A beginner's guide to Stone Setting
+ How to choose gemstone jewelry by their gemstone setting
+ How to choose gemstone jewelry by their gemstone setting
The role of a great stone setting is to secure it in place, without damaging it, but also allowing it's highlights and specificity to shine. Making sure your gemstone is safe is a very delicate step of creating your gemstone jewelry.
A well-made setting is important if you want your jewelry to last over time and be as vibrant as possible. It's important to make sure the gemstones adorning the piece are not lost or damaged during everyday wear of the jewelry. For optimal protection of your gemstones, the crimping points (Corners of the gemstone) should ideally cover the corners of the stone in order to protect it against shocks when wearing the jewel.
Here are a few examples of stone settings that have not been created taking into account the lifespan of the jewelry. Yes these settings can be aethetically pleasing, but the second they are bumped into something, there is a high risk of your gemstone cracking into pieces. Due to the locations of their crimping points, the jewels presented below are therefore very likely to see the stones fall or break in a very short time span.
Here is an example of a poor stone setting. As much as the prongs are elegant and aesthetically pleasing, the gemstone corners aren't protected.
This is another exemple of a badly reflected stone setting. The top and bottom of the gemstone aren't protected from impacts or shocks. It would be sad to invest on a beautiful 14K Rose Gold Ring with a big coffin gemstone that shatters into pieces during an everyday wear.
The industry of fast fashion has sadly erased the education about quality handcrafted products. We want you to shop with knowledge, to make sure your investments and favourite pieces grow with you.
Some settings are better suited to certain types of jewelry or certain types of stones. Let your jeweler guide you.
At Inchoo Bijoux, the types of settings we use are:
The stone is fixed to the frame by small rods which are folded down to its surface. After being cut back, the stems will be balled. Depending on the size of the stone, from 2 to 8 prongs are used, the most usual setting being with 4 prongs. The claws can be doubled on large valuable stones to avoid any risk of loss. It is the most used setting in the jewelry industry partly because it allows light to pass through the stone which will magnify its colour.
The Closed, Tube, Bezel setting:
The stone is completely surrounded by metal which is bent back by the setter all around the stone. It is also a widely used setting because it is particularly resistant to wear and protects fragile stones from impact.
For very small stones, on the other hand, this type of setting risks suffocating the stone and it will not be able to capture all the necessary light.
When the metal does not surround the whole stone, we speak of a semi-closed setting.
When you want to create a jewel with generous shapes or to use small sparkling stones, the semi-closed setting is a good compromise between the style of the jewel, the solidity of the setting and the brilliance of your precious stone. It allows to make solid jewelry while letting the light penetrate the stone. Make sure protected parts are in directions that would be at most risk of impact. Like in this model, the bezel covers the front and back of the stone but the sides are open as they are less likely to receive impacts.
The grain setting (pavé):
This is a jewelry piece, in which the setter fixes the stones, while keeping a metal thread on each side of the brilliants. For that, he digs the metal with the help of a tool, he lifts up what are called "grains", which are used to hold the stones. It is during the setting of the stones that the threads appear.
Two grains may be enough to fix the stone correctly, but when their size allows it, several grains can then be lifted, and even use decorative grains between the stones. Only experienced setters can achieve consistent grain and threads. It is not only the aesthetic of your jewel that depends on it, but also its durability over time. If the grains or fillets are too fine, the stones will inevitably fall.
Pavé settings really make it feel like all the gemstones are so tight together that they show as one big faceted piece. Pavé comes from Pavement in french, which is also a visual that matches the technique.
The Flush setting
This varian is also called a mass setting. The flush setting is based on the perfect fit of the stone in its housing(the jewelry). It does involve less metal to move, and if properly executed, this setting is very simple and quick to make, with no further finishing. It is also well suited to decorate any type of surface, both flat and curved, with small stones.
These are some of the popular stone settings we commonly use in our workshop. You can find more stone setting types in our jewels and these types of settings in the jewelry world.
Such as:
The rail setting
The mysterious or invisible setting
The prong settings that have gems in them
etc.
Care :
As much as jewelers pay all the attention in the world to make their stone settings strong and resistant, it's important to do regular check ups on your stone settings to make sure nothing has shifted due to impact. Even White gold and platinum rings with have wear from friction. You can bring your jewelry to jewelers once a year for a quick check up. Or send pictures to your jewelry designer so they can advise you. If you touch a gemstone and feel it move, it's important to go see a jeweller for a repair right away. Do not continue to wear a ring with a moving stone.
As much as jewelers pay all the attention in the world to make their stone settings strong and resistant, it's important to do regular check ups on your stone settings to make sure nothing has shifted due to impact. Even White gold and platinum rings with have wear from friction. You can bring your jewelry to jewelers once a year for a quick check up. Or send pictures to your jewelry designer so they can advise you. If you touch a gemstone and feel it move, it's important to go see a jeweller for a repair right away. Do not continue to wear a ring with a moving stone.
Thanks so much for reading! Learn more about jewelry and taking care of your jewelry in our blog! You can also learn more about the behind the scenes of how our jewelry is made on TikTok and Instagram!
xx
Eve