Padparaja is the orange to yellow-colored variant of sapphire. Like the more familiar blue sapphire, it too belongs to the corundum group. The name comes from the Singhalese language and means "lotus blossom." Gemstones with the most avidly sought orange tone are primarily found in Sri Lanka.

The Panzerkette armor chain ranks alongside the anchor chain as one of the most classical chain forms. An armor chain is made by taking a chain with links that are connected in the ordinary manner and then twisting it until the links become deformed. Each individual link then looks as though its upper and lower halves had been twisted in opposite directions. Finally, most armor chains are then subjected to flattening so that their links acquire the characteristic angular corners.

Manganese and copper give it its colour. And also its magic. The first neon-blue Paraiba tourmaline was discovered in Brazil in the 1980s. Named after the site of its discovery, it is the rarest and most precious variety of tourmaline. A few additional deposits were afterwards found in Africa. But to the great disappointment of impassioned collectors, this gem remains extraordinarily rare. Stones weighing more than one carat are seldom found.

Pavé, the French word for "paving," is the technical term that jewelers use to describe flat surfaces of precious metal which have been "paved" with precious stones. Small gems are set closely beside one another to create a flat plane with the least possible amount of metal visible. As a rule, the "paving stones" are of equal size and have been cut and polished in identical shapes. Each stone's upper facet, its so-called "table," should lie in precisely the same plane as all the other tables in order to achieve the incandescent, luxurious appearance of fine pavé.

Peacock is the technical term for a particular dark color of Tahitian pearl. This color, which recalls the shimmer of a peacock's feather, is a dark background hue with an intensive green gleam. This variant of Tahitian pearl ranks among the most avidly sought and most valuable of all cultured pearls.

Pearls occur in various species of freshwater and saltwater bivalves. They number among mankind's oldest jewelry materials. In the past, pearls were extraordinarily valuable and were reserved solely for rich and powerful people. Orient pearls occur by random chance and without human intervention. Such pearls are sometimes still found today, but are seldom traded. In the years since the development of pearl cultivation at the beginning of the 20th century, the art and science of creating cultured pearls has been continually refined. More popular today than ever before, pearls are available in many sizes, colors, shapes, and varieties: e.g. as freshwater, Akoya, or South Seas cultured pearls.

Peridot is a truly heavenly gemstone. It has been found in meteorites that fell from outer space and landed on Earth. Terrestrial deposits occur at sites in northern Burma, Australia, Brazil, and elsewhere. The favorite gem of the Baroque era, peridot is particularly appealing thanks to its light pistachio or olive-like yellowish-green color. Peridot numbers among the few precious stones that occurs in only one color. The characteristic olive hue prompted mineralogists to also refer to this mineral by the name "olivine."

Piqué is a technical term used to classify the purity (clarity) of diamonds. Clarity is one of the four quality criteria (the "4 Cs") according to which the value of a diamond is appraised. Absolutely perfect diamonds, i.e. stones which are entirely free from inclusions, are very rare exceptions. According to an internationally recognized evaluative system, diamonds which clearly reveal inclusions to an unaided eye are assigned to the "Piqué" group, which, in turn, is further subdivided into three subclasses: Piqué I, Piqué II, and Piqué III.

Platinum was not used in jewelry until the end of the 19th century. This metal received its name from Spanish conquistadors in South America, who called it "platina," which means "little silver" in Spanish. Platinum is the rarest and most precious of all metals. Difficult to mine and laborious to isolate from its ore, platinum is brittle and tough to work with. The alloy that's most commonly used for jewelry is 950 platinum, which means that there are 950 grams of pure platinum in every 1,000 grams of jewelry metal. The "PT 950" hallmark identifies this quality of platinum.

Polishing refers to the fine treatment given to the surfaces of pieces of jewelry. The goal is to create a smooth and very glossy surface. Polishing can be performed by hand, for example, with a piece of polishing wool, or by machine, usually with a rotating disk made of either leather or wool. Polishing can also be accomplished with the aid of polishing pastes. These preparations enhance the smoothing effect of the polishing. The several phases in the work can be performed either electrochemically, chemically, or in special polishing drums. Pieces of jewelry that show traces of wear can be re-polished by a goldsmith so that they regain their original gleam.

The princess cut is a combination of the brilliant and the emerald cuts. There are several different version of the princess cut. The number of facets can vary depending upon the particular version, and the quadratic shape can be cut into a sharp-cornered or blunted carré.

The prong setting is a very characteristic setting with slender metal claws that clasp a gemstone like the fingers of a hand. The lightweight and open setting allows the color, fire, and beauty of gem to fully express themselves. Because the gem is held in place by slender pins, the stone itself appears comparatively large and can receive plenty of light. The prong setting evolved from the claw setting in which a gem was held within claws that had been sculpted to resemble the talons of a predatory bird.

The term "purity" ("clarity") is one of the four quality criteria (the "4 Cs") according to which the value of a diamond is determined. Absolutely perfect diamonds, i.e. stones which are entirely free from inclusions, are rare exceptions. The purity of diamonds is rigorously appraised and classified according to an internationally recognized evaluative system. The highest grade is "IF" ("internally flawless," i.e. no inclusions whatsoever). German-speaking jewelers sometimes use the synonymous word "lupenrein," which means "pure under the loupe," to refer to "IF" stones. Additional grades are: "very very small inclusions" (VVS1 to VVS2), i.e. with miniscule inclusions that are invisible to the naked eye, and "very small inclusions" (VS1 to VS2),