How picky are you about bezels?

[nala]

Do bezels have a margin of error and if so, what are common flaws?
Or should bezels be perfect?

 

[Kim N]

I'm good as long as they look good to the naked eye from 8-10 inches away.

 

[EC8]

I think bezels are a lot harder to fix if done poorly and typically aren’t reusable.
Since the metal goes around the entire perimeter I think it’s more noticeable if one section is thinner or not as flat/polished as the rest or the stone isn’t seated level…

 

[elle_chris]

I want them as close to perfect as possible.
I want to re-set my current ring into a rose gold bezel but what's holding me back is most I see are too thick and cover too much of the stone, or they're a little wonky.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Unnecessarily thick bezels drive me batty. Lean and mean/even.

cheers--Sharon

 

[nala]

Well after browsing at countless bezeled rings in smtb, I think I can live with my imperfect bezel, lol.
Ty all!

 

[dk168]

Well after browsing at countless bezeled rings in smtb, I think I can live with my imperfect bezel, lol.
Ty all!

Care to show pics?

DK 03-Nov-2023

 

[nala]

Care to show pics?

DK 03-Nov-2023

Hi! I posted in smtb thread on bezels!

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I am pretty picky but Goldilocks is my only bezel ring and I think DK did a great job on it. I guess as long as my eye doesn’t pick out any glaring imperfections then it’s probably fine even if it’s not 100% perfect from a technical perspective.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Honestly it depends on cost and what it's for. I'm far pickier in a ring and expect it clean and crisp as I'll be staring at it alot. Less so for a necklace or earrings. I did pop over and see yours, I would ask if they could clean it up a bit.

 

[ame]

Everyone on here knows that I will not settle for less than absolute perfection.

 

[luckygreen317]

Do bezels have a margin of error and if so, what are common flaws?
Or should bezels be perfect?

I LOVE bezels and most of my rings have the stones set this way. I would agree with others who have responded that I wouldn’t accept anything other than perfection. I have only worked with David Klass for custom projects because of the level of attention to detail.

 

[nala]

Does a fine milgrain help to cover up the defect? Somewhat? Lol

 

[Slickk]

Does a fine milgrain help to cover up the defect? Somewhat? Lol

@nala I think that milgrain could help. I peeked over at your new setting. Looks great in a bezel. If you decide to keep it in a bezel, I know you like to change it up (zero judgement from me) I would want a more refined one. But to test drive my stone in a bezel to see if I liked it, yours would be fine.
Eta I’m very partial to bezels.

 

[nala]

@nala I think that milgrain could help. I peeked over at your new setting. Looks great in a bezel. If you decide to keep it in a bezel, I know you like to change it up (zero judgement from me) I would want a more refined one. But to test drive my stone in a bezel to see if I liked it, yours would be fine.
Eta I’m very partial to bezels.

Lmao! This! I needed a tester! And am trying it out! Ty!

 

[MillieLou]

I think your diamond looks amazing in the bezel, but I personally would be slightly disappointed with that workmanship. My bezels have been much neater.

ETA: actually in fairness, the photo is very zoomed in. Could you post a photo from normal viewing distance...?

 

[nala]

I think your diamond looks amazing in the bezel, but I personally would be slightly disappointed with that workmanship. My bezels have been much neater.

ETA: actually in fairness, the photo is very zoomed in. Could you post a photo from normal viewing distance...?

I used an existing setting and my bench tweaked it to make it a bezel. I am sure you have probably paid a lot more for your workmanship. If I choose to keep my stone in a bezel, I will prob reach out to another jeweler.
I do want to add that I did not post a pic here bc I am not seeking opinions on my setting, hence why I posted and expected the etiquette of show me the bling.

 

[nala]

Honestly it depends on cost and what it's for. I'm far pickier in a ring and expect it clean and crisp as I'll be staring at it alot. Less so for a necklace or earrings. I did pop over and see yours, I would ask if they could clean it up a bit.

Not worried about it. Ty. It is what it is until I decide if bezel is the way to go.

 

[nala]

I’m

Everyone on here knows that I will not settle for less than absolute perfection.

I am nearsighted and can totally agree. But I will say that from the bezel rings posted on smtb, the perfect ones are in the minority. It makes me wonder why and quite frankly, it was one reason why I posted this thread bc there are not a lot of informative threads on bezel workmanship. I wonder if its a case if hand made vs casting vs technology etc

 

[LilAlex]

My pet peeve is wavy/wonky bezels -- especially with step-cut stones. But it's only naked-eye -- I don't care what it looks like under a loupe.

The bright cutting can be re-done or smoothed with a sharper graveur (or whatever it's called -- maybe the graveur is the person, but you can get a sharper one of those, too, I guess ). Lots of benches have a separate "setter" who mounts the stone and finishes the prongs or bezel. I have seen jewelers have an incomplete understanding of this part of the process -- even when they exercise 100% control over everything else. I think that can be how you get exquisite pieces with crummy bezels.

