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Diamond Glossary
The knowledge and more information you have the better diamond purchase you will make. Here are a number of diamond terms that are used by jewelers to describe diamonds and which appear on diamond grading reports.
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M:
Marquise Cut:
A type of fancy shape diamond which is elongated with points at each end.
Make:
The proportions to which a diamond has been cut. A good make will have proportions that maximize the brilliance and fire of a diamond. A poor make will lead to a diamond that has little sparkle due to the inability of the cut to properly reflect light.
Measurement:
The dimensions of a gemstone, expressed in millimeters (i.e., height, width, and depth).
Melee:
Diamonds that weigh less than 1/5 of a carat (0.20 ct. or 20 points). From the French, meaning confused mass. In the trade, the term is used collectively to describe small (up to .20 or .25 carat) brilliant-cut diamonds, whether full cut or not. Usually, all small gemstones used to embellish mountings, setting or larger gems are called melee.A grading term used at the mines for unbroken diamond crystals (round, octahedral or slightly distorted octahedral) of less than one carat that do not pass through a .070 sieve.
Mohs scale:
The ten-point scale of mineral hardness, keyed arbitrarily to the minerals talc, gypsum, calcite, fluorite, apatite, orthoclase, quartz, topaz, corundum, and diamond.
It is a loose scale of hardness, used for field collecting, which allows for identification of specimens. Devised by Friedrich Mohs, a German mineralogist, in the 19th century. The comparative scale of hardness is as follows:
- talc
- gypsum
- calcite
- fluorite
- apatite
- moonstone
- quartz
- topaz and beryl
- corundum
- diamond
Mall Stores, Overhead and markups:
Sort of all intertwined they are, the average store in the mall pays about 10% to the mall for advertising and rent, plus a percentage of the gross sales, so when you see those half price ads just chuckle, and wrap a fish or something, but there are not bargains in retail. Average is 300% markup to on items, manufacturing and service, so just know that the world she is a changing, and always compare prices before buying.
Millegrain:
A process to give the appearance of a tiny row of beads, usually on the edge of a setting.
Mokume':
Laminated layers of different metals to give a wood grain type appearance.
Mounting:
The portion of a peice of jewelry which holds or may hold a stone.
Mixed-cut:
This cut has both step-cut and brilliant-cut facets. Mixed cuts combine the beauty of the emerald cut with the sparkle of the brilliant cut. Click here to learn more about cutting styles.
Main Facets:
The large crown and pavilion facets of a brilliant-cut diamond or other gemstone; on step-cut stones, the center row of facets on the pavilion.
Mine Cut Diamond:
An early form of the brilliant diamond with a squarish-shaped girdle, high crown, small table, deep pavilion, and very large culet.
Masterstones / Color Samples:
A set of polished stones which have been colour graded by an accredited laboratory for the purpose of color grading polished diamonds.
Microscope:
Magnifying instrument used to determine clarity in gemstones.
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