, Quebec in Canada. Benito means "blessed" in Spanish. This gemstones is strongy dichroic, and although Benitoite is blue when viewed from most directions, it appears colorless when viewed in a single direction (the c-axis). Some unusual Benitoite is blue, but looks pink or orange when viewed through the c-axis. Benitoite is BaTiSi3O9 (Barium Titanium Silicate); no one is sure what element causes the blue color of benitoite, but it may be iron. Benitoite has a hardness of 6 - 6.5, a specific gravity of 3.68 and a refractive index of 1.757 - 1.804. Benitoite has a very unusual crystalline shape, it is the only known ditrigonal-dipyramidal crystal. Large stones over 1 or 2 carats are exceedingly rare. Benitoite was discovered in California in 1907, either by Mr. Hawkins and T. Edwin Sanders or James Marshall Couch (the story is in dispute). Heat-treated benitoite becomes orange; these stones are more expensive. Benitoite is California's official state gemstone since 1985.
BERYLS are a family of gemstones that include emerald, aquamarine, green beryl red beryl, morganite which is yellow and heliodor which is pink. Beryl has a hardness of 7 - 8, a specific gravity of 2.6 - 2.9 and the chemical formula Be3Al2SiO6. Internal flaws in beryl gems can be hidden by treating the stone with oil, a fact which is often not disclosed to the buyer.
BEZEL is the part of a cut stone that protrudes above the edge of a setting. The bezel is also known as the crown.
BEZEL SETTING is a way of setting a stone in which the stone is held by a band of metal around the outside of the stone.
BIB NECKLACE, also known as a collarette, is a short necklace with flowing ornaments in the front.
BIREFRINGENCE is another name for double refraction. It is the difference between the highest and the lowest refractive indices in doubly refractive gemstones. In doubly-refractive stones, the light entering the stone is split into two light rays, and the rays travel in different paths. These stones have more than one refractive index. Calcite, peridot, zircon, tourmaline and titanite are doubly-refractive stones.
BIRTHSTONE is a term used since the 1930s when the British and United States jewelry industries assigned stones to the months of the year as follows: January - Garnet, February - Amethyst, March - Aquamarine, April - Diamond, May - Emerald, June - Pearl or Moonstone, July - Ruby, August - Peridot, September - Sapphire, October - Opal, November - Topaz or Citrine, December - Turquoise or Zircon
BIWA PEARLS are freshwater pearls from Lake Biwa in Japan. These irregularly-shaped pearls are smoother and more lustrous than most other freshwater pearls.
BLACK HILLS GOLD is gold jewelry that is made, but not exclusively mined, in the Black Hills area of South Dakota,United States. Gold was first discovered in that area about 1874 by Horatio N. Ross. E.O Lampinen opened the Black Hills Jewelry Manufacturing Company in Deadwood, South Dakota in the early 1900s. Modern day Black Hills jewelry often has a three-color grape leaf and vine pattern made with yellow gold, pink gold and green gold. There are many companies that make Black Hills jewelry today, but by law, their creations must be made from Black Hills gold. This jewelry is often 10 Karat gold.
BLACK MOONSTONE is a type of labradorite, not true moonstone.
BLACK OPAL are a valuable type of precious opals with a dark ground color. They are luminous, iridescent, and frequently have inclusions of many colors ("fire"). Opal is a mineral composed of silica (and some water) and is a species of quartz. The rainbow-like iridescence is caused by tiny crystals of cristobalite. 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. Black opals are found in Australia.
BLACK PEARLS, also called Tahitian pearls, are dark-colored pearls. They are produced by the large, black-lipped pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera (also called the Tahitian black pearl oyster), a mollusk found in the tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean. Black pearls come in many colors, including many body shades and overtone tints including gray (light gray to almost black), peacock green (especially valuable), aubergine (eggplant), and deep brown. The color of the dark nacre is determined by the minerals in the oyster's diet (plankton) and in its environment. Many "black pearls" are dyed or irridiated to enhance or change their color; it is difficult to tell a natural pearl from a treated pearl. Tahitian pearls are graded on six factors: 1.Shape (round is most valued), 2.Size (the larger the better), 3.Surface Quality= (clean is superior to blemished), 4.Luster (the more high-gloss luster the better), 5.Nacre Thickness (thicker is better and longer lasting), and 6.Color (overtones atop the body color add value to the pearl. The most sought-after color is peacock green and darker colors are more valuable Overtone colors include blue, pink, gold, silver, aubergine, and peacock green).
BLACK STAR DIOPSIDE, also known as "Black star of India" is another name for Black Star diopside (CaMgSi2O6), an opaque black gem with a white, four-rayed star (an asterism). It has a hardness of 5.5 and a specific gravity of 3.3 - 3.6. These stones are found mostly in India. Stones are generally cut cabochon and are not enhanced.
BLEACHING is a process in which a gemstone's color is removed using a bleaching agent.
BLEMISH ia flaw, i.e. a blister or spot on the surface of a gem.
BLING is an expression popularized by the hip-hop culture, used to describe sparkly jewelry, accessories gemstones.
BLISTER PEARL, also called a bouton pearl, is a pearl that develops attached to the inside of a mollusk's shell. This type of pearl must be cut off the shell, and is therefore hemispherical. Because of their shape, blister pearls are mostly used for earrings.
BLOODSTONE, also called heliotrope, is an inexpensive type of chalcedony that is green with red highlights caused by iron oxide. Bloodstone is porous and relatively soft.
BLUE DIAMONDS are rare, fancy diamonds and 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.
BLUE GOLD is gold with a bluish tinge. It has been alloyed with a mix that includes iron.
BODKIN is a heavily jeweled, Renaissance-era hair pin.
Crystal Enchantments: A Complete Guide to Stones and Their Magical Properties
