Pave/Bead/Melee Set

[soulsis]

What''s the difference?

 

[icekid]

probably best to post this in rockytalky? perhaps Leonid can move it... and then you''ll get more responses.

 

[Matata]

There''s a description of pave here. Bead set uses tiny pieces of metal to hold the diamonds. Melee are small diamonds. I believe melee can be bead set or pave, but I''m hoping one of the experts will confirm.

 

[oldminer]

Melée are small sized round diamonds. Pretty much below 0.10ct in size to the very smallest ones.

Pave'' means literally, paved with diamonds, as a setting style. Generally pave'' work is bead set, but it can be without bead setting if one wants a smooth versus a busy surface finish.

Bead setting involves making a hole that the diamond will fit into tightly and then forcing a sharp pointed blade into the metal right next to the stone to bring up sort of a splinter, a bead, of the metal. This bead is pressed inward, over the edge of the diamond and then generally rounded off with a "beading tool", a concave abrasive metal tool. One raises several beads around the perimeter of the diamond and then generally cuts away the excess surrounding metal. This is known as a "bright cut". It accentuates the beads and puts a smooth mirrored surface around the diamond to make it look bright and larger. It masks the presence of the metal and makes the piece looks "paved" with gems.

If one wants a smooth pave'' look, then the stones are tightly fitted into iindividual holes and the metal is gently hammered around their perimeter to hold them in place. The metal is smoothed carefully and then can be made brightly polished, sandblasted, or finished in several other ways.

 

[soulsis]

Thanks! Is there a specific style used with art-deco rings and milligrain? I thought that melee and pave were the same thing.

 

[oldminer]

Most small diamonds set in Deco period items are bead set. Sometimes they are also hammer set, which is a very plain way to do pave'' work. Setters back then were truly engravers. They cut ornamental designs and raised superflous beads just to make an item extra attractive and special. Time was not an element to them so much as the art of making something very nicely.

Millgraining is a technique to put a beaded edge on a bright cut or a border of metal. It is now a tiny tool that looks a little like a pie edge crimper, but in miniature that makes these beads. Mille in Italian is 1000 so mille grain is 1000 grains(beads). Truthfully, my old teacher told me that millgrain was first used to cover up imperfect birght cutting....a short-cut. Each bead was formed one at a time, but it was to mask less than fine work. Now millgrain is an expected norm and it is rolled on or cast in place without much regard to a use. It is simply a "look" without special meaning.

Times do change.

 

[MissAva]

Thanks Oldminer for all the info!

 

[Mara]

yep...

melee are the STONES themselves used in pave and/or bead set.

so people use melee to refer to the tiny stones that are used in settings. i guess the offical useage goes up to .10c but i tend to verbally have the habit to only use it for small stones under .03c or similar.

pave and bead set are a way of setting the melee into the setting.