Custom Jewelry & Repair

Making A Gold Bezel Setting From Start To Finish

I recently posted this video on my YouTube channel (subscribe here!) showing the process of making a bezel setting from scratch.

The video does not have any words or instructions, so I created this post to go into more detail on how to complete this kind of project from start to finish!

STEP 1: MELT GOLD

Making a bezel from scratch will require some initial gold to work with.

In this case I ended up using some gold stock because it was what I had on hand. Casting and rolling grain is also commonly used to begin with.

To bring gold to a flowing temperature, a melting torch is the preferred tool of choice.

A melting torch can generate heat a lot quicker than the standard mini torch commonly used for ring soldering.

The gold is placed in the crucible and the flame is applied directly to the gold.

I make sure to move the torch in a circular motion to apply equal heat to the entire crucible base.

As the temperature of gold increases, it gradually melts into a single molten ball of gold.

Each type of metal with it’s associated alloy will have different melting temperatures.

In this case, we are working with 14 karat yellow gold, which has a melting temperature of roughly 1550 degrees Fahrenheit.

STEP 2: POUR GOLD INTO INGOT

The melted gold is poured into an ingot mold. This will give the gold the initial shape we are looking for.

To ensure the melted gold flows smoothly into the hole, the ingot mold is prepped with some heat.

Once the gold is brought to melting point in the crucible, it is poured into the ingot mold.

I made sure to follow the gold with my flame as the gold was poured in, as you want to make sure the gold does not cool before the ingot forms.

After the gold has been poured and allowed to cool for a moment, I loosened the nut on the c-clamp and separated the ingot mold.

After separating the mold, you can see if your ingot pour was successful for not.

This pour was successful, however you can see some feathering of the gold at the bottom of the ingot. This was due to me not having the c-clamp tightened as much as it should have been.

The gold feathers were easily clipped off and scrapped to be melted another day.

What’s left is this beautiful, but small, gold ingot!

STEP 3: ROLL OUT GOLD

A rolling mill (pictured above) is the perfect tool for rolling out and flattening gold.

The turn bar at the top increases or decreases the space between the rollers, the crank on the right hand side activates the rolling mill.

I first like to run the gold ingot through the wire side of the rolling mill.

I start off at the lowest gauge and work the gold through the middle.

After the gold goes through one end, it is caught on the other end, rotated and sent back the way it came.

It is always important to keep the end in mind when rolling out gold.

This custom bezel setting is being made for a pear shape turquoise stone.

Once I have rolled out the gold a bit, I will hold it up to the back of the stone to make sure that I have enough length for the base of the bezel.

Once the length of the gold is established, I will then turn the gold horizontally and roll it flat.

This flattens and thus widens the piece of gold.

Flattened gold passes through a rolling mill

The gold is run through the rolling mill a few times while slightly increasing the pressure, thus thinning it out.

Calipers gauging the millimeter thickness of the gold

A millimeter gauge is used to measure the thickness of the gold.

At this point of the project the gold was reading about 2 mm thick, which is thicker than we want for a bezel backing.

STEP 4: ANNEAL THE GOLD

As the gold is worked through the rolling mill, a lot of internal stress is built up and the gold becomes quite hard.

In order to continue rolling the gold without problems, the metal needs to be annealed. This removes the internal stresses of the gold as also softens it up.

measuring the gold thickness with a millimeter gauge.

After the gold is annealed, it is rolled a few more times until it reaches the desired thickness of 1 mm.

The base of a bezel can actually be even thinner than 1mm, but for this particular design, we wanted to go with something slightly on the heavier side.

STEP 5: FORM THE BEZEL WALLS

After the base is completed, the stone is laid flat to ensure it was made big enough.

A previously rolled out piece of gold flat stock will be used to build and shape the bezel walls.

The original flat stock was much thicker than we want for our bezel wall, so it too is rolled out to achieve a thinner profile.

For bezel walls, I like to keep the thickness around 0.30 mm. This way there is more than enough gold to hold the stone securely in place, but is it also thin enough to bend and shape easily. This is often referred to as the bezel strip.

After the bezel wall has been shaped, it’s time to decide the height.

Traditionally you want the bezel height to extend right to the point where the stone starts to curve upwards.

Due to my personal tastes, I decided I wanted this bezel to show more gold rather than more stone, so I left the height alone.

STEP 6: SHAPE THE BEZEL

At this point, the bezel strip is initially bent manually to mimic the form and shape of the stone.

When my fingers aren’t strong enough to create a smooth curve, I will use round nose pliers to help form the curve properly.

To make things easier, I pinch one side of the bezel strip tightly in place on the stone while I bend and form the gold with the other hand.

