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Cable Chain
This chain, also known as a "link chain", is composed of round or oval standardized rings, each linked to the next in standardized sizes. This is the chain that most people think of when they think of "chains".

Cabochon
This term refers to a facet-less shape cut of a precious stone in a round, oval, rectangle, triangle, or teardrop style. This term has its roots in the French word caboche meaning a knob or small dome.

Cameo
A stone or shell carving with layers cut away to reveal a raised positive design against a background of contrasting color(s).

Carat
This is the primary weight unit for gemstones with 100 points equal to a carat. Most commonly—this is the measurement used to define the weight of a diamond with 1 carat equal to 100 points or 1/5 of a gram.

Pure gold is 24 carat; 18 carat is an alloy of which 75% is gold; 14 caret is 58% gold and 9 caret is 37.5% gold.

Casting
This is an age-old, Ancient Egyptian process that is also called Lost Wax Casting. In this process jewelry designers start with a wax model placed into a metal container and then proceed to pour a fine plaster over the design model to let the plaster dry and harden. This process, thereby, is the initial step to creating the jewelry design.

Chanel Setting
The tennis bracelet is a prime example of the Coco Chanel jewelry setting. In the Chanel setting, 2 long bands of precious metal hold several gemstones in place, giving them the look of floating in the setting since no metal can be seen between the jewelry stones.

Chasing
This process is used to structure a figure or ornament by manipulating metal with a hammer and a punch.

Chip Carving
Also known as "Kerbschnitt", this is a jewelry design method used to create a relief or pattern by carving out petite chips with a metal-cutting chisel from the metal’s surface.

Chocker Necklace
This is a necklace that is 14-16 inches long and fits close to the base of the neck.

Citrine
Citrine is a striking light to dark yellow gemstone member of the quartz family that is sometimes mistaken for more expensive Yellow Topaz. It is the traditional birthstone for November. Natural Citrine is very uncommon and difficult to find, so most Citrine on the market today is actually heat-treated Amethyst or Smokey Quartz..

Cloisonné
This is a jewelry art form which began in Beijing during the Uyan Dynasty (1271-1368). It encompasses a multi-step process in which thin metal strips (e.g., filament) are used to outline a flower or a patterned design. The empty areas are filled with enamel and fused to the surface.

Cocktail Jewelry
In the 1920s Rene Jules Lalique designed superior mass produced quality glass jewelry. Born in Ay, Marne, France on April 6, 1860 and died Mary 5, 1945, he was a glass designer know for his extraordinary designs of jewelry, chandeliers, perfume bottles, crystal, and glass. He created an extraordinary assortment of rectangles, triangles, circles, squares, etc. which made him one of France’s most famous Art Nouveau jewelry designers. Fake or costume jewelry was sometimes also labeled cocktail jewelry. It was greatly influenced by Coco Chanel (1883-1971) and Elsa Schiaparelli (1890-1973). More info

Costume Jewelry
This term was coined in the early 20th Century to describe jewelry designed to wear with current fashions, a specific outfit, and usually made of inexpensive materials, such as faux gemstones instead of precious or semi-precious stones.

Crystals
Specific jewelry stones that are believed to have energies that can heal the human mind, body and soul include such stones as agate, amethyst, chalcedony, diamond, pyrite, quartz, rhodochrosite, sapphire, topaz, and tourmaline. Currently the best crystal beads are made by Swarovski.

Cubic Zirconium
Cubic zirconia (or CZ) is zirconium oxide (ZrO2). CZ is a mineral that is extremely rare in nature, but is widely synthesized for use as a diamond substitute. The created substance is hard, optically unblemished and usually colorless, but may be made in a variety of different colors. It should not be confused with zircon. Because of its low price, resilience, and close visual likeness to diamond, imitation cubic zirconia has remained the most gemologically and economically important diamond imposter since 1976. Its main competition, as a synthetic gemstone, is the more recently cultivated material moissanite.

Cuff
A jewelry bracelet with a wide band that fits all the way around the wrist.

Cultured Pearls
Kokichi Mikimoto of Japan produced the first highly acceptable cultured pearls by placing a small bead into an oyster shell. The bead itself is cultivated with an artificial insertion of a small bead, frequently made of mother-of-pearl and a mantle tissue, into an oyster.