Bezel and Cabs?

I’m going to be settings 8x6 oval cabachon’s into silver bezels,
but have never worked with silver before. What should I expect,
and does anyone have any tips for me? Thanks, Greg goldsmith

  I'm going to be settings 8x6 oval cabachon's into silver
bezels, but have never worked with silver before. What should I
expect, and does anyone have any tips for me? Thanks, Greg
goldsmith

Be sure that you order FINE SILVER bezels . … although they are
a bit more difficult to work with (temperature wise) they mold
around the stones much better than sterling.

Are you making your own bezels or are you buying them already
made?

Hi Greg,

If you’re going to make the bezels yourself, I suggest using
fine silver bezel wire, as opposed to sterling. It doesn’t
firescale, is more easily formed over a cab (softer), and since
it has a higher melting point than sterling, is a little less
likely to melt if heated too much.

I just burnish, burnish, burnish until I’m satisfied! I have a
hammer handpiece, but use it only on the heaviest (like cast)
bezels.

There are commercially available bezel cups, but I usually don’t
use them because the results of the die-struck manufacturing
process look… well… manufactured. Someone here provided a
tip a while back about inverting a commercial bezel cup and
hitting the center with a center punch to reduce the appearance
of the curved lower edge. It works pretty well! If you’re
putting anything around the base of the bezel, it becomes less
of an issue.

Hope this helps!

Dave
Dave Sebaste
Sebaste Studio
Charlotte, NC (USA)
dave@sebaste.com
http://www.sebaste.com

I am afraid that I would advise against buying fine silver bezels:
in my experience they are just too thin and not only look mean, but
buff away as soon as look at them. Either make your own from
thickish fine silver, or use sterling and make sure that it is well
annealled.

Yours aye,
Dauvit Alexander,
Glasgow, Scotland.

1 Like

If you are using fine silver for making your bezels, you should
have no problems. The metal is so soft and forms to the stone
with a bezel roller and burnisher just fine. If you are using
sterling premade findings they may be harder and require you to
do some hammering. Let mw know if you have any problems. Janine
Cole. In rainy California

I'm going to be settings 8x6 oval cabachon's into silver bezels,
but have never worked with silver before. What should I expect,
and does anyone have any tips for me? Thanks, Greg goldsmith

One thing that I would recommend is to use heavier (24-26ga)
rather than thinner (28-30ga) fine silver for the bezels.

When you get ready to set the stones, protect the ring with
several layers of masking tape around the bezels (not on the
bezels) and then hold them steady in a ring clamp. Push the
bezels over against the stones with a bezel pusher, bit by bit,
starting on one side then the opposite, then one end and then the
other. Keep pushing the bezel between the starting points until
it is even. You can tighten the bezel further by pushing down on
the top edge, all of the way around. Use an old coarse file and
hit the pushing tip of the bezel tool. This will roughen the
surface and keep it from slipping. The masking tape will protect
the ring even further.

Clean up the bezel with a file that has the serrations removed
(or smoothed) from the edges and the corners, or carefully with a
burnisher. – Steven Brixner - Jewelry Designer - San Diego CA
USA mailto:brixner@compuserve.com
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/brixner

  One thing that I would recommend is to use heavier (24-26ga)
rather than thinner (28-30ga) fine silver for the bezels. 

Where can you find a good assortment (guage and dimension) of fine
silver bezel as well as different gold k(plain strip),seems
like the average sold is the 28-30ga…?

Thanks
Eric

Try http://www.hooverandstrong.com

Russell

MOSAIC321 wrote:

    Where can you find a good assortment (guage and dimension)
of fine silver bezel  as well as different gold k(plain
strip),,,,seems like the average sold is the 28-30ga..?

Eric - Bezel strips in various gauges, widths and most metals, are
available from Hoover & Strong. You can reach them at
(800)759-9997. They will send you a catalog of their products if
you request one. They may have a minimum order, which can be a
problem if you only order small quantities, but check with them.
Karat gold bezel is much harder to push than fine silver. Use
thinner strip perhaps 26-27gauge. They do carry 22k bezel which is
as easy to push as fine silver.

Steven Brixner - Jewelry Designer - San Diego CA USA
mailto:brixner@compuserve.com
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/brixner

Where can you find a good assortment (guage and dimension) of fine
silver bezel as well as different gold k(plain strip),seems
like the average sold is the 28-30ga…?

Hoover and Strong (1-800-759-9997,
Hoover & Strong) sells all sizes and gauges of
gold strip, but I am not sure about fine silver. Swest
(1-800-527-5057, http://www.swestinc.com/) does carries fine silver
bezels in 26 ga. and I find their silver prices slightly cheaper.

Jill
@jandr
http://members.tripod.com/~jilk

Maybe the best piece of gear I ever bought was a rolling mill. One
of the uses is rolling bezel wire. Just roll yourt own. Jerry in
Kodiak

Hauser and Miller 800-462-7447 also carries fine silver and gold
bezel wire. I’ve bought both .999 silver and 22K gold from them
and was extremely please with both the service and product.
Elizabeth

Hi–Try cutting your own bezel strips from a piece of fine silver
sheet. All you need is a pair of calipers to measure the height
you want., run it down the straight edge of the sheet,and cut.
This way you’re not limited to premade sizes, and usually are using
the metal sheet for other things as well. Sandra