Opinions on Half Bezel Settings

[realdeahl]

My girlfriend loves the half bezel solitare setting. Could you guys give me your opinion of the strength and durability of this type of setting. I will be looking for a stone in the 1.4ct to 1.5ct range. I have heard anywhere from "this is the most secure setting type" to "This type of setting would be far weaker than a prong type setting if the ring were to be dropped."

Thanks for your opinion!

John

 

[jewelryjunkie]

I have a semi bezel set stone on one of my solitaires. I love the clean look of the ring and I love that the semi bezel setting protects most of the girdle from chipping.

The sides of a semibezel setting are like really wide prongs holding in the stone. They are more secure than a narrower prong because there is more metal therefore they are harder to bend out of shape or wear down.

I wonder if you're thinking a tension setting is also a semibezel setting. A tension setting can look like a semibezel setting but is different in that it uses tension instead of a metal "box" to hold the stone in. I have heard that if you drop a ring with a tension set stone you can loose the stone very easily.

The most secure setting is a full bezel setting. Basically the more white gold or platinum around a stone holding it in the more secure your stone will be.

From what I've read about settings platinum is the best metal to use for securing a diamond.

This is a list of setting styles, that I know of, from most secure to least secure base on what I've read on Pricescope.

full bezel
semi bezel
6 double prong
6 prong
4 double prong
4 prong
tension

Good luck with your search.

 

[Golden Oak]

Very secure setting. We made a custom one a few weeks ago for a 1.15ct EightStar in PT. The ring is a tank and would have to take one hell of a beating to drop the stone. If you would like a picture of the one we did made let me know and I will send you a picture or post it here. It looks very much like the drawing in your post.

Regards,

Brian

 

[Bagpuss]

I agree with your g/f. That's a great setting. As Brian rightly says, it's also very secure.




Plus you get to see the side profile of the diamond, you don't snag your clothes on prongs and it allows lots of light to get in at the sides, which a full bezel doesn't always do. Sorted.

 

[Hest88]

I have no real evidence, but it would be hard for me to believe it would be less secure than prongs. Given the amount of metal involved, you'd have to do some *major* damage to that thing to lose the stone and then I suspect the entire ring would be beaten-up

 

[realdeahl]

Thanks so much for your quick reponses. The gentleman that said the setting would be weaker looked only at a photo from a Movado catalog. He probably thought it was a tension setting. It is however a semi or Half bezel and from what I gather from your opinions this is a secure setting.

Thanks for the input.

John

 

[elepri]

My setting is very similar to that and I think it's very secure as far as keeping the diamond the place. With the exposed sides, i'm a little worried about dropping the ring and chipping it but i don't know if you're less likely to chip a prong-set diamond.

 

[Golden Oak]

Here is a profile view of a half bezel ring we made, That diamond is going nowhere.

Regards,

Brian

 

[marriahlyn]

I just got my half bezel setting and I LOVE it. It's comfortable but very very secure and low set. I'd recommend one anyway!!! Here's some pics of mine with a 1.48 diamond.

 

[JennaJ]

I LOVE my half bezel e-ring - in my opinion nothing beats this type of setting for elegance whilst being very modern, they are truely timeless. I wouldn't have had a different setting! Another plus is that they're not all that common, and I personally feel very secure wearing it as it's set quite low and doesn't have prongs to catch on anything.

Side profile of my ring attached

- I'm biased but I think the side profile of my ring is truely beautiful, the design came out even better than I had hoped

 

[newenglandgemlab]

Congrats! The ring is absolutely gorgeous! Very well chosen. The semi bezel is definitely stronger but also easier to clean than a full bezel which can also give you an 'eyeball' look. Lots of luck! Cindy

 

[Nicrez]

If you are talking about the Movado bezel collection, those are absolutely gorgeous!

It would be open, without the basket, like some others, and would look more like JennaJ's ring. I looked at those for myself a while ago, and I happen to know the guy who supplies the stones and settings for Movado, and know that he had high quality goods, so I doubt there will ever be any problem with them.

Rest assured it's a lovely lovely secure setting, even without the basket, because i believe they use tension and bezel to secure it. Good luck and let us know what you get!

 

[diamondlil]

Bezel setting have become my favorite for RB in recent months. I agree they are very durable and will protect your center stone well. Marrilahlyn's is one of my favorites. Her is another that just takes my breath away.

DiamondLil