 

[maru8888777]

I love bezels but am so afraid that I won't know the difference between a good and bad one that I won't usually go for them unless I really trust the jeweler. I'd love it if folks could share some examples here.

 

[LilAlex]

I'd love it if folks could share some examples here.

This engraved dragonfly-motif ring that Gary Roe made for me with a funky-colored spinel sourced by Inken (not sourced-to-order; more like "Hey isn't this cool?!")





And this is my Hemmerle ring. OK, it isn't actually mine. But I have stalked it all over the web over many years. It's roughly two logs out of our price range.

 

[maru8888777]

This engraved dragonfly-motif ring that Gary Roe made for me with a funky-colored spinel sourced by Inken (not sourced-to-order; more like "Hey isn't this cool?!")





And this is my Hemmerle ring. OK, it isn't actually mine. But I have stalked it all over the web over many years. It's roughly two logs out of our price range.

I LOVE those, and I've loved that spinel ring since I saw it here! OK, so what I see is even thickness all around and a lot of uniformity. But not all stones are as well cut as these, and I wonder if that's where issues are more evident? Thank you @LilAlex for the examples, and thank you @nala for the thread!

 

[LilAlex]

But not all stones are as well cut as these, and I wonder if that's where issues are more evident?

Well it should be like a picture frame, imo. If I get a step cut that is lovely but native-cut and a bit trapezoidal (the sides are straight but not perfectly parallel), I would still want a smooth, straight bezel -- even though it would not look (quite) as nice as the same refined bezel on a perfectly symmetric stone. Same for a slightly pear-shaped oval. But for anything wonkier the that, I don't think a crisp bezel is the right design element -- it highlights the outline.

I don't think this a super-nuanced thing -- not like cut of a diamond or color of a sapphire. You look at two bad bezels (my new band name!) and two good ones and say "oh, hmmmm."

I can never get the "art" hanging in our house to be perfectly level. So I don't try; I just adjust them 'til they look OK. I don't know if they're straight (I'm sure our walls and ceilings aren't) but they "look" straight. That's all you need.

 

[Rfisher]

wonder if its a case if hand made vs casting vs technology etc

I don’t think so. It think it’s the time, esthetic, and experience of the bench person themselves.

( I’m not going to point out examples that have threads specifically about them, but quite a few vendors of different construction method that are well known here over the years have some bad bad bezels in their history. Some are redone to their merit, some are double downed as preference differences)

Style overall comes into it, too.

Cost isn’t always indicative, but i think it goes hand in hand if time/care/ labor hours is limited on the job.

I do think it’s interesting to go further back in a jewelers repertoire to see if there’s an evolution.

Or should bezels be perfect?

I think expecting like and kind of what the vendor shows in macro photos of their previous bezel jewelry, in my bezel project via macro photos - is considered a perfect bezel.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Hmm, well I was going to post a picture but then I thought it would make me look at Goldilocks with a more critical eye, then I might find the bezel is not as perfect as my eye thinks.

This is where it seems posting jewelry on a forum can be a bit of a curse, once you can zoom in, you start to notice things you would never see otherwise. Ignorance is bliss as they say

 

[stracci2000]

Ok, I have to speak up here.
Having actually made bezels myself, I will stick up for all the bench jewelers and tell you that stone setting of any kind can be heart stopping.
Especially bezels. The last thing you want to do is damage someone's stone.
Imagine trying to keep the stone level in the cup while applying pressure to the lip.
With hand tools and a prayer.

Unless you guys actually make some jewelry yourselves, it's easy to pick apart someone else's work.
Here is one that I made. It was my stone, and still I was sweating about scratching it. And it's not perfect. But it is blown up 300%, that stone is only about 1.3 ct.


Sorry if I came off too strong here, but this is like listening to the patient telling the surgeon how to work.
11/5/23

 

[Rfisher]

I see your side @stracci2000
its worth saying - and hearing.

but……….
there’s a difference.

 

[nala]

Ok, I have to speak up here.
Having actually made bezels myself, I will stick up for all the bench jewelers and tell you that stone setting of any kind can be heart stopping.
Especially bezels. The last thing you want to do is damage someone's stone.
Imagine trying to keep the stone level in the cup while applying pressure to the lip.
With hand tools and a prayer.

Unless you guys actually make some jewelry yourselves, it's easy to pick apart someone else's work.
Here is one that I made. It was my stone, and still I was sweating about scratching it. And it's not perfect. But it is blown up 300%, that stone is only about 1.3 ct.


Sorry if I came off too strong here, but this is like listening to the patient telling the surgeon how to work.
11/5/23

Omg! Thanks for this!!

 

[stracci2000]

I see your side @stracci2000
its worth saying - and hearing.

but……….
there’s a difference.

I was just trying to explain how difficult it can be to get perfection in a hand made piece of jewelry. Most people have no idea how hand forged jewelry is constructed or all the steps involved.
I am also a member of another jewelry forum, and it is surprising how many people have never even thought about how jewelry is made, or the people who actually sit down and create it.

I'm not sure what you mean by "difference."