After the general form of the bezel is complete, I pull the ends of the bezel strip tightly and take note as to where the strip overlaps.

Using some metal snips, I cut the gold in the place where the bezel strip overlaps. If possible, scoring the metal before cutting is an even better way to achieve accurate results.

At this point the bezel strip has been cut down to the exact length we need, but there is still a seam in the strip that will need to be soldered.

To bring the two sides of the bezel strip together, bend both sides back and forth until the gap closes.

Adjust the height of the metal using needle nose pliers. When all is said and done you should have a nice seam ready for soldering.

It is important to make sure that there is no noticeable gap in the seam as that will make it more difficult to solder, as well as change the size of the bezel.

STEP 7: SOLDER THE BEZEL

To solder the bezel closed, rest the bezel and seam on top of a clip of gold solder. Slowly heat up the region until the bezel “drops” and you see the solder flowing up through the seam.

To solder a bezel closed, use hard karat gold solder which will hold up well during the following step.

After the bezel has been soldered together, it is time to solder the bezel to the back plate.

This time we will be using easy karat solder. This ensures that the bezel itself won’t pop open as it flows at a lower temperature than the hard solder.

Follow the same pattern as before, leaving small solder chips at the base where the bezel meets the flat gold.

Another tip is to heat the metal from underneath the gold plate. The reason I did this is because the bezel backing is 1 mm and the bezel wall is only .3 mm. If I were to apply heat to both pieces at the same time, you risk melting the bezel wall that is thinner. By heating the thicker gold first, the heat can then be transferred upwards and flow onto the bezel strip.

STEP 8: CUT AND BLEND

Cutting the excess gold away from the bezel

Using a jewelers saw, cut around the bezel to release all of the excess gold that we wont be needing for the setting.

Cutting the bezel by following the curves

Carefully follow the bezel lines, making sure not to cut into the bezel itself.

Smoothing the junction between the bezel strip and base

After the major bulk has been cut away, use a sanding disc to blend the bezel wall and the bezel backing together.

Keep an eye on the gold as you blend it. Eventually both sides will look seamless!

Bezel base and strip uniformly smoothed out.

Once the bezel has been completely blended, you can add a bail to the top of the pendant.

A bail is made by simply creating a loop with round nose pliers and soldering it to the top of the setting.

STEP 9: SET THE STONE

Once the bezel shape has been formed, it’s time to add the stone.

Slowly work one side of the stone into the bezel to gauge tightness. If you are afraid that the stone might get stuck at a crooked angle, you can use floss or thin string to pull the stone back out.

Once one side of the stone is down and set in place, carefully push down on the opposite side to drop the stone into place.

You shouldn’t have to push too hard to make this happen. If you find that the stone is seeming too large for the bezel, back the stone out and carve away a bit of the gold to make room for the stone.

Once the stone has been dropped into the bezel, make sure that the stone is laying flat inside of the bezel.

You don’t want your stone to look crooked once the stone is tightened!

There are a few ways to tighten up the bezel and thus complete the stone setting.

One of the most popular ways is to use a bezel rocker to push the metal over the stone. These tools are most commonly used with silver cabochon bezel settings.

While those tools work great, when working with gold I often prefer the speed of a small motorized hammering tool.

STEP 10: TIGHTEN THE GOLD

tightening a bezel using a motorized hammer

For this technique, I first hammer the bezel wall at a 45 degree angle to push the gold closer to the stone and fill the gaps between the stone and the bezel wall.

Once I pass over the whole bezel at 45 degrees, I will come at it at a 90 degree angle. This pushes a metal lip over the stone itself, which in turn completely tightens and secures the stone.

A sanding disc removes hammer marks from the bezel

After the bezel has been hammered, use a sanding disk to clean up the marks left behind. Be sure not to touch the stone with your sanding disc.

STEP 11: POLISH AND FINISH

Now that the pendant is completed at the bench, it’s time to move over to the polisher to finish out the piece of jewelry.

I like to use a soft polishing buff to remove all of the sanding marks and bring the piece to a beautiful high polish.

In order to polish up those places that are hard to reach with the polishing wheel, use a small polishing brush to get into those areas.

After polishing, the pendant can be cleaned in the ultrasonic and then steamed.

Depending on the stone that was set, it might be a good idea to not blast steam directly at the stone, rather aim for the bezel itself.

completed bezel pendant with wheat chain

Now that the bezel is complete, it’s time to pair it with a beautiful chain. In this instance we chose a 1.25 mm wheat chain in 14 karat yellow gold.

The project is complete! It is very rewarding to be able to build a bezel from scratch.

The greatest advantage to building a bezel from start to finish is that you are able to shape it specifically for each unique stone.

