Wedding Ring Glossary: 60 Terms Explained Without the Sales Jargon

Jewellery terminology becomes confusing because the same word can describe a shape, a process, a material or a marketing name. This glossary explains 60 terms that commonly appear when buying wedding and engagement rings. Where terminology varies between jewellers, we say so.

A–C

Alloy

A mixture of metals. Pure gold is commonly alloyed to change hardness, colour and working properties.

Assay

Testing used to determine the fineness of a precious-metal article.

Assay office

An authorised body that tests precious-metal articles and applies hallmark components. In the UK the current offices are London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Edinburgh.

Band

A ring whose design is primarily a continuous shank rather than a centre-stone setting.

Bevelled edge

An angled transition at the edge of a band, often used to soften the appearance of a flat profile.

Bezel setting

A setting in which a rim of metal surrounds all or part of a gemstone’s perimeter.

Brushed finish

A directional surface texture made of fine visible lines that reduces mirror-like reflection.

Carat (diamond)

A unit of gemstone weight equal to 0.2 grams. It does not directly describe a diamond’s face-up size.

Carat / ct (gold)

A UK measure of gold purity expressed in 24 parts: 18ct gold is 18 parts gold out of 24. It is unrelated to diamond carat weight.

Channel setting

Stones held between two parallel metal walls, usually without individual prongs between each stone.

Comfort fit

A general term for an inner ring surface that is rounded or eased. Exact geometry varies by manufacturer.

Court profile

A band rounded on both its outer and inner surfaces.

D–H

D-shape

A band with a rounded exterior and a flatter inner face when viewed in cross-section.

Depth

The thickness of a ring from the inner finger surface to the outer surface.

Eternity ring

A band set with a repeating sequence of gemstones across part or all of its circumference.

Fineness

Precious-metal content expressed in parts per thousand, such as 750 for 18ct gold.

Fineness mark

The hallmark component indicating the standard of precious metal, such as 375, 750 or 950 in appropriate contexts.

Flat court

A profile with a flatter outer appearance and a more rounded, comfort-style inner surface.

Flush fit

When two rings sit next to each other without a deliberate visible gap. It can also refer to a flush-set gemstone, so context matters.

Flush setting

A gemstone set into the metal so the top of the stone sits close to the surrounding ring surface.

Gallery

The structural area beneath and around a centre-stone setting.

Grain setting

Small beads or grains of metal raised to hold closely spaced stones, often in pavé-style work.

Hallmark

In the UK, a set of marks applied after independent testing that identifies fineness and other required information.

Hammered finish

An intentionally faceted or dimpled surface created by working the metal to produce irregular reflections.

I–P

Inlay

A contrasting material or metal set into a channel or recess in a ring.

Knife edge

A band or shank profile that rises to a relatively sharp central ridge.

Lab-grown diamond

A diamond produced in a laboratory rather than mined from the earth. It has the crystal structure and properties of diamond; it should be clearly described as laboratory-grown or similar.

Milgrain

A decorative row of tiny bead-like metal details, often used around edges or stone settings.

Mixed metal

A ring deliberately combining more than one metal colour or alloy.

Mohs hardness

A comparative scale of scratch resistance for minerals. It does not measure toughness, brittleness or overall jewellery durability.

Palladium

A naturally white platinum-group precious metal used in jewellery and subject to UK hallmarking requirements above the legal exemption weight.

Patina

The surface character that develops through wear. In platinum, fine displacement and scratching can create a softer-looking patina.

Pavé

A style of closely set small gemstones held with minimal visible metal, creating a paved appearance.

Platinum

A dense, naturally white precious metal commonly used for bridal jewellery.

Polished finish

A smooth, highly reflective surface produced by progressive finishing and polishing.

Prong / claw

A small projection of metal that bends over a gemstone to hold it in place.

Profile

The cross-sectional shape of a wedding band, such as court, D-shape, flat or flat court.

R–S

Rhodium plating

A thin rhodium coating often applied to white-gold jewellery to create a bright white surface. It can wear and may require renewal.

Rose gold

Gold alloyed to create a pink or reddish colour, commonly using copper as an important alloying metal.

Satin finish

A fine, diffuse surface texture with less reflection than a high polish. The exact appearance varies by maker.

Setting

The metal structure that holds a gemstone, or the method by which the stone is secured.

Shank

The band portion of a ring that circles the finger.

Shoulder

The part of the shank that rises towards a centre setting, often tapering or carrying accent stones.

Sizing beads

Small metal beads added inside a ring to reduce spinning or slightly tighten the fit without a full resize.

Stack

Two or more rings worn together on the same finger.

Step cut

A gemstone faceting style using long, parallel facets, seen in emerald and Asscher-style cuts.

Sponsor’s mark

A compulsory UK hallmark component identifying the person or organisation registered as responsible for submitting the article for hallmarking; it is not necessarily the physical maker.

Stone spread

An informal description of how large a gemstone appears face-up relative to its weight and proportions.

Symmetry

A grading or design concept describing how consistently facets, outline or components align around a centre.

T–W

Tension setting

A setting where the gemstone appears held between opposing sides of the ring by engineered pressure; construction and service options require specialist advice.

Three-stone ring

A ring with three principal gemstones, often used for symbolic or compositional reasons.

Titanium

A lightweight metal used for jewellery. Resizing and repair options are often more limited than for traditional precious-metal bands.

Toi et moi

A two-stone ring composition; the French phrase means “you and me”.

Trillion cut

A triangular gemstone shape, commonly used for side stones as well as centres.

Tungsten carbide

A very hard, scratch-resistant material used for bands. It is comparatively brittle and normally cannot be resized in the conventional way.

White gold

Gold alloyed with whiter metals; many white-gold rings are rhodium plated, although alloy and finish vary.

Width

The measurement across a band from one side edge to the other when viewed on the finger.

Yellow gold

A gold alloy designed to retain a warm yellow appearance; purity and alloy recipe affect colour and hardness.

Asscher cut

A square step-cut diamond or gemstone style with cropped corners and a geometric pattern of concentric facets.

Cushion cut

A broadly square or rectangular gemstone outline with softened corners; facet patterns and elongation vary considerably.

Emerald cut

A rectangular step-cut style with cropped corners, known for broad flashes rather than a brilliant-cut pattern.

Oval cut

An elongated brilliant-style gemstone shape that can provide strong face-up finger coverage for a given weight.

Resizing

Altering a ring’s circumference or effective fit. Feasibility depends on metal, setting, pattern, stones and amount of change.

Wedding band

A ring exchanged or worn in connection with marriage. “Band” describes form rather than a particular metal, width or gender.