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Graduate Gemologist (GG) | One who holds the Graduate in Gemology Diploma, awarded by the Gemological Institute of America, after successful completion of their Gemological Course curriculum. |
Inclusion | A visible foreign substance (flaw), fracture, or void inside a diamond or gemstone. |
Karat | A unit of purity measure of gold. (note: karat is not the same as carat) |
Loupe | A small magnifying glass that is hand held or placed in the eye socket. A 10X (10 times or 10 power) loupe should be used to examine gemstones. |
Mounting | A piece of metal that holds a gem in place, serving as a mount, support or setting. (i.e. a ring) See also Semi-Mounting. |
Noble Metal | Metals, such as gold, silver, or platinum, which resist oxidation. The Middle English version of Precious Metal. |
Oiling | An enhancement technique commonly used on emeralds which can mask imperfections thereby improving the color and brilliance of a stone. |
Pavé | A setting of stones placed close together so as to show no metal between them. From the French word meaning paver, as in a street paver stone. |
Platinum group metals | A group of six metals (ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, and platinum) with similar properties. |
Point | A term meaning 1/100th of a carat. (i.e. a 50 point diamond = 50/100th of a carat = a 1/2 carat diamond) (see stone weight terminology) |
Rhodium | A silvery-white metallic element of the platinum family. |
Rhodium Plating | A process used to coat metals (especially white gold) with an extremely bright and hard-wearing finish. |