Faceted

A gemstone carved with a regular pattern of many planes, or "facets". Facets are the small flat surfaces of a polished diamond or gemstone to give them ability to sparkle or reflect light.

Fancy Cut (Shape)

A term used for gems that are cut in a shape other than the standard round-cut.

Faux Pearls

Imitation pearls made from glass that have the look and feel of genuine pearls. Some faux pearls are made from plastic.

Fetish Necklace

A necklace with shell and/or turquoise beads that has charms in the shape of small animals or birds along it's length.

Filigree

Lace-like ornamental work of fine gold or silver wire.

Fimo

A German-made polymer clay that comes in over 30 colors and can be hardened by baking in a standard oven. Beads made from fimo have become popular in modern jewelry.

Finding

Manufactured components used to create jewelry, they provide the structure for the jewelry design. Findings include jumprings, clasps, bails, headpins, earwires, charms, etc.

Fineness

Fineness is the proportion of silver or gold in a metal alloy. Fineness is usually expressed in parts per thousand. For example, the fineness of Sterling silver is 925.

Fish Hook

A fishhook-shaped finding used to make earrings. The hook end hangs from the lobe of a pierced ear.

Firestone

Firestone is an imitation iridescent rainbow quartz. It is made by heating rock crystal until it crazes, it is then put into dye as it cools.

Flaw

A flaw is a an imperfection in a gemstone. Flaws include: cracks, inclusions of other minerals or liquid-filled cavities. A flawless stone is called "clean".

Floater (Invisible) Necklace

A floater necklace looks as though the beads are simply floating on the skin; the beads or pearls are strung far apart from one another on an almost invisible string (like clear fishing line).

Fluorite

Gemstone fluorite gives its name to the property of fluorescence, as many samples fluoresce strongly in ultra-violet light.
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Focal Component

A focal component is the central element in a necklace, bracelet, or other jewelry design. It is intended to be the main attention-getter. Also called station.

Foil Bead

Transparent or translucent beads in which silver or gold foil has been trapped within the body or on the surface of the bead.

Foilback

A method of coating the back of a stone with silver, gold, or colored foil. This enhances the brilliance of the stone, by reflecting back as much light as possible.

Fossilized

A piece of bone, wood, or other organic matter that has become petrified and hard like a stone over time.

Fossils

Fossils are the remains of ancient animals and plants, the traces or impressions of living things from past geologic ages, or the traces of their activities.

French Wire

A curved wire which passes through the pierced earlobe and has a catch closure. Used mostly in dangling earrings.

Freshwater Pearl

Pearls from freshwater sources: rivers, lakes and so on. Because pearls are organic, they will vary in size, shape and color.

Fringe

A fringe is an ornamental appendage to the border of an item.

Furnace Glass Bead

Furnace glass is made by working hot glass by hand. Long tubes of glass are drawn from molten glass, then beads are cut from the tube. Furnace glass beads are made in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and designs.