Antique jewelry glossary

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Shank

The part of a piece of jewelry or other object that connects the operative or decorative part with the part by which it is held, moved, or worn, e.g. the handle of a seal or the band (also called 'hoop') of a finger ring or the loop or pierced attachment on the back of a type of button by which it is sewn to a garment.

From: An Illustrated Dictionary of Jewelry, autor: Harold Newman, publishers: Thames and Hudson