Glossary C-D

A-B ~ E-H ~ I-M ~ N-S ~ T-Z ~ Glossary TOC

cabochon	A domed gemstone. Highly polished curved surface without faceting.
cane bead	A drawn glass bead. It is a basic method of bead-making.
carnelian	Carnelian is a red to brown gemstone; it is a chalcedony, a type of quartz. The best quality carnelian comes from India. Traditionally, it is a sacred gemstone because of the color. Red symbolizes the life force or blood.
Chai	Hebrew word for life.
chalcedony	A type of microcrystalline quartz with hydrated silica (opal). It appears naturally in bluish greys to brownish-reddish colors to white or cream. Because of its molecular structure, it is very porous and easy to dye. The name is derived from an ancient town along the Bosphorus.
chevron	Bead patterns, often layering white, red and blue glass. Chevrons are made by the Constantinis, a venerated and prestigious glassmaking family on the island of Murano, Italy. It is the most difficult pattern to create of all beads. In Europe chevron beads were used in the rosaries of cardinals. The African bead trade lasted from the 1200's through the end of the 1800's and the chevron came to be considered a chief's bead symbolizing absolute power and authority. Chevron beads of six or more layers are extremely rare and quite valuable.
cloisonné	An enameling technique in which thin wire partitions-cloisons-are filled with enamel. It is an art form practiced in ancient Byzantium and in China today. The name comes from the French verb cloisonner, to partition.
cobalt glass	Glass pigmented with the element cobalt, giving a rich, deep blue color.
coral	The name coral comes from the Greek, although the meaning is not known. Red or pink coral is the calcified skeletons of organisims that live in salt waters along the coasts of the Western Mediterranian, Bay of Biscay, Canary Isles, Malayasian Archepelago and Japan. Black coral is found around the waters off northern Australia and also in the Red Sea.
corundum	Corundum (aluminum oxide Al₂O₃) is the hardest mineral other than diamond, though only 1/140 as hard. Red corundum is ruby, other colors are called sapphires. There is no clear demarcation of color to define which gems are called rubies or sapphires. Light red, pink or violet corundums are usually classified as sapphires with the name ruby reserved for truly red stones. The coloring in ruby comes from chrome, pigment in blue sapphire is iron and titanium, and in violet stones, vanadium. Iron content causes yellow and green tones.
cranberry carnelian beads	A rare and collectible type of antique Venetian glass bead. The color is derived by dissolving gold into glass. It is the only way to achieve a true red in glass. Mercuric oxide may also be used. It creates a orange-red, or Chinese red. However, it is not as expensive as gold. Traditionally, red beads are sacred because red symbolizes the life's force and in Western or Christian cultures the sacred blood of Jesus.
Czech glass	See Bohemian glass
Dogon	A tribe indigenous to Mali in Africa.
Dogon donuts	Disc beads made from old Dutch cobalt glass, by the Dogon people. Today Vicks Vap-o-Rub jars are often used.
dream beads	A pattern of Venetian glass bead called such because of the way color and gold dust are "dreamily" suspended in glass.
Dutch glass	The Dutch also produced glass and beads for trade. However, the Dutch glass was not as durable as the Venetian glass. Perhaps it is because they used ash from wood, rather than from sea kelp as did the Venetians. The Dutch beads generally were not as vibrantly colored as were the Venetian beads.

More terms will be added as time goes by. I welcome questions, comments or even corrections by email.