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Baguette
A small, four-sided step cut that is rectangular, square or tapered.
Bar Setting
A bar setting is very similar to a channel setting as a bar setting uses a thin bar of metal to hold the stones in place on either side.
Bearded Girdle (BG)
Very small feathers that extend from the
girdle
surface into the stone.
Bearding
This is when the
girdle
develops small cracks during the polishing process that resemble whiskers. Sometimes the bearding can be removed with slight re-polishing.
Bezel Setting
A bezel setting holds a diamond in place using a thin band of metal (also known as a rim) that surrounds the diamond at its middle, or girdle. It can completely or partially surround the stone, depending on the style and look desired. This type of setting provides excellent protection of the stone.
Blemish
A blemish is a clarity characteristic confined to the gemstone's surface. Along with
inclusions
, blemishes help determine a gemstone's clarity grade. Blemishes usually only affect the clarity grades in the top two categories,
Flawless
and
Internally Flawless
.
Body Color
This is the basic color of a diamond or gemstone seen when brilliance and
dispersion
are ignored. It is also used to describe the overall color of a pearl and depends on the combination of
hue
,
tone
and
saturation
. Pearls can have a light or dark tone and tend to have low color saturation which results in a soft glow.
Brilliance
The sparkle in a stone when light is reflected from the surface and from the total internal reflection of light.
Brilliant Cut
A cutting style with triangular or kite-shaped facets that radiate from the center toward the girdle. This is a cut that is scientifically found to reflect the most light from within the stone, and often considered to have the most brilliance of all cuts.
Bruise (Br)
A small area of impact often accompanied by very small root-like
feathers
visible at 10x magnification.