Jewelry Basics

The jewelry industry is filled with specialized terms and techniques that are often not explained in simple, straightforward language. To help bridge this gap, we’ve created a list of commonly used terms in jewelry production and manufacturing.

This glossary covers products and methods frequently used in the creation of findings, mountings, mill products, solders, and chains. As a wholesale jewelry supplier, we use many of these techniques in our manufacturing process and carry a wide range of the items listed.

We’re deeply grateful to our customers for trusting us to meet your jewelry part needs. We hope this resource will be valuable to you. If there are any terms or techniques you think we’ve missed, we’d love to hear from you! Please feel free to email us with your suggestions, and we’ll gladly include them in this ever-growing glossary. Together, we can create a helpful resource for jewelers and enthusiasts worldwide. Thank you for your support!

    Fineness of Gold in Karats
  


    United States Markings
    Parts Gold
    Gold %
    European Markings
  

    24K
    24/24
    100%
    1000 or 999
  

    22K
    22/24
    91.7%
    916 or 917
  

    18K
    18/24
    75%
    750
  

    14K
    14/24
    58.3%
    583 or 585
  

    10K
    10/24
    41.7%
    417
  

MEASURING AN EXISTING RING

1. Choose an existing ring that fits your desired finger.
2. Measure the internal diameter of the existing ring.
3. Match your measurement to the below chart to find your approximate ring size.

    INTERNAL DIAMETER (MM)
    14.1
    14.9
    15.7
    16.5
    17.3
    18.1
    19.0
    19.8
    20.6
    21.4
    22.2
  


    US/CANADA RING SIZE
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10
    11
    12
    13
  