Settings & Finishing Guide - Stone Setting Methods

Stone setting is one of the essential stages of jewelry making, in which gemstones are attached in a metal casting. The main objective of stone setting is to hold a gemstone securely as well as to enhance the brilliance of a gemstone by showing its cut, clarity and color. Jewelry manufacturers use numerous methods to set a gemstone into a jewelry item, which generally is based on gemstone's cut and proportion. Some of these methods and techniques are accepted and appreciated worldwide, which are described as under:

Prong setting

Prong setting, also known as claw setting, is the most common and popular method of setting stones into jewelry.

• It is the easiest as well as least expensive method of setting a gemstone.
• This setting style is used for all types of jewelry items and mostly for solitaire engagement and bridal rings. 
• This setting often has 3, 4 or 6 small evenly spaced metal claws or prongs that are bent over the girdle to securely hold the gemstone in a piece of jewelry.
• These claws and prongs are similar in shape and size and attached to the central base part, known as the head or basket, of a piece of jewelry.
• These heads or baskets are available in various shapes and sizes depending on stone's shape and size. Common shapes of heads or baskets used in stone setting include round, emerald cut, princess cut, oval, marquise cut, pear shaped and trilliant cut.
• Prongs with platinum metal is considered very strong as platinum is a very dense and solid metal and its thin wires are sufficient to hold the gemstone securely in its place whereas gold prongs with sufficient alloys also give a strong grip. 
• This setting is also found in a few variations like v-prong and common prong. V-prong setting is similar to the prong setting except it uses prongs which, when viewed from top, appear to be curved into a V-shape.

The visible part of prongs can be shaped decoratively in many styles but more often rounded style is used to avoid snagging the threads of clothes or catching other objects and causing damage to either the objects or the prongs. This setting is also found in a few variations like v-prong and common prong. V-prong setting is similar to the prong setting except it uses prongs which, when viewed from top, appear to be curved into a V-shape. Common prong setting is also a modified version of a prong setting, where a prong is divided on the top to hold two nearby gemstones.

Bezel Setting

Bezel setting is one of the oldest stone setting techniques and still very popular for certain benefits.

• Bezel is a thin metal strip, which is soldered with head that wraps around a gem to hold it in place.
• Bezel setting requires a proper balance in all the angles. It provides a very secure grip as well as protects gemstone's edges, the girdle and the pavilion from scratches and chips.
• If the bezel setting does not surround the whole girdle of a gemstone and splits into two or more sections, covering just part of the gemstone, then this setting is known as half bezel or semi bezel. 
• Bezel setting is suitable for people with active lifestyles and it is considered the best for men because this setting method looks masculine.

Channel Setting

 

Channel setting is a technique in which gemstones are settled side-by-side as their girdles are held in between two parallel tracks on each metal wall.

• Structure of channel setting is very similar with English language letter ‘U' in shape with two sidewalls and a bottom. A track is available on each side of the inner metal wall to hold the gemstone girdle. 
• Channel setting protects the gemstones exceptionally well as none of the stone's edges are exposed, and so that they are safe from hard knocks or general wear and tear.
• This setting is best suitable for diamonds with round, princess, emerald, oval, square, and baguette cuts and often used in jewelry items like eternity bands, rings and especially in tennis bracelets.

Bar Setting

A variation in channel setting, in which thin metal bars are exposed in-between the gemstones, is known as bar setting.

• Bar setting gives a different visual effect than the channel setting.

 

 

Pave Setting

Pave setting is a setting method in which the surface of a jewelry item appears to be covered with tiny diamonds.

• The word pave (pronounced as ‘pa vay') came from the French word ‘Pavé' means pavement.
• These same sized tiny diamonds are placed in small holes that have been drilled out on the surface of a jewelry item.
• Generally stones are positioned close together in a honeycomb pattern.
• Like the prong setting, pave setting also has small handmade claws, triangular in shape, which hold the stones low and very close so that they produce a carpet of brilliance across the entire surface of a jewelry item. 
• The use of multiple stones in pave setting forms an illusion of a bigger jewelry. Usually this setting is combined and presented with other stone settings to add more beauty and effect.
• This setting gives best results with diamonds and white gold.

Tension Setting

Tension setting is a relatively new type of setting in which metal pressure is used to hold a stone.

• In this setting, metal is spread apart and the girdle of the stone is settled into small grooves in the inner surface of the metal.
• Tension setting requires strong metals to create sufficient tension and pressure to hold a stone firmly and platinum is often used for this purpose.
• Also this setting is appropriate only for very hard gemstones like diamond, sapphire, ruby, etc. with hardness 9 to 10 on Mohs’ hardness scale.

 

Flush / Burnish Setting

Flush setting, also known as burnish setting, is a reasonably recent method of setting and similar to bead setting.

• In this setting, stones are placed in holes that have been drilled out on the surface of a jewelry item.
• For this purpose, a seat is prepared on the metal surface, by using a standard setting bur, to place a stone.
• The diameter and the depth of the seat should be similar or slightly smaller to stone's diameter and depth after which the stone is placed in the seat, a burnisher is used to rub the metal down and over the edge of the stone, eliminating any movement of the stone.
• This setting provides safety to the stone because the stone is positioned either below or equivalent to metal surface.

Bead Setting

In bead setting, stones are placed in holes that have been drilled out on the surface of a jewelry item.

• For this purpose, a seat is prepared on the metal surface, by using a standard setting bur, to place the stone.
• Once the stone is positioned in the seat, an engraving tool is used to raise the beads of metal from the surrounding surface to hold a stone in place.
• These prongs are then rounded and pushed over the edge of the stone with a beading tool.

Invisible Setting

Invisible setting is a new and improved setting method that is considered as one of the most difficult setting methods.

• In this setting, the stones are positioned in such a manner so that the metal is not visible from in-between stones that ultimately show appearance of uninterrupted and continuous surface.
• In this setting, stones are grooved just below the girdle and then those grooved stones are slid onto metal tracks to hold them in place. 
• Usually invisible setting is best suited with square princess, emerald, baguette, and trillion cut diamonds and gemstones because the straight edges can be positioned very close to each other without leaving any space in-between.

Cluster Setting

Cluster setting produces a different and unusual look for jewelry items.

• In this setting, many small stones are mounted together in a group around a larger sized central stone.

Generally cluster setting exhibits flower shaped designs in a multi layered circular form, which is preferred by women.