Bezel setting in jewelry: the rim that holds a stone
A bezel setting holds a gemstone in a thin wall of metal that surrounds it. The stone rests on a ledge cut inside the wall, and the setter pushes the top of the wall over the girdle, the stone's widest edge, so the metal locks it in place. A full bezel circles the whole stone, while a half bezel holds it on two opposite sides.
3D Jewelry Designer1 min read
Full and half bezels
A full bezel is one continuous wall. It covers the whole girdle, including the point of a pear or the corners of a princess cut, the parts most likely to chip, and it has no prong tips to snag or bend. A half bezel, or partial bezel, covers less of the girdle, so more of the stone shows.
Compared with prongs
A prong setting holds the stone at a few points and leaves most of it open to the light. A bezel gives up some of that side light in return for protection. A channel setting is the bezel idea applied to a row of stones, held between two parallel walls of metal.
Bezels in a 3D model
In the Jewelry CAD workspace, Bezel cup is a feature alongside prong heads, gemstones sized in millimetres and gem seats. Like every feature there, it stays editable: change a number and everything after it recomputes.
In a ring builder, setting is a selector like shape and carat, with options from your published ring catalogue. A bezel is one of them when the catalogue has a bezel head.
Questions
What is a tube setting?
A bezel made from a length of metal tube, usually for a round stone. The top edge of the tube is pushed over the girdle in the same way.
Related
- Prong setting in jewelry: how claws hold a stone
A prong setting holds a stone with small metal claws over its edge. How prong count and tip shape change a ring, and how a CAD file's prongs are detected.
- Channel setting in jewelry
A channel setting holds a row of stones between two walls of metal, with no prongs. It is common on wedding bands, eternity bands and ring shoulders.
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