Learning Bezel Setting

Use a ball frazer to enlarge the bezel until the gemstone table stands slightly proud above the bezel top and is level with the top. The metal is  folded over to secure the edge of the girdle in the bezel setting.

Normally, when setting a stone in a bezel, a pusher is used to bend the metal over. That is the traditional way of setting and it is also an essential skill to learn. I plan on making a basic bezel setting tutorial with a pusher.

I use an (unconventional) method to do bezel setting with a round convex shaped punch.

This is a diagram that makes it easier to explain the principle.

The hemispherical inside of the punch ( blue part) forces the tapered edges of the bezel over the edges of the stone when tapped downwards.

From the diagram, one can see that should too much force be applied, to stone stands a good chance of being damaged.

That is why one needs to practice this bezel punch setting method on cheap stones ( like Cubic Zirconia) first.