question for a benchperson

[beaujolais]

I'm wondering how one sets a cab in a stock setting bezel like the one below. Does one just squeeze the ready made bezel sides against the stone? I thought bezels had to be custom made for the stone. Are the below type settings secure?

http://www.stuller.com/products/71543/?groupId=111002

Thanks.

 

[Michael_E]

There are two types of bezels used to hold gems in jewelry, heavy wall and thin wall. Thin wall bezels can be easily pressed onto a properly sized stone with a burnishing tool. Heavy wall bezels generally don't respond to well to squeezing or pressing as they're just too thick. Typically one will use a hammer handpiece to hammer the bezel down at a very steep angle so that the bezel expands a bit and captures the stone without putting too much pressure on it. This requires that the stone fit fairly tightly into the bezel before any hammering takes place, so you either need to trim the stone to fit or trim the inside of the bezel to fit the stone. The Stuller setting shown is a heavy wall type bezel and would need to be set by hammering, (unless the bench person carved out the bezel enough to be able to burnish it into place...not something that makes much sense).

Thin wall bezels are very easy to make and Stuller sells stock metal strips specifically for this here: http://www.stuller.com/browse/metals/bezel The stock is cut to the perimeter length of the stone, annealed to fully soft and then wrapped around the stone, trimmed to a perfect fit and then soldered closed. A back can be added or the setting left open. The little step that you see on these strips is what the stone seat on and so no seat has to be carved for the stone. I hope this helps!

 

[beaujolais]

Thanks so much, Michael!

 

[Trillium]

Michael E,

Thanks for sharing your helpful knowledge. Could you please comment on these Stuller fancy bezel strips? Do they work in the same way as the strips in the link you posted?
http://www.stuller.com/search/resul...cat&FacetValues[0].Second=&query=bezel+strips

I've long dreamed of a bezel setting with fancy sidewalls and am wondering if this would accomplish that look.

Thank thanks,

Trilly

 

[Michael_E]

Hi Trilly,
Those bezel strips are actually made up of mini prongs which are bent down onto the stone just as normal prongs are. They are not very tall so if you're going to use them for a faceted stone you will either need another strip below them or build them into a setting which has some depth, since a faceted stone will hang out through the bottom of those bezel strips. They do look very fancy and I have used them to set fine cabs in rings and pendants. Up close they look like Stullers pre-made settings here: http://www.stuller.com/products/28351/?groupId=111472.

 

[beaujolais]

Say, Michael, regarding the pre-made bezel settings I linked a few posts above, can an opal cab handle those or do you need a harder stone for them? Thanks so much!

 

[Michael_E]

That depends upon the shape of the cab where it contacts the setting, whether the opal has any small weaknesses or micro fractures and which metal is used for the setting. Silver, platinum, yellow or 14K rose gold alloys should be O.K., but harder alloys will transmit more force to the stone in a smaller area and so could be more risky. As for the shape of the opal I mean how rounded it is at it's base. If it has a sharp edge at the base, it's riskier than if it is more rounded as roundness tends to spread the setting forces over more area lessening them. Make sure to ask the setter if they've done it before and how they feel about it.

 

[tara3056]

Michael, since you are so generously answering questions in this thread and seem quite familiar with Stuller's offerings (thank you, btw, I never knew bezels could be made with those strips ... cool to learn about), I was hoping I might be able to interject a quick question. What do you think about the quality of Stuller's "precision melee"? Well cut, sparkly, and worth a premium? SI quality fine in stones under 10pts?

 

[beaujolais]

Thanks so much, again!

 

[Michael_E]

What do you think about the quality of Stuller's "precision melee"? Well cut, sparkly, and worth a premium? SI quality fine in stones under 10pts?

Stuller's precision melee is very nice. Yes, well cut sparkly and most importantly, well matched in size which is what they are mostly selling. It can be very difficult to find suppliers who are willing to accurately size melee so that they can be rapidly set into pave style settings without messing with each stones seat. Their precision melee comes in VS or SI1 grades, but buying VS melee is kind of silly since the melee is so small that even in SI1 quality is is not possible to see inclusions without a loupe and some serious squinting.

That said, there are other suppliers who do provide well matched melee at a price which is dramatically lower than Stuller. They are a bit difficult to buy from though as one needs to provide proof that they are in the trade and are selling the end product, not just doing a one time buy for themselves. Typically, if you are having something made it is usually better to have the craftsperson provide the melee so that they can get proper sizing and have some recourse if the material doesn't match well.

 

[Michael_E]

Michael, since you are so generously answering questions in this thread and seem quite familiar with Stuller's offerings (thank you, btw, I never knew bezels could be made with those strips ... cool to learn about), I was hoping I might be able to interject a quick question. What do you think about the quality of Stuller's "precision melee"? Well cut, sparkly, and worth a premium? SI quality fine in stones under 10pts?

 

[tara3056]

Makes sense, Michael! Thanks for your time and the information! Someone is offering a setting I like that is set with Stuller's precision SI melee ... now I know that probably is a selling point and gives me some assurance that the stones will not be of the 'frozen spit' variety

 

[chrono]

I had a Stuller halo setting once; the workmanship was not so great (the halo outline was a little wonky) but the melee diamonds were all white and clean. They sparkled well; I would consider them good quality, not ideal cut. They look great to a layperson's eyes.