Glossary

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18-Karat Gold

Gold Karat is a measure of how much precious metal (Gold) is made in a piece with it. Gold is a precious yellow metal (atomic number 79.) 18 karat gold is made of 75% gold and 25% other metals such as zinc, copper etc.

B

Baguette

Baguette diamonds were traditionally used as accent diamonds to accompany a center diamond but in recent years have become popularized in many different ways. They can be shaped as a rectangle or a trapezoid.

Bespoke

Bespoke means it’s custom made for you...whether it’s utilizing diamonds or gemstones that you own or working on a custom design from start to finish, it is tailor made for the wearer.

Brilliant Cut

Round brilliant cut diamond is a diamond shaped as in circular shape.

Brushed Finish

Brushed finished is the term we use to describe the matte gold finish on many of our pieces. The juxtaposition of the brilliant cut diamonds against the brushed finished gold is part of our Jade Trau signature look. Over time, the brushed finish does start to wear away and turns into the patina-d look of a vintage piece that is so attractive!  

C

Carat

Carat is the measure of weight used for a diamond. Diamonds are weighed and rounded to the nearest hundredth of a carat, also known as a point (.01 carats). What is always surprising is how the carat weight of a diamond does not grow proportionally with the visual size. For example, a 1 carat round diamond measures approximately 6.5 millimeters in diameter but a 2 carat round diamond measures approximately 8 millimeters in diameter!

Clarity

Clarity refers to the natural imperfections that form inside each diamond and can vary widely even within the same clarity grade, which is why we believe if always buying natural diamonds from someone you really trust! In our Jade Trau collection, we use diamonds that are VS2 to SI1 on the clarity scale.

Color

Diamonds come in many different colors. Within the white diamond category, which is what most of our Jade Trau collection is made from, the color grade refers to the varying saturation of yellow or brown that is part of the natural characteristic of a diamond. The white diamond color scale ranges from D to Z. Jade Trau uses only H color and better in our signature collections.

Cushion Cut

Cushion cut diamond can be square or rectangular and is flat on the sides with soft rounded corners, like a cushion or a pillow! Often times cushion cut diamonds can have an appearance on the inside of crushed glass...at Jade Trau we avoid those kinds!

Cut

Cut is what really makes your diamonds sparkle and at Jade Trau we take it the MOST seriously of all the 4 main categories that we use to describe and value a diamond (commonly known as the 4 C’s.) People often confuse cut and shape when talking about diamonds. The cut refers to the way in which each angle and facet of the diamond is cut and can vary vastly between diamonds. The proportions of how a diamond is cut is what affects it’s light performance, such as how much light goes into the diamond versus how much refracts back out creating the three main factors that give a diamond life; brightness, fire and scintillation! A lively diamond is the best kind of diamond.

E

Emerald Cut

Shape refers to the outside shape of a diamond combined with the manner in which the facets are cut. A round diamond is pretty self explanatory, but other shape names become more obscure! A pear shape diamond (commonly used in some of our most iconic pieces) is a ‘tear drop’ shaped diamond and can be cut in a myriad of different ways but would still be called a pear shape. Conversely, a square or elongated rectangular diamond can be an emerald cut or a radiant cut depending on how the facets are shaped!

H

Hand Engraving

Hand engraving is done by our incredible engraver who is a truly an artist and hand carves each letter or symbol with a tool to create a perfect interpretation of whatever we’ve asked for...it’s alway close to what we ask for, but infused with his magic to make it perfect. It is the only part of our jewelry making process that is not done on premise and tiem can vary for delivery.

High Polish

High Polish is the most traditional way gold is polished, giving it a shiny lustrous appearance.

k

Knife Edge

Knife Edge is the inverted V shaped profile of the gold rings, earrings and bracelets in our collection. We love a good knife edge and often play with the angles of the V depending on piece of jewelry.

l

Laser Engraving

Laser engraving uses a laser beam to etch the surface of our gold to perfectly transcribe whatever text or symbol is digitally rendered. It is a great option for small spaces.

Line Bracelet

A diamond line bracelet (or tennis bracelet) is exactly like it sounds; a line of diamonds on a bracelet. The name ‘tennis bracelet’ was coined in 1987 when Chris Evert was playing a US Open Match and her personal diamond bracelet fell off in the middle of a match. She asked officials to stop the match so the diamond could be retrieved before continuing the high stakes match!

Low Profile

Profile refers to what a piece of jewelry looks like from the side, similar to a face profile. The term is most commonly used when talking about a ring and paired with ‘high or low’ in front of it. The Jade Trau way is to keep our rings as ‘low profile’ as possible...we just prefer it that way

n

Natural Diamond

Known as the hardest natural substance on earth, diamonds were formed billions of years ago And are created by compression and pressure of pure carbon, deep under the earth's surface. Diamonds are 58 times harder than anything else in nature!

O

Oval Cut

Oval Cut diamond is an oval shaped diamond and can vary widely from diamond to diamond

P

Patina

Patina in reference to jewelry is how a piece of jewelry that has that ‘vintage look’ is described...it’s the look of the gold or platinum from natural wear. We LOVE the natural patina in a piece of well worn jewelry.

Pave

Pronounced pa-vay the word originates from the french word, to pave and refers to smaller diamonds clustered at set together with tiny metal beads.

Pear Shaped

Pear Shape diamond refers to a tear drop shaped diamond and can vary vastly from one pear to another.

Platinum

Platinum is a precious silver/white colored metal that Jade Trau features in our Harlow Collection and often used on request for custom projects and engagement rings. While platinum is a soft metal, it is also very dense and at least 95% pure platinum in a piece of jewelry so it will wear beautifully over time despite the usual wear and tear and any loved piece of jewelry that is worn and enjoyed!

Princess Cut

Princess Cut diamond is a perfectly square cut diamond and the newest diamond cut developed that’s become a mainstream popularized diamond. It was only developed in 1979!

Prongs

Prongs are the small piece of gold or platinum that surround each diamond and keep it firmly in place! We love prongs and while they are an essential piece of a functional piece of Jade Trau jewelry, we utilize it as a design element in our collection.  

R

Ready To Ship

Ready To Ship (RTS) means it’s in stock and can be delivered to you ASAP (typically within 2 - 3 business days).

Restyle

Restyle is when we use your unworn/unloved/ damaged/ ill fitting/ bequeathed/ or otherwise not exactly right jewelry for the wearer and remake it into an iconic Jade Trau piece to be worn for many years to come.  

Riviera Necklace

Derived from the French word, Riviere, another word for diamond line necklace.

Rose Cut

Resembling a rose bud, the rose-cut diamond has anywhere from 3 to 24 facets and was first cut and made popular by a Trau member.

S

Setting

Setting is the term used to describe how a diamond is attached to the precious metal it’s sitting on. We use prongs to set our diamonds, but also use our own signature setting styles such as penelope and alchemy to make our classic diamond collection feel contemporary and unique.  

Shank

The shank is circular part of the ring that slides onto your finger. It can be rounded, square, or our favorite signature knife edge.

Solitaire

Solitaire refers to a single diamond on a piece of jewelry but is mostly used in reference to a ring or a pendant.