BRIDGE JEWELLERY Bridge jewellery is manufactured to the same quality and standards as fine jewellery, only it's made with less expensive materials. This level of jewellery ''bridges'' the gap between costume/fashion jewellery and the fine jewellery world, offering heirloom-worthy style without such a high materials cost. Bridge jewellery tends to be made using fine silver (including silver clays), sterling silver and ''vermeil'' (a gold electroplated silver) with semiprecious gems such as amethyst, garnet, cultured pearl, marcasite, mother-of-pearl shell, etc. CONTIN… The sterling silver bracelet (featured below) features marcasite, black agate and mother-of-pearl shell, making it an ideal representative for the bridge jewellery category. A bridge jewellery component would be the sterling silver clasp (featured below), set with faceted peridot. Some of the new high-tech metals (such as niobium and titanium) meet these quality standards. Many traditional birthstones (garnet, amethyst, peridot, topaz and more) meet the bridge jewellery definition.

1. CLASSIFICATION OF
JEWELLERY
S. Manohari ,MSc.,
Asst. Professor
Dept. of Fashion Technology & Costume Design,
Bon Secours College for Women,
Thanjavur

2. CLASSIFICATION OF
JEWELLERY
• Fine Jewellery
• Semi Fine Jewellery
• Costume Or Fashion Jewellery
• Bridge Jewellery

3. FINE jewellery
• Fine jewellery is typically reserved for special
occasions: engagements, graduations, birthdays, etc.
• But it's also a great option for girls who like to wear
their jewellery 24/7 and don't want to worry about
taking their jewels off when they sleep, shower or
workout.
• Because it’s made entirely of solid precious metals
and precious gemstones, fine jewellery is so much
stronger than fashion jewellery and will not tarnish
with proper care and storage.

4. CONTIN…
• Rings in the fine jewellery category can be re-sized
and repaired easily by any skilled jeweler.
• Fine jewellery is created to last for generations,
designed to be or become heirloom pieces.
• In addition to that, when broken, fine jewellery can
be repaired.

5. CONTIN…
• But most brands only produce high-quality pieces
made of precious metals and genuine gemstones.
Do pay attention to hallmarks on your jewellery
to figure out whether it’s fashion jewellery with a
fancy brand name or truly fine jewellery.
• Fine jewellery is made of the most expensive
categories of materials--usually fine precious
gemstones such as diamond or sapphire with
platinum or karat gold.

6. FINE jewellery

7. SEMI-FINE jewellery
• Semi-fine jewellery is the category that bridges the gap between fine
jewellery and fashion jewellery.
• Semi-fine jewellery is typically characterized as being gold plated,
gold vermeil (a thicker gold plating) or gold fill jewellery.
• This category of jewels is often made with genuine stones such as
aquamarine, opals, morganite, etc.
• but one thing that sets semi-fine jewellery apart from fashion
jewellery is that the base metal used is typically sterling silver so
even under the gold plated or vermeil layer is a high quality metal
that will stand the test of time.

8. CONTIN…
• It's important that semi-fine or gold plated jewellery not
be worn in the shower, pool, to sleep or when working
out.
• You should also take care when applying lotions because
water and the oil in lotion can cause gold plating to wear
down over time.
• jewellery that falls into the semi-fine category should be
reserved for pieces that are fashion forward but not
expected to last a lifetime

9. CONTIN…
• This category of jewellery is one of our
favorites as it allows us to offer a wide range
of on trend jewellery at affordable prices.
• You will also see a lot of semi-fine jewellery
that is made with lab created or enhanced
stones as these have similar visual properties
to genuine stones but with a lower price tag.

10. SEMI-FINE jewellery

11. COSTUME OR FASHION
JEWELLERY
• Fashion jewellery is typically made with non-
precious stones and metals such as brass, bronze and
copper.
• These are rings, necklaces, earrings and bracelets
made with Swarovski crystals, beads, leather or
acrylic materials.
• So a leather choker or a beaded friendship bracelet
would fall into this category.
• Fashion jewellery can also include some gold plated
jewellery but the base metal with fashion jewellery is
typically brass or bronze

12. CONTIN…
• We also work with many fashion jewellery designers
who work exclusively with brass or bronze, so you'll
find rings, necklaces, and bracelets in this material
that has not been plated.
• One of the benefits of not plating these materials is
that they can be polished using any standard polishing
cloth.
• If you purchase a brass bracelet and you find that it
starts to look tarnished, grab a polishing cloth, give it
a quick rub and it will be good as new in no time!

13. COSTUME OR FASHION
JEWELLERY

14. BRIDGE JEWELLERY
• Bridge jewellery is manufactured to the same quality and
standards as fine jewellery, only it's made with less expensive
materials. This level of jewellery ''bridges'' the gap between
costume/fashion jewellery and the fine jewellery world,
offering heirloom-worthy style without such a high materials
cost.
• Bridge jewellery tends to be made using fine silver (including
silver clays), sterling silver and ''vermeil'' (a gold electroplated
silver) with semiprecious gems such as amethyst, garnet,
cultured pearl, marcasite, mother-of-pearl shell, etc.

15. CONTIN…
• The sterling silver bracelet (featured below) features
marcasite, black agate and mother-of-pearl shell, making
it an ideal representative for the bridge jewellery category.
• A bridge jewellery component would be the sterling silver
clasp (featured below), set with faceted peridot. Some of
the new high-tech metals (such as niobium and titanium)
meet these quality standards.
• Many traditional birthstones (garnet, amethyst, peridot,
topaz and more) meet the bridge jewellery definition.

16. BRIDGE JEWELLERY