Jewellery terms, in plain words

Tap through to the full guide for examples, sources and the details behind each term.

Gold-plated

A surface layer of gold over another material. Check both the base and the finish.

A bonded gold layer. Do not treat the term as another name for solid gold.

A measure of gold purity; it does not tell you the thickness of plating.

A resistance claim. Ask which exposure and care conditions the seller means.

A coating can become thinner with wear. Cleaning cannot add a missing layer back.

The straight distance from one inner ring edge to the opposite inner edge.

The distance around a circle. For a round ring, circumference equals diameter × π.

Able to change within a stated range, not guaranteed to fit every finger.