I have a beautiful tanzanite cushion cu stone but my challenge is it is not a standard cut (6.9x7.5). I personally have issues with prong settings and hate using them so I’m trying to create a bezel w/ seat. All the videos I’ve seen are using a LOT more gold than I have to create a setting. Any suggestions?
Well, I think I’d need a lot more info ~ Are you planning on a ring, pendant or bracelet? Are you planning on craving the bezel from wax, or fabricating directly from the metal. Or using Cad/Cam and 3D printing. How much experience do you have bezel setting soft stones. Have you made custom cushion settings before? Does the stone lend its self to to being set in a bezel? Does the design allow for setting the stone from behind? Can you use two metals in the design?
Just saying, more info would be helpful.
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I’d like more info, too. As a gem cutter, I can say that at the beginning of the tanzanite craze, many customers were disappointed with their high dollar tanzanite rings when they found that those large exposed ring stones were easily scratched in everyday wear. So customers need to know such rings need a very protecting setting or they need to be for dress up occasions. A bezel setting could provide a lot of protection if it’s a ring, esp. if the table is below the surface of the surrounding metal.
But maybe this is another piece of jewelry…still a good idea to protect the stone somewhat with the setting. It would be good to have more info on what you’re envisioning and also about the challenges of the stone…some cutters will deepen the pavilion of large rough to get all the carat weight that they can and that may leave you with pavilion girdle facets from 50 to 75 degrees, which are hard to set in prongs…or possibly even in a bezel. It isn’t impossible, just unfamiliar and a little more difficult.
Awaiting more info with great interest! Sounds like a wonderful project! -royjohn
Can you make the actual bezel out of fairly thin material and then add another bearing piece inside the bezel that you can cut to fit the lower part of the stone The back can be open to cut down on the amount of gold that you use. I love to work in gold, but haven’t lately because of the cost, so I know what you are worried about. Most of my gold projects are made from recycled pieces that I made years ago when it was $500/ounce. Good luck and keep us posted…Rob
I was given the stone as a gift after I could not connect to any of the recommended stone dealers in Nairobi (I was given by jewelers I knew in NYC) and traveling as a single woman was not an option I was given to venture out into the city alone-even with a chaperone! It’s 3.2 carat AAA, w/fairly deep pavilion of 4mm.
I agree that a bezel is the safest & most secure and is my setting choice for most of my work. I just haven’t been able to get the step to fit right that I trust the stone will sit level. Bezel shown is not finished/trimmed and will be open from the back, hence the need for a seat. Most likely a ring that incorporates the 6.9 width of the setting
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This would be purely fabricated (never was very fond of waxwork)and most likely a ring but a possible pendant. The bezel set would be suitable for either in 14K yellow gold
Hi,
i was thinking…with a 4mm pavillion(?)…(so stone depth is more like…6mm?)…
perhaps you do bezel halo type concept, on a cathedral shank…with some kind of underbasket…
halo sits on cathedral shank shoulders
undergallery (wires or pierced dome) attaches from under halo, to ring rail…
it would be less metal, more open…bezel could be gold, halo snd shank could be silver
julie
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Hi,
check out ellen johnston jewels on instagram. her fabrication techniques are inspiring
julie
That’s a beautiful tanzanite!
The general consensus is that a bezel is safer and more secure than prongs, but not always. A blow to the bezel will transfer to the stone. A tall bezel setting that would hold your stone on a small plain ring shank can expose the tanzanite to taking all kinds of abuse in the wearing.
Bezel setting, in my opinion, can be much more challenging, as you are starting to experience. All parts of the bezel should match up to the stone’s girdle and pavilion. And if the angles aren’t correct, the stone can be pinched in bending the metal over the stone, potentially fracturing it. Oval and round stones present less of a challenge, but with a cushion cuts, like the tanzanite, the angles need to match up.
Another big challenge is the bending of the metal over the stone once the stone sits properly in the seat. With a soft stone like your tanzanite, there is a high risk of nicking, scratching or chipping the crown in the process. Also, the metal, should be uniform in thickness, and temper, before you begin the process of bending.
If I were to approach a tanzanite like this, and I was going to fabricate the piece, the main concern is the depth of the stone. In my opinion, for a ring, that means developing enough height in the design to transition from the finger, to the stone holder so it doesn’t look like a chimney. I would often use smaller side stone to step up to the center stone. These could be matched pairs, or smaller stones. On occasion, just using metal of a different color as part of the design to make a transition from ring shank to stone holder, allowing the depth for the pavilion.
With my designs, I tried to integrate or incorporate the way the stone is held with overall concept of the piece. With a cushion cut stone, I would often develop a bar on either end, (A half bezel). This would reduce the risk exposure in setting. One side of the bezel would be completely finished before the final setting, leaving only one side to hammer, dress, and polish.
Prongs that are integrate into the design are safe and secure.
There are samples of what I’m suggesting in the link below.
TJones
Goldsmith
Thank you for your input. I am considering the half bezel - its very clean
looking and tends to fit with a higher stone. I’m still playing with the band design but I have some mokume I may incorporate as a second metal
Jeanette Caines at Jewelry Arts in NYC has a unique way of setting that very type of stone, cushion cut … I would get in touch with her or view her videos for solutions.
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I’m familiar with Jeanette’s work and videos (originally from NYC) and know of people who took classes when it was still Jewelry Arts Inc. My snag is that it is not a standard cushion cut so getting the step to fit correctly is my challenge. My jewelry technique gene is in full mode right now… I’ll keep everyone posted (I think a small idea lightbulb just lit up)
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