Bezel

[tawn]

I have my setting selection narrowed down to 2...both bezel settings, and we''ll be putting approx 1ct ~ 6.5mm stone in the center!

Do the more modern rounds look better or the older cuts? I sort of get all of the old cuts confused, but love the look of them?

Which suits the Bezel settings more?

Thanks..

These are the links to the settings since I can''t seem to post any pictures...lol

http://www.solomonbrothers.com/Pictures//HOUSE/80341.JPG

(This picture doesn''t do the ring any justice at all...it looks completely different in person. I wouldn''t have ever looked twice at the picture if I hadn''t tried in on in a store first!)

http://www.tacori.com/
Serendipity Style BA 4279

(I have super long hands and fingers...size 5.5, so the lovely little delicate settings just don''t suit my hand!)

 

[oldminer]

Setting old cut stones in bezels sometimes is very sensible. Old cuts very often have paper thin girdles and a bezel protects them from chipping. Bezels also hide a little out of roundness found in many old cuts and also can conceal small chips in the girdle that might other wise need to be repaired before setting in a prong style setting, or one with any open spaces, even a partial bezel.

Modern cut diamonds in bezels are a fashion statement more than a necessity. If you like plain, utilitarian or the ultimate in safety from chipping or loss, a bezel might be for you. If you want to maximize light return and THE DIAMOND not the setting, then prongs help to expose the diamond more to the observer's eyes.

Ultimately it is your choice or the one dictated by the design you like. We have set many more old diamonds in prongs than in bezels because of the look we wanted. Bezels are an option that are good to consider for the right reasons.

 

[tawn]

Thanks Dave...

I have a three stone bezel set ring...with a matching necklace, and I love them! I'm super active..and never take my rings off, except to clean them every once in awhile! So, setting safety is a huge issue with me!

I have my mom's diamond reset into an antique replica, and although the stone is almost flush with the setting, I still find that I snag little things on the prongs! Plus, I'm compulsively checking to make sure that the diamond is still there...lol

I've seen a few pictures of the older stones, and I love the look of them. So, which is the best round "type" of cut...and where's a good place to shop for them? Also love the idea of the stone having a history...I don't buy into the badluck theory!

Thanks...

 

[Hest88]

Well-cut modern stones have a much better light return, but older cuts have an unmatched charm.

One of my favorite looks is a bezel-set older cut, and though the picture I have saved as a dream ring is of an OMC, I think an OEC (Old European Cut) is probably a better bet for a bezel since it's round.

As to how to get one, PM Oldminer (who posted above), who can probably direct you to a reliable retailer.

 

[eyesoftexas]

If you are looking for a bezel here is one of my favorites made by Whitney Boin. It makes the diamond look much bigger which is a nice advantage especially if the bezel is in platinum.

 

[Nicrez]

Hey David, I always thought older cuts were not always cut with the same precision we can find nowadays, so that light leakage would be a problem.

I assume putting an older cut into a space where no light can enter the pavillion may make it sparkle less than a pronged approach, or am I wrong? Or would the light bound off better from the inside of the white gold or platinum it is bezeled in?

Supposedly, nowadays the cuts can be so well done that there is minimal light leakage, so bezel setting detracts very little from the modern stone brilliance...that's why I have been pondering a bezel set pendant... Could a Flanders in bezel be as bright?

 

[tawn]

This is one of the ones I'm seriously considering...or something similar at least...

Think an OEC would suit?

 

[oldminer]

Whether an old cut is always less brilliant than a fine modern cut is in doubt. I don't believe we have established what is possible in a very well cut older stone as yet. What is different is the way old cut diamonds look. They have chunks of light and dark rather than needles found in modern stones. Some folks like them a lot and others find them too different.

A bezel can fool the eye, like the Whitney Boin ring and make the diameter look larver than it actually is. Other times a bezel may simply hide some of the diamond and not make it look larger. A bezel with a flat op versus a bezel with a beveled top makes this happen. It is an illusion.

Setting a diamond with a covered bottom to fake decreased light leakage makes the stone have more darknes in scintillation, but not more light return. It makes the stone darker if anything. The look of a stone might improve with more darkness behind it. The design of the specific bezel and back would then be the issue. Not every approach woroks out the same.

As usual, no simple answer fits all the situations.

 

[valeria101]

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On 4/7/2004 8:31:38 PM tawn wrote:

This is one of the ones I'm seriously considering...or something similar at least...

Think an OEC would suit?----------------

I guess so. This sounds like an "why not" question. For this inveterate bezel set nut (There isn't one prong in my jewelry box bar the PS pin, never has been and no changes are in sight), anything goes in a besel setting, bar flat-top stones (cut with little pavilion height).

Not sure how easy is to find a seller familiar with the various breeds and qualities of old round cuts - and those stones are just as different as the rounds today. Did you see those 70% deep 'new' rounds... surely far from 'ideal' among both new and old.

Actually... how about OMC? If it is the fire of the old cuts, these might have the most of it.

 

[tawn]

Tell me where to look for them them...lol I see those types of stones already set in rings at Fay Cullen and some of the other antique places..but where to find them loose, preferably with really nice pictures!

I tried to take a pic of my 3 stone bezel ring with matching necklace, but I need to improve on my photograhpy skills. Suppose I should actually get around to reading the manual that I got with my "new" (last year) digital camera!

 

[valeria101]

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On 4/8/2004 4:29:37 PM tawn wrote:


Tell me where to look for them them...lol [...]where to find them loose, preferably with really nice pictures!

----------------

Actually, I have no idea. Diamondsbylauren occasionally listed loose OMCs (fresly cut, but close to the model). There is one (called 'cushion', but OMC all day, orriginating from David Atlas, I suppose) HERE. And this is all I know ! No website seems to care to post a collection of old cuts - not a frequesnt request I guess

Sure some pics would be well received, as well as some more talk on what makes these stones attractive.

The bit of reading on fire and brilliance does explain the bare-bone optics relating th look of old cuts to moderns (LINK). The stone in the GemAdviser simmulation there looks very nice, and some more pictures of the same are somewhere in Garry's ('CutNut') posts. No idea how many old cuts have ever went through so much analysis.

Mr. Atlas... sure there are no picture of charming OMCs loose on your HD?

 

[ClownFishFunk]

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On 4/7/2004 8:31:38 PM tawn wrote:





This is one of the ones I'm seriously considering...or something similar at least...

I just love this setting - I was actually just admiring it the other day! It's just so pretty, definitely one of my absolute favorite bezel settings, and its very unique! So, if you couldn't tell, I really like that one.