prong vs bezel setting for your sparklies....

[ooo~Shiney!]

Hi, I am new here, and learning so much!
I have been lurking for awhile, and so appreciate the
abundance of invaluable information available on this forum!!!
And the PHOTOS!!!!

I am currently awaiting a couple of gemstones and so excited

Here is my question though, and it''s turning into a personal dilemma for me....

Has anyone ever regretted having their sparklies set in bezel settings?
Do you later feel that they look too "class ring"ish?
Does anyone feel their gems lose some "spark" now that they''re not raised up on prongs?
Wouldn''t light shine thru the gem more if it''s seated on prongs....
Was anyone disappointed after the fact?

Or the other way round...

I am turning myself inside out wondering about this....

Is this a fair question?
I just want to learn

 

[cellentani]

Date: 6/20/2010 12:44:22 PM
Author:ooo~Shiney!
Hi, I am new here, and learning so much!
I have been lurking for awhile, and so appreciate the
abundance of invaluable information available on this forum!!!
And the PHOTOS!!!!

I am currently awaiting a couple of gemstones and so excited

Here is my question though, and it''s turning into a personal dilemma for me....

Has anyone ever regretted having their sparklies set in bezel settings?
Do you later feel that they look too ''class ring''ish?
Does anyone feel their gems lose some ''spark'' now that they''re not raised up on prongs?
Wouldn''t light shine thru the gem more if it''s seated on prongs....
Was anyone disappointed after the fact?

Or the other way round...

I am turning myself inside out wondering about this....

Is this a fair question?
I just want to learn

Hi Shiney!

The answers will probably be split down the middle - we have strident bezel lovers, as well as prong lovers! I for one, prefer prongs, but had a cushion shaped blue topaz bezeled. I had ordered the setting with prongs, but it arrived with a bezel - I should have sent it back, but impatience got the better of me.

Even though the stone was expertly set, I realized that part of my enjoyment is seeing the edges of a stone, especially in cushion and asscher shapes.

 

[iLander]

I''m for prongs, all the way. The less metal I see, the happier I am.

However, after looking at all the bezels here, I am actually starting to appreciate them. There are a lot of cool pieces on here.

 

[ooo~Shiney!]

^^^
I''m kind of like that, too!

But I am seeing an awful lot of impeccably done bezel ~ work around here !

 

[marcy]

I am a prong girl but I find myself really liking all the beautiful bezel set stones here. I also like to be able to see the stone from all sides. I do have a few pieces of bezel set jewelry and while I like them they don''t sparkle from as many angles or sides as a prong mounted stone will (I have a bracelet, a ring, a couple of pendants and some dangle earrings).

 

[jstarfireb]

I''m mostly a bezel person, but prongs have their place too. Especially for stones that are on the darker side (bezels tend to darken colors).

 

[blackberry16]

First of all welcome!
Prongs vs bezel is really a personal preference, both can be done poorly and both can be beautifully. To answer your bezel question: I reset my ering after five years in a prong set. I put it in a James Meyer bezel and have been no less than thrilled by it. I find that a thin, well balanced bezel can show off a stone just as well as prongs. If the profile of the bezel is open then your stone will get a lot of light. My diamond gets more light than it did before.
Also, please post pics of your stones to tide us over!

 

[CharmyPoo]

Most of my sparklies are prong set and I love it. However, I have a few pieces bezel set and adore them as well. It really just depends on the overall design and what you are going for.

 

[chrono]

I have no regrets setting any particular stones into bezels; I select only very specific stones to be set in bezels and the bezel setting has to be very thin, delicate and open in the pavilion. The stones themselves have to be light toned to begin with. The reasons for that is that usually darker stones end up getting even darker, and if not well cut, will “kill” the sparkle factor once bezeled.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

For me, bezel setting is also an act of preserving the long term integrity of my gemstones. For lack of a better way to say it, I''m a total klutz, so any important stone that I want to keep in tact for quite some time will go into a bezel.

I haven''t followed this rule 100%, because many of my gemstones are prong set. I''ve found that each different gemstone will have it''s own personality, but for my particular situation, I find myself wearing bezel set rings more often than prong set rings.