Antique and Vintage Jewellery Glossary - C

With the weather being so hot and sunny the last few days have flown by. That and setting up our second website

Today here is the third blog on the glossary. This time for the letter C

Cabochon - smooth stone not faceted, can be round, oval, square, etc

The central stone is a cabochon in this vintage brooch

Cairngorm - A brownish/yellow variety of the smoky quartz, much favored in Scottish fine and costume jewellery

Cameo - Any stone carved in relief in any material

Sphinx vintage cameo brooch

Chalcedony - A greyish blue quartz

Champleve - Enamel work on a metal piece, where an engraving tool has been used to engrave cuts/spaces that allow the enamel paste to lie.

Chateline - A brooch or clasp from which hangs short chains that have keys, scissors, watch, trinkets, another brooch

Chaton - The central ornament of a ring

Chrysoprase - Light green quartz, often used in the vintage seventies costume jewellery instead of jade

Faux jade ring with chrysoprase

Cinnabar - very soft and poisonous mercury sulphide with a rich red colour

Citrine - Quartz, combines the bright clarity of quartz with the warm tones of sunlight

Cloisonne - Enamel work in which applied fillets/borders of metal separate the enamels

 Cloisonne bracelet

Cocktail rings - A name given to heavy elaborate rings of an unusual design in about 1925, thought suitable to wear at cocktail or dinner parties

Collier - A wide necklet which encircles the neck from throat to chin

Cornelian - A clear red chalcedony or more orange in colour with some banding. Also known as carnelian

Coral - Formed from the skeletal remains of small sea animals and polyps.Red, black, golden and blue colours

Costume jewellery - Ornaments made of non precious metal made for the prevailing dress fashion of that time

Creole - A hoop on an earring where the metal is thicker at the bottom than the top

Crystal - Mineral, can also refer to some cut glass with a higher content of lead

Cubic Zircon - similar to diamonds in look but heavier.

Curb - The most common pattern for chain bracelets

 Chrysanthemum pin brooch by Sarah Coventry