GLOSSARY
4Cs – a method devised by the GIA and popularised by De Beers for classifying the Colour, Cut, Clarity and Carat Weight of diamonds
AGSL – American Gemmological Society Laboratories – a certifying body for diamonds
ARM – Alliance for Responsible Mining –
www.responsiblemines.org
Band – also shank - the part of the ring which goes around the finger
Bezel – means of holding a gemstone in place in a setting using a continuous wire to surround the girdle of the stone
CAD – Computer Aided Design – software used to design a ring and illustrate the design to the client
CAM – Computer Aided Manufacture – programmed hardware which creates the ring model by interpreting 2-D CAM designs into 3-D waxes
Carat – ct/kt – has two meanings. The first describes the proportion of gold in an alloy - 24ct gold is 100 gold, so
18ct is 18/24ths or 75 gold. The second is a measurement of weight for gemstones – 1.0ct is approximately equal to 0.2g.
Claw – means of holding a gemstone in place in a setting using individual wires positioned around the stone
DDII – Diamond Development Initiative International – www.ddiiglobal.org
EGL – European Gemmological Laboratories - the name for a number of different certifying bodies for diamonds. Each EGL company is independent, so although they share a name EGL USA is not the same organisation as EGL Israel for example
Facets – the cut faces of a gemstone
Fluorescence – the natural tendency of some diamonds to fluoresce when exposed to ultra-violet light
GIA – Gemmological Institute of America – the oldest certifying body for diamonds
Girdle – the widest part of a gemstone where the top facets meet the bottom facets
HRD – Hoge Raad Voor Diamant (Diamond High Council, Belgium) – certifying body for diamonds
IGI – International Gemmological Institute – certifying body for diamonds
KP or KPCS – Kimberley Process Certification Scheme – a now discredited system for certifying the source of rough diamonds
Mohs scale – a logarithmic scale describing the hardness of minerals from the hardest at 10 (diamond) down to the softest at 1 (talc)
NGO- Non-Governmental Organisation
Shank – also band – the part of the ring which goes around the finger
Shoulder – where the band or shank joins the gemstone setting