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

Manganese and copper give it its color. And also its magic. The first neon blue Paraiba tourmaline was discovered in Brazil in the 80’s. Named after the place of its discovery, it is the rarest and most valuable variety of tourmaline. Some additional deposits were later found in Africa. But much to the disappointment of avid collectors, this gem remains extraordinarily rare. Stones weighing more than one carat are rarely found.

Pavé, the French word for "flooring," is the technical term jewelers use to describe flat surfaces of precious metal that have been "paved" with precious stones. Small gems are fixed next to each other to create a flat plane with as little visible metal as possible. As a rule, the "pavsi stones" are of equal size and were cut and polished into identical shapes. The upper facet of each stone, the so-called "table", should be located in exactly the same plane as all the other tables to achieve the incandescent and luxurious look of fine pavé.

Peacock is the technical term for a particular dark color of Tahitian pearl. This color, reminiscent of the shimmer of a peacock's feather, is a dark background shade with an intense green glow. This variant of the Tahitian pearl is among the most avidly sought after and most valuable pearls of all cultured pearls.

Pearl cultivation was first invented in Japan at the beginning of the twentieth century. The original method is still in use today. A hazel, typically a spherula that has been transformed on the lathe by a shell, is implanted into an oyster along with a living mollusk tissue that produces mother-of-pearl. The bivalves are then returned to water and cleaned at regular intervals. Inside the shell, the implanted tissue continues to produce mother of pearl, gradually covering the kernel with layer after layer of mother of pearl. It takes at least 18 months to produce a pearl in this way. The resulting pearls are called "cultured pearls".

The pearls of South Seas are the most beautiful and precious of all pearls. Their size, which varies between 10 and 20 mm in diameter, makes them particularly opulent. The pale pearls of the South Seas have a thick layer of nacre that can vary in color from white to silver, cream, gold, or even a pale gray-blue. It is this nacre that gives them their sparkling shine. The largest and most beautiful pearls of the South Seas come from Australia. Indonesia is also a major producer. The pearls of the South Seas grow inside bivalves of the species Pinctada maxima. The rarest and most expensive pearls of the South Seas are white and almost perfectly spherical.

Pearls occur in various species of freshwater and saltwater bivalves. They are among the oldest jewelry materials of humanity. In the past, pearls were extraordinarily valuable and were reserved exclusively for rich and powerful people. Orient pearls occur by chance and without human intervention. Such pearls are sometimes still found today, but they are rarely exchanged. In the years following the development of pearl cultivation at the beginning of the twentieth century, the art and science of creating cultured pearls were continuously perfected. Today more popular than ever, pearls come in many sizes, colors, shapes and varieties: for example as fresh water, Akoya or cultivated South Seas.

Peridot is a truly heavenly natural stone. It was found in meteorites that fell from space and landed on Earth. Land deposits are found at sites in northern Burma, Australia, Brazil and elsewhere. The favorite jewel of the Baroque era, the peridot is particularly attractive due to its light pistachio or yellow-green color. The Peridot numbers among the few gemstones that occur in only one color. The characteristic olive hue led miners to refer to this mineral as "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 determined. Absolutely perfect diamonds, i.e. stones completely devoid of inclusions, are very rare exceptions. According to an internationally recognized valuation system, diamonds that clearly reveal inclusions to an unassisted eye are assigned to the "Piqué" group, which, in turn, is further divided into three subclasses: Piqué I, Piqué II and Piqué III.

Platinum was not used in jewelry until the late nineteenth century. This metal received its name from the Spanish conquistadors in South America, who called it "platina", which means "little silver" in Spanish. Platinum is the rarest and most valuable of all metals. Difficult to extract and laborious to isolate from its ore, platinum is fragile and difficult to process. The alloy that is most commonly used for jewelry is 950 platinum, which means that there are 950 grams of pure platinum in every 1,000 grams of jewel metal. The distinctive sign "PT 950" identifies this platinum quality.

The stitch setting is a very characteristic environment with thin metal claws that protrude a gem like the fingers of a hand. The light and open environment allows the color, fire and beauty of the gem to express itself fully. Because the gem is held in place by thin pins, the stone itself appears relatively large and can receive a lot of light. The setting of the prong evolved from the claw setting where a gem was enshrined inside claws that had been carved to resemble the claws of a predatory bird.

The term "polish" describes the most important of the four quality criteria (the "4 Cs") on the basis of which the value of a diamond is defined. The cut given to a diamond is of decisive importance in determining its value. Only a perfect cut can give life to the diamond and allow it to fully show its fiery brilliance. A good cut reflects the light from facet to facet, makes an incident beam of light, and eventually radiates outward again from the top of the stone. If the cut is done imperfectly, the light is lost. The highest brilliance is obtained only from a diamond on which all facets are correctly proportioned and arranged.

Polishing refers to the fine treatment given to the surfaces of pieces of jewelry. The goal is to create a smooth and very shiny surface. Polishing can be done by hand, for example, with a piece of polishing wool, or with the machine, usually with a rotating disc made of leather or wool. Polishing can also be done with the help of polishing pastes. These preparations improve the smoothing effect of polishing. The different stages of work can be carried out 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 glow.

The princess cut is a combination of the bright and emerald cuts. There are several different versions of the princess cut. The number of facets can vary depending on the specific version, and the quadratic shape can be cut into a carré with sharp or beveled corners.

The term "purity" ("clarity") is one of the four quality criteria (the "4 C") by which the value of a diamond is determined. Absolutely perfect diamonds, i.e. stones completely devoid of inclusions, are rare exceptions. The purity of diamonds is rigorously assessed and classified according to an internationally recognized rating system. The highest grade is "IF" ("internally impeccable", i.e. no inclusion). German-speaking jewelers sometimes use the synonym word "lupenrein", meaning "pure under the wolf", to refer to stones "IF". The additional votes are: "very very small inclusions" (from VVS1 to VVS2), that is, with small inclusions invisible to the naked eye and "very small inclusions" (from VS1 to VS2).