8 Terms
Contributors in Gemstones
Gemstones
baroque brilliant cut
Fashion; General jewelry
A round shaped stone that has a minimum of fifty-eight facets.
beryllium treatment
Fashion; General jewelry
A form of heat treatment for sapphire that adds the element beryllium to the heating process. Beryllium is an element well known in the gem world, since it is an essential constituent in many ...
bi-color
Fashion; General jewelry
A gemstone exhibiting two color zones, such as ametrine or many tourmalines.
birefringence
Fashion; General jewelry
Some gemstones are singly refractive: they have only one refractive index. Other gemstones (in fact, most) are doubly refractive: they have two different refractive indices. When a beam of light ...
birthstone
Fashion; General jewelry
The association of gemstones with astrology goes back centuries. More recently, jewelers have adapted this tradition to create the current list of official birthstones.
brilliance
Fashion; General jewelry
The reflection and refraction of light displayed through a stone. Brilliance is sometimes referred to as "internal luster" to distinguish it from surface luster.
