Bezel

The bezel is shaped into the size and shape of the gem and then sol­dered into place on the metal of the jewelry.

The pre­pared stone is then placed into the bezel and the metal is pressed down over the edges of stone, lock­ing it into place. A cabo­chon stone, a gem­stone that is not faceted, usu­ally relies on the shal­low angle cut into the side of the stone which helps the metal to stay in place.

With a clear faceted stone, such as a dia­mond, a shal­low groove is cut into the bezel itself. The gir­dle or widest part of the gem stone is placed in the bezel, which is then pushed down over the girdle.

The pres­sure of the bezel over the edge of the dia­mond keeps it in place. Bezel set­tings for dia­mond rings are also called rub-​​over set­tings; they have a dia­mond com­pletely sur­rounded by a pre­cious metal band which fas­tens the dia­mond securely into place.

Bezel set­tings use a type of ele­vated col­lar which wraps the rim of the dia­mond in a com­plete metal edg­ing. This type of dia­mond rings set­ting is the most secure fas­tener for the stones. The bezel set­ting also pro­tects the dia­mond bet­ter than other types of set­tings, such as the prong setting.