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| Pavé setting |
In Jewelry, there are various kinds of settings. Each has its technique, but all require skilled craftsmanship for an outstanding result. I will not discuss all types of settings here and elaborate on what defines each type to be good or bad. I would rather take on a particular type of setting, pavé (beads setting), for my article.
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| Diamond ring from http://www.tesori.no. Click to zoom and notice the high-quality setting |
Pavé is the French word for paved or cobblestoned. Many jewelry terms are derived from the French vocabulary as French craftsmen invented most of the jewelry techniques. I like to use the French terminology because it gives a unique finesse when talking about high-end jewelry. Pavé setting is simple and consists of drilled holes in the metal where the stones will sit, and beads will surround the holes to secure the gems on the metal. The image on fig. 1 illustrates this type of setting.
There are many variations of this type of setting as well as finishing quality. In mass production jewelry, the prongs are often not rounded nicely, and there is a lot of metal shown between the stones. For the inexperienced eye, such quality might look ok but for those who knows the difference, bad pavé can be spotted instantaneously. The matter of doing a good setting with nicely rounded beads is not only advantageous from an esthetic point of view but also from a quality assurance perspective. Good setting can make an item very nice and also will reduce the chances of stones dropping.
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| A bad pave setting |
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| Bad pave |
Nowadays, most of the pavé settings are done with the assistance of a microscope (hence the term micro-setting). Using such equipment allows the setter to have enough magnification to be able to control better the beading of the prongs and cleaning of excess gold. However, producing an item with a top quality setting requires skilled craftsmen regardless of the usage of a microscope or not. The below photos of the Ribbon watch from Patek Philippe are set so perfectly that one may think it is a work of a machine.
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| Look at the perfectly drilled holes and erected beads of this watch by Patek Philippe |
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High-quality setting of the Ribbon watch from Patek Philippe.
Only highly skilled setters can do such a neat job |
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| Patek Philippe Ribbon watch. |
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| A beautiful watch by Patek Philippe |
Depending on the metal type, setting ranges from easy to difficult. For example, setting on stainless steel is not only extremely hard but also could result is disastrous results if the setter is not skilled. Stainless is very hard and while pulling metal to form a bead, the metal might tear and if this happens, repair is not possible. This if the surface is not preset and is drilled after. This kind of work is done on items that are not made to be set from the start. To note that in such cases, it will not be possible to have perfectly rounded beads.
Sometimes we get orders for setting of watch bezels, and we take extra care and attention for such orders and we let only our best setters do the job. Below some of the stainless steel bezels, we worked on.
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| Setting on stainless is a difficult job |
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| One small mistake can make this bezel unusable |
There is one particular type of setting called "snow setting" which I like very much. I consider it a variation of pavé because the stones are set in a similar fashion, but their sizes and arrangement are different. Stones of different sizes are arranged next to each other in what looks like a random arrangement. Such kind of setting gives the item a unique look, and little metal is displayed and the surface could be arranged into impressive displays. This type of setting is mainly used in watches or large surfaces on which such distribution can be made. Have a look at the below photos of watches with snow set diamonds and sapphires.
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| Hermes watch snow set. |
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| Jaeger LeCoultre. Snow setting allowed his beautiful art pattern |
So next time you buy a pavé set piece of jewelry, look at the finishing and make the right choice. You will have not only a nice item but one that will last for many years without stones dropping.
