Facets:  Cuts made to shape stones and enhance lights.

Faux:  Used to denote man-made copies of gemstones.

Filigree:  Open, lacy, decorative metal work.

Findings:  The functional metal parts used in the construction of jewelry - clasps, jump rings, etc.

Fire Opal:  Naturally occurring stone in shades from clear to deep orange.  From Mexico.  The only natural opal that is normally faceted.  To clean your fire opal, avoid harsh detergents.  Wash with warm, soapy water.  Never clean ultrasonically.  Never steam clean. Moh's scale of hardness:  5 - 6.5.

Fluorite:  Naturally occurring translucent stone.  There is golden rainbow fluorite which is often banded and striped, there is lavender fluorite, and there is rainbow fluorite which includes purple, violet, clear and green in striped patterns.  Associated with psychic energy.  To clean your fluorite, avoid harsh detergents.  Wash with warm, soapy water.  Never clean ultrasonically.  Never steam clean.  Moh's scale of hardness:  4.

Foxtail Chain:  Tightly braided fine wire.

Galalith:  Trade name for casein (plastic) which is often confused with Bakelite, but is of an entirely different makeup.

Garnet:  A deep burgundy red translucent gemstone with few or no inclusions.  Garnet has a "family" which includes Grossularite Garnet (GRAWS-yoo-LAR-ite) which is green, Hessonite Garnet which is root beer brown to orange, Hydrabadi Garnet (hi-drah-BAH-dee) which is bright red, Indosolite Garnet (in-DOH-soh-lite) which is dusky brown changing to subtle green in the sunlight, Orissa Garnet which is reddish brown to deep red, Rhodolite Garnet which is bright violet red,  Demantoid Garnet which is green and rare, and Spessartite Garnet which is red-brown to bright orange and named for its occurrence in Spessart, Germany.  Garnets have long been  a symbol of passionate love and fidelity.  To clean your garnet, avoid harsh detergent.  Wash with warm, soapy water.  Ultrasonic cleaning is usually safe.  Never steam clean.  Moh's scale of hardness:  7 - 7.5.

Gas Bubbles:  Spherical bubbles seen in glass and synthetics - a characteristic that helps separate these materials from most genuine gems in which the inclusions are usually angular.

Gemstone:  A mineral, rock (such as in the case of lapis lazuli for instance), or petrified material that when cut or faceted and polished is collectible or can be used in jewelry. Others are organic (such as amber, which is fossilized tree resin, and jet, which is a form of coal).  A gemstone is prized especially for great beauty or perfection so appearance is almost always the most important attribute of gemstones.  Characteristics that make a stone beautiful or desirable are color, unusual optical phenomena within the stone, an interesting inclusion such as a fossil, rarity, and sometimes the form of the natural crystal.

Traditionally, there were only five precious gemstones (cardinal stones) and were used in ecclesiastic, devotional or ceremonial rites:  diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald and amethyst.

German Silver:  Not silver but a combination of nickel, copper and zinc.  Also called gunmetal or nickel silver.  When a piece is marked EPNS it is electroplated nickel silver.

Gilding:  Process where base metal is plated or coated with a thin layer of gold.

Gold:  A highly sought-after precious metal that for many centuries has been used as money, a store of value, and in jewelry.  The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks and in alluvial deposits and is one of the coinage metals.  It is a soft, shiny, yellow, dense, malleable, and ductile metal.  Gold forms the basis for a monetary standard used by the International Monetary Fund.  When selling it in the form of jewelry, gold is measured in karats (k), with pure gold being 24k.  However, it is more commonly sold in lower measurements of 22k, 18k, and 14k.  A lower "k" indicates a higher percent of copper or silver mixed into the alloy, with copper being the more commonly used metal between the two.

Gold Filled:  It is a layer of 10kt or better gold mechanically bonded under heat and pressure to the base metal and must be at least 1/20th of the total weight of the product.  Marked as either 14/20GF, 12/20GF or 10/20GF.  A gold-filled finished product thus has a surface layer of gold of the appropriate karatage that is very thick compared to gold plated materials.  Gold-filled items are generally considered life-time products and the gold layer will not quickly wear off.  It is a cost-effective option when comparing to the price of pure gold products.

Gold Plated:  Gold layer over base metal less then 1/20th of the total weight of the metal and marked GP.

Gold Wash:  A very thin coating of gold over a base metal.

Granulation:  Large numbers of rounded metal grains are soldered onto a gold or silver background to express a pattern.

Green Amethyst:  The green color is achieved by irradiating pale Brazilian amethyst.  Also known as Prasiolite.  To clean your green amethyst, avoid harsh detergents.  Wash with warm, soapy water.  Ultrasonic cleaning is usually safe.  Never steam clean.  Moh's scale of hardness:  7.

Guilloche:  (gee-oh-SHAY) Machine-engraved decoration on metal over which a translucent enamel is applied.

Gutta-Percha:  A hard rubber material made from the sap of a Malayan tree.  Discovered in the 1840s.  Black or brownish in color and very lightweight.  To test for gutta-percha, rub very briskly on a piece of cloth and it should emit a very distinctive odor of burnt rubber.