For all your jewelry related questions, do not hesitate to contact us!

Pearl Ring With Thin 1mm Band

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Recently I custom made this pearl ring with a thin 1mm band.

This thin ring is the very definition of dainty and minimalist.

Looking to create a ring with a thin band? Contact us to learn more.

1mm Band, Too Thin?

1x1 ring in both width and thickness — **1mm all the way around the ring**.

This ring was made with a 1X1 millimeter design.

That means that it is both 1mm wide and 1mm thick.

While it is possible to craft such a delicate ring, it can come with it’s drawbacks.

If you are a person that is extra hard on their rings, then a 1mm option would probably not be the best decision.

1mm is also not recommended for rings with larger stones, or in engagement rings.

2mm pearl on thin gold band. — **A 2mm pearl fixed in the center of the ring with 6 prongs.**

In this particular instance, the 1mm band works quite well.

The center pearl size is only around 2mm in size, so there is virtually no weight to it. The thin band has no trouble supporting the stone.

The 1mm ring is also thin enough that it does a great job conveying that extra delicate look.

Thin Rings With Recycled Gold

At Modern Goldsmith, we source our raw materials from a distributor that has been certified by SCS Global Services.

This means you can have full confidence that the jewelry we make is sourced from 100% recycled metals.

There has already been enough gold, platinum, and palladium mined in our history to allow plenty of excess through recycled alloys.

There’s no reason for us to continue many of the mining practices that not only damage the earth, but also hurt the laborer in the process.

To learn more about our custom process, feel free to visit our customization page.

Mountain Inspired Wedding Rings

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As a custom jewelry designer, I often get the opportunity to create extra meaningful rings.

This project took ‘meaningful’ to the next level by incorporating locations that are incredibly sentimental to the couple.

This extra special location is the mountain ridge-line which overlooks the town in which they live, and the butte down below—the location of their first kiss!

Mountain Inspiration

**Pioneer Peak in Alaska with the butte in front.**

Not only do the rings serve as a reminder of some special moments in their lives, they also serve another purpose.

These rings also signify the love they have for mountain climbing, hiking, and enjoying nature.

Want to work with us on a custom mountain ring (or something else?) Please fill out our customization form!

CAD Renderings

Custom Mountain Ring CAD Rendering — **CAD renderings detail how a ring will look.**

Whenever we design custom rings, we always start in CAD in order to get a feel of how the ring will look like before it is cast in metal.

This allows the client the opportunity to see what the ring will look like and request any changes they might want to see.

Yellow Gold CAD rendering — **CAD renderings can also show different color metals.**

Once the ring design is looking just perfect, the client approves the design and the model is grown in wax and cast in metal.

Ring Casting Before Enamel

After the ring is cast and polished up, it is ready for the finishing touches.

In this case, we will be adding some color to the mountain and butte cutouts to give it some contrast. We will also be adding a finish to remove some of the shininess of the rings.

You can really start to see the ring taking shape!

White Enamel And Brush Finish

mountain inspired ring with white enamel — **Enamel is used to fill in the mountain cutouts.**

The completed ring features a white enamel inlay which really let’s the mountain lines “pop” visually.

A brush finish, also known as a matte finish, was added to the ring to remove the high polish shine of the yellow gold.

Mountain Rings—Individually Tailored To Each Person

individually tailored custom rings — **Matching rings for the happy couple.**

The great thing about custom jewelry design is the same pattern can be duplicated, but in different sizes!

For example, one of these rings needed to be a much larger size than the other, yet the design remains the same.

The mountain design was also replicated in different millimeter dimensions. The wider ring is 7mm wide and the thinner ring in 5mm.

Thus you can see that each custom ring will be individually tailored to fit the person wearing it!

The Ultimate Guide to 1/2, 3/4, and Full Eternity Bands

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The visual difference between eternity band styles. — **choices, choices, choices.**

When shopping for an eternity band, many people wonder if they should buy a 1/2, 3/4, or full eternity band.

While each style has their own advantages, this post will talk about the pros and cons of each eternity band style.

Which Eternity Band Style is Best for Ring Sizing?

A chart showing which style eternity bands can be sized. — **Know what to expect when it comes to sizing an eternity ring**.

WINNER: 1/2 Eternity Band

1/2 eternity bands are the clear winner here.

With stones only going half way down the sides, there is plenty of room for sizing and alteration of the ring.

RUNNER UP: 3/4 Eternity Band

3/4 eternity bands are also a good choice if you want to leave the possibility of ring sizing open in the future.

Oftentimes referred to as a “sizing bar”, 3/4 eternity bands leave just enough space to account for sizing it larger or smaller in the future.

LAST PLACE: Full Eternity Band