Prongs vs Bezel

[Lovinggems]

I''m puzzled, is a bezel setting much harder to make than a prong setting? Is it offensive to ask a jewelry maker to make a prong setting? I''m not talking about James Meyer by the way as he is known for making bezel settings and specified his preference on his website.

 

[ma re]

I don''t think that it''s offensive to ask your jeweller to create anything, as you''re the one paying for his work. Prongs are indeed the easiest way to set a stone, and that''s why you see so many of them in mass-produced (more affordable) jewellery. A good bezel really requires a higher skill level, while you don''t really need to be overly precise and careful when it comes to prongs. But I''m no expert so feel free to consult one

 

[Lovinggems]

Thank you Mr Ma Re for the information, I was searching the web for information about difficulty in making a prong and a bezel setting and thought I''ll try here. I was hoping you might chime in with your comments.

 

[chrono]

A bezel setting is a more difficult to make than a prong setting but it is not offensive at all to ask a jeweller to design and make one. With the stone in hand, the bezel can be made to fit the stone to its exact measurements.

 

[Lovinggems]

I suppose both types of settings can be made badly or nicely depending on the jeweller.

Reason for my puzzlement: I was getting quotes on a prong setting and provided photos, a jeweller replied they''ll get back to me, a month later another reply stating they don''t do prongs. I replied maybe I''ll have them made me something else in the future and mentioned in passing I was also going to ask them for quotes on a cluster ring, another month later I received a reply suggesting I should find a benchperson instead of an artist to make my ring. Some jewellers must really hate prongs!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

It may also have to do with how they make their jewelery. I''m not positive, but I would guess that people who make jewelery by hand may have an easier time making bezels than prongs, and those that typically using CAD and casting may prefer prongs as those are more forgiving to set?

That''s just my guess, but I''ve noticed that many of the jewelers on etsy that make things by hand tend to predominantly do bezels.

 

[Lovinggems]

MTG that''s a possibility, the jeweller is an Etsy seller, maybe it''s easier to make bezels than prongs by hand.

 

[deorwine]

Yes, what MakingTheGrade said. I've taken beginner jewelry fabrication classes and you can learn to fabricate a bezel setting pretty quickly, in one eight-week session (I can do it, though my bezels are kinda ugly looking... making them WELL takes longer) but prongs... well, I could theoretically make one, but it is a LOT more work and I don't think I would be successful if I tried. Our teacher showed us at one point all the little fiddly steps you had to do... it's a big pain. Look at a ring you have with prongs and realize that EVERY SINGLE ONE of those little bitty pieces has to be cut out and soldered to all the rest of them... that's why it's so hard.

I think it's easier for your average jeweler to set something in prongs, because s/he can just buy pre-cast prong settings and solder them onto a ring shank or whatever (which is really easy, easier than having to make a bezel)... that is what most of them do unless they are doing truly custom work, and you can get very nice pieces that way. but if you are going with someone who is fabricating the entire piece (and not casting it-- jewelers who use CAD for their custom work are going to cast, usually-- or using commercial components) they probably don't want to do prongs.

It's not offensive to ask, I shouldn't think... unless the jeweler prides him/herself on 100% custom work never using commercial components and thinks you are asking him/her to do so.

ETA: I bet that's what the Etsy seller thought, actually... that you wanted a ring made from commercial components... which is probably what you DO want. But they should have explained it to you better

 

[Lovinggems]

So to hand fabricate a prong setting will be much more work than bezeling? I didn''t ask for a prefabricated setting but the jeweller probably thinks they''ll need to get one to take on the project. I guess as they put it to contact them again if I feel like going out on a creative limb instead of wanting to get a generic prong setting.