{"id":44,"date":"2000-04-01T12:00:39","date_gmt":"2000-04-01T17:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hooverandstrong.com\/blog\/archives\/44\/"},"modified":"2012-03-07T15:59:11","modified_gmt":"2012-03-07T20:59:11","slug":"making-bezels-for-round-and-oval-shapes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/technical-articles.hooverandstrong.com\/wordpress\/making-bezels-for-round-and-oval-shapes\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Bezels for Round and Oval Shapes"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Your Staff\/Defining Quality<\/p>\n

Knowing how to professionally manufacture bezels demonstrates another aspect of quality in your shop.<\/p>\n

Because they are smooth, offer substantial security and blend nicely with most designs, bezels are one of the most accepted styles for setting cabochon gemstones in fine jewelry. This article discusses why and how to handmade bezels for gems \u2013 such as cabochon cuts.<\/p>\n

Premanufactured Bezels<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Here are examples of two common styles of bezels mass-produced and provided by manufacturers and suppliers of findings for fine jewelry.<\/p>\n

Die-struck round bezel Die-struck oval bezel<\/p>\n

\"\"Why Many Gems Require Handmade Bezels<\/strong><\/p>\n

While the standard bezels shown in the box below\/left are readily available, bench jewelers often prefer to handmake bezels to accommodate stones for three primary reasons:<\/p>\n

\"\"1. Non-Standard Proportions<\/strong>
\nMany cabochon-cut gems have dimensions \u2013 length or width \u2013 that don\u2019t conform to the sizes commonly available in premanufactured bezels. In this case, the bench jeweler either has to custom-manufacture a bezel or use a different setting style.<\/p>\n

This illustration shows a non-standard-size stone and a standard bezel. Notice how the stone extends beyond the bezel.
\n
\n2. Different Profiles<\/strong>
\nHere are examples of stones with the same outside measurements but with very different profiles:<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n


\n3. Different Internal Characteristics<\/strong>
\nBesides different proportions and profiles, cabochons can have phenomenal characteristics such as chatoyancy (cat\u2019s eyes) and asterism (stars). These internal features can be lost if the stone is finished to standard proportions. Consequently, these stones are often crudely finished and can be rough on the bottom. These obviously require hand-made bezels.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

Professionally Manufacturing Handmade Bezels<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at steps in making a bezel to quality standards:<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Determine the stone\u2019s overall height, then select bezel material of the appropriate height and at least 1mm thickness.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The top three illustrations show that it\u2019s important to select material with the proper dimensions. Material that\u2019s too short will not secure the stone properly; material that\u2019s too high will hide the stone\u2019s overall beauty.<\/p>\n

Thank you <\/span><\/p>\n

This is how a properly made bezel fits in relationship to the stone. Notice how the top of the bezel secures the stone without obstructing its beauty.<\/p>\n

Thank you <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Thank you <\/span><\/p>\n

This one is too low.<\/p>\n

Thank you <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Thank you <\/span><\/p>\n

This one is too high \u2013 it hides the beauty of the stone.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Thank you <\/span>Thank you <\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you <\/span>Thank you <\/span><\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Select the proper material on which to seat the stone. In this case, the bench jeweler selected square wire that will provide a secure seat so the stone won\u2019t drop out of the bottom after it\u2019s set.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

3. <\/strong>Shape the metal to conform to the bottom portion of the stone. The bezel must fit around the outside perimeter of the stone, and the square wire must not exceed the outside perimeter. The outside bezel wire and the stone must fit snugly with no gaps when assembled.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

4. <\/strong>Once you\u2019ve achieved your fit, hard-solder the ends of each of your bezel wires.<\/p>\n

5. <\/strong>Constantly check the fit of the outside bezel wire against the stone it\u2019s being made for.<\/p>\n

6.<\/strong> Once you\u2019ve formed the outside and lower wires, file the inside of the bezel and the outside of the square wire. Remove all filings. Solder them together with medium or easy solder.<\/p>\n

7.<\/strong> The next step is to affix the bezel to the article of jewelry for the stone.<\/p>\n

Your bezel assembly will work for a pendant, bracelet, ring or most other applications. Once you\u2019ve assembled your bezel with the article of jewelry, you\u2019re ready to set the stone. Next month, we\u2019ll examine bezel setting round and oval stones.<\/p>\n

The JA Professional’s Guide to Fine Jewelry Craftmanship
\nMaking Bezels for Standard Shaped Gems<\/strong>
\nProfessionally Made Bezels<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"A. <\/strong>The bezel is the proper height to secure the stone in place after setting without obscuring its beauty.<\/p>\n

B. <\/strong>The bezel is made of substantial components, appropriate to the article of jewelry for which it\u2019s made.<\/p>\n

C. <\/strong>The bezel is of even thickness, symmetrical and consistently finished.<\/p>\n

D.<\/strong> There are no visible solder seams where the bezel pieces are connected.<\/p>\n

Potential Problems to Watch Out For<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Poor Looking Finished Bezel<\/strong>
\nThe bezel is not symmetrical, its thickness is uneven and it\u2019s finished unevenly. More care should have been taken during the manufacturing and finishing of the bezel.
\nBezel Is too Low for the Stone. The overall height of the bezel wall is too low to secure the stone. This stone eventually will become dislodged and will be lost.<\/p>\n

Bezel Components Are Insufficient for a Ring<\/strong>
\n\"\"The materials selected for the bezel structure aren\u2019t substantial enough for a ring \u2013 the bezel is too thin and the seat for the stone is too light. The ring will bend and eventually break through normal wear.<\/p>\n

\"\"Bezel Dimensions Are too Large for the Stone<\/strong>
\nThe dimensions of this bezel and seat are too large for the stone it was made for. If set, this stone<\/p>\n

Illustrations by Lainie Mann \u2013 Visual Communications<\/p>\n

\u00a9 2000 Jewelers of America Inc.
\nThis information is required for the second level of the JA\u00ae
\nCertified Bench Jeweler\u2122 program.<\/p>\n

The installments published in Professional Jeweler from February 1998 to July 1999 have been reformatted and published by Jewelers of America as a countertop book titled The JA Professional\u2019s Guide to Fine Jewelry Craftsmanship. To buy a copy, contact one of the following suppliers: Gesswein, GIA Bookstore, Rio Grande and Stuller Settings. Or call JA at (800) 223-0673.<\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2001 by Bond Communications<\/p>\n

HooverandStrong.com | 800-759-9997 | (fax) 800-616-9997
\ninfo@hooverandstrong.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Your Staff\/Defining Quality Knowing how to professionally manufacture bezels demonstrates another aspect of quality in your shop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/technical-articles.hooverandstrong.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/technical-articles.hooverandstrong.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/technical-articles.hooverandstrong.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/technical-articles.hooverandstrong.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/technical-articles.hooverandstrong.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/technical-articles.hooverandstrong.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":356,"href":"http:\/\/technical-articles.hooverandstrong.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44\/revisions\/356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/technical-articles.hooverandstrong.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/technical-articles.hooverandstrong.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/technical-articles.hooverandstrong.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}