|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
abrasive something that is rough and scratches away at things.
amulet a valuable ornament that was a good luck charm, and kept you safe from danger.
apothecary a kind of doctor back in the olden days.
artificial not real. See also synthetic
cabochon a gemstone cut which makes the stone rounded and smooth on top, and flat on the back.
carats a carat is a measure of how much a gem weighs. One carat is 200mg. It also measures how pure gold is, with 24-carat gold being pure gold.
cultured grown on purpose. A cultured pearl is one that has been started by people putting something inside the shell, and waiting until a pearl has been formed.
decades a decade is a period of ten years.
durability the toughness, or how long a gemstone lasts. A durable stone will last a long time without breaking or scratching.
expensive worth a lot of money.
faceted a very hard stone is cut in facets, or lots of little flat surfaces, so that light bounces off it and it sparkles more.
fake not real. A fake gem is not a real one.
fiery looking like a fire.
gamma rays a kind of radiation that changes the inside of a stone.
intelligent smart or clever.
intensity how strong or bright the colours are.
jaundice a sickness that made people's skins go yellow.
kimberlite a kind of magma or liquid rock that comes out of some volcanic eruptions, and contains diamonds.
laboratories a lab is where scientists work on experiments, and make things like artificial gemstones
lustrous shining or sparkling.
mined dug up in a mine. Most gemstones are mined, or dug from rocks in the ground.
mineral an inorganic object, not alive like plants or animals are.
minute very very tiny.
Nero a famous Roman Emperor, who lived several thousand years ago.
opaque meaning you can't see through it.
permanent lasts for the life of the stone. It is the opposite of temporary, which means something that wears off after a time.
rare very unusual. A rare gemstone means one that there aren't very many of.
reset to put a jewel back into the setting (for example, back into the ring) it was taken from.
Sanskrit a very old Indian language.
sincerity being honest and always telling the truth.
synthetic made by man, not happening naturally. Synthetic gems are man-made, and usually not as valuable.
translucent not really transparent, but allowing light to shine through it.
transparent something that you can see through.
veins some precious minerals, like gold, silver and turquoise, are found in narrow streaks running through ordinary rock. They have to be cut out of the rock to be used. The narrow streaks are called veins.