VOCABULARY TERM: JEWELRY FINISH

Jewelry Finish. A surface on medallic items which has been finished by any of several methods commonly employed in the jewelry industry. A common description is "letter tops polished." They are not as satisfactory or as permanent as finishes applied by more standard "medallic" methods. Jewelry finishes usually contain several portions (as lettering, relief or edges) of highly polished areas or brightcut areas often contrasted with satin backgrounds. A typical item might be goldplated, lightly sandblasted to acquire the satin background, then chosen areas highly buffed with jeweler's rouge to obtain the polished surface (bright finish). The process then continues: wash, dry, bake and lacquer.

For large medals, jewelry manufacturers like to polish the edge and often the rims of a medal. This makes the edge smooth (and susceptible for dropping). It is against the rules of standard medal manufacturers who purposefully design the rims and edges for aiding the human fingers to grip the piece more so. The existence of jewelry finish on a medallic item would indicate it was manufactured by a jewelry maker rather than a typical medal manufacturer. See finishing and finishing, brightcut, polished edge.

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Or if you would like a printed copy of the complete Encyclopedia, it is available. There are 1,854 terms, on 678 pages, in The Encyclopedia of Coin and Medal Technology. Even running two a week would require more than 19 years to publish them all. If you would like an advance draft of this vital reference work it may be obtained from the author for your check of $50 sent postpaid. Dick Johnson, 139 Thompson Drive, Torrington, CT 06790.

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