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Materials glossary

206 materials a jewelry or eyewear listing can name, grouped by what kind of thing each is: metals and alloys, platings, stones (natural, lab-grown and simulant), organics, glass, findings, lens materials and coatings, frame materials, and the standards and marks behind the words. Every entry says what the thing is and where the public record on it is (Wikidata, PubMed); none values a piece or promises anything about your skin or eyes.

All Metal Alloy Plating and finish Gemstone Lab-grown and simulant Organic material Glass, crystal and resin Finding and chain Lens material Lens coating Frame material Standard and mark

The marks, tests and laws behind the words on a label: karat stamps, UV400, ANSI Z80.3, the FTC Jewelry Guides, Prop 65.

A

ANSI Z80.3Standard and markThe US standard for non-prescription sunglasses: UV transmission limits, impact resistance, optical quality. Lenses sold as UV400 or '100%…AppraisalStandard and markA written valuation for insurance by a graduate gemologist; a paid document, and not the same as a grading report (GIA, IGI), which…

C

Carat (ct)Standard and markThe weight unit for gemstones: 0.2 grams. Not karat; a 1 ct diamond weighs a fifth of a gram.CE mark (EN ISO 12312-1)Standard and markThe European sunglass standard, which also sets lens categories 0 to 4; a CE mark on US-sold sunglasses means the maker claims that test.Conflict-freeStandard and markA claim that a diamond was not mined to fund armed conflict, under the Kimberley Process; it covers rough diamond origin, not labor…

F

Fairmined goldFair-mined gold · Standard and markGold from certified artisanal mines paying a premium to the community; a third-party label (Fairmined, Fairtrade Gold).FDA impact test (21 CFR 801.410)FDA drop-ball test · Standard and markThe US rule that all eyeglass and sunglass lenses must survive a 5/8-inch steel ball dropped from 50 inches; plastic lenses pass by…Fineness (925, 750, 585)Standard and markPurity in parts per thousand, the European and silver convention: 925 is sterling, 750 is 18k, 585 is 14k, 950 is platinum.FTC Jewelry GuidesStandard and markThe US Federal Trade Commission's rules for how jewelry may be described: when 'gold' needs a karat, what 'gold-filled' and 'vermeil' mean,…

G

Grading reportStandard and markA laboratory's description of a diamond or gemstone (GIA, IGI, GCAL): weight, measurements, color, clarity, cut, and whether it is natural…

H

HallmarkStandard and markAn official assay-office stamp guaranteeing purity, required in the UK and some countries; the US has no hallmarking system, only the…HypoallergenicStandard and markA marketing word with no legal standard in US jewelry; it usually means nickel-free or made of titanium, niobium, platinum or surgical…

K

Karat (k, kt)Standard and markThe US purity scale for gold: parts of gold in 24. 24k is pure, 18k is 75 percent, 14k is 58.3, 10k is 41.7 (the legal minimum to be sold…

L

Lead in jewelryStandard and markLead and cadmium turn up in cheap cast metal and in some enamel and crystal; US federal law limits lead in children's jewelry to 100 ppm,…

M

Mohs hardness scaleMohs scale · Standard and markA 1 to 10 ranking of what scratches what: talc 1, quartz 7, topaz 8, corundum 9, diamond 10. Stones under 7 are scratched by household dust…

N

Nickel allergyStandard and markThe most common contact allergy: about 10 to 20 percent of women and a few percent of men react to nickel with an itchy rash where metal…Nickel-freeStandard and markA claim with no US legal definition; in the EU it means the piece releases under 0.5 micrograms of nickel per square centimetre a week by…

P

Proposition 65Standard and markCalifornia's law requiring a warning on products that can expose users to listed chemicals, including lead, cadmium and nickel compounds;…

R

Reader strength (diopter)Standard and markThe power of a reading lens in diopters, +1.00 to +4.00 in steps of 0.25; higher means closer focus. Off-the-shelf readers use the same…Recycled goldStandard and markGold refined from old jewelry, electronics or industrial scrap rather than newly mined; chemically identical. Certified by schemes such as…Ring sizeStandard and markThe inside circumference of a ring, expressed as a US number (3 to 15), a UK letter or the ISO millimetre measure; the converter on this…

How to read a listing

The metal comes first: "14k gold" is solid; "gold-filled" is a thick bonded layer; "gold plated" or "gold tone" is a thin layer over brass or steel; "925" or "sterling" is solid silver. For stones, "created" or "lab-grown" means the real material made in a lab, "simulated" means a look-alike, and a color-only name ("emerald green") means glass or crystal. For lenses, UV400 is the protection claim and "polarized" the glare claim; the tint says neither.

Where the words come from

The groups follow the FTC Jewelry Guides and the GIA's material classes; the one-line descriptions are ours, written from the public record (FTC, GIA, USGS, ANSI). A Wikidata description and the three most recent PubMed papers that mention the material with jewelry, allergy, eyewear or UV are fetched for each entry. We show what a supplier states and do not appraise or grade. CPSC recalls →