14KT: Karat (abbreviated kt or K) is a unit that indicates the purity of gold in the metal. 14kt is 58.33% gold. In the United States, 14K 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.

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.

JADE: Available in many nuances of green, plus black, red, brown and white, jade has been treasured for its beauty and strength since prehistoric times. Prized above all other gemstones in ancient China, jade jewelry continues to captivate with a Far East mystique.

CARVED: When a gemstone is cut so that the outline or surface takes the form or likeness of a specific image or pattern.

PERIDOT: the birthstone of the month of August, peridot is only found in one color: green. Historians are now convinced that some, if not all, of the emeralds that Cleopatra was famous for wearing were not actually emeralds but deep green peridot stones from Egypt.

GARNET: the birthstone of January. One glance at the deep red seeds nestled inside of a pomegranate explains why the word "garnet" comes from the Latin word "granatus," meaning "grain" or "seed." This name was given to the garnet because of its close resemblance to the succulent seed.