Black and White Agate Earrings in 18kt Gold Over Sterling

18KT: Karat (abbreviated kt or K) is a unit that indicates the purity of gold in the metal. 18kt is 75% gold. In Europe, 18K yellow gold is most favored and used in jewelry.

YELLOW GOLD: Gold is a precious metal with a natural yellow color. It is quite soft and often alloyed with other metals to increase its strength. The purity of the metal is indicated by a unit called a "karat," with 24kt having the highest percentage of natural gold.

STERLING SILVER: Also known as "Standard Silver," sterling silver is silver alloyed with other metals to increase the hardness and durability. Generally, sterling is 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals. Some sterling silver jewelry is plated with 14kt-18kt gold and referred to as "vermeil," or "gold over sterling."

CLIP/POST: An earring with a post insert and a clip mechanism to hold it in place. The post can be removed by a jeweler to convert the earrings to clip-on.

AGATE: a variety of chalcedony, agate covers a rainbow spectrum of colors from black and gray to brown, pink, blue and yellow. Agate can be textured and exhibit a variegated layered stripe effect, which makes it a wonderful stone for carved cameos and beaded necklaces and bracelets.

CABOCHON: A style of cutting gemstones to achieve a smooth, domed surface with an absence of facets.

HALF-MOON: A half-circle shape with one rounded side and one flat side.

SLICE: A thin, usually flat piece cut from a gemstone. Often has a free-form shape and reveals the natural beauty of a gemstone's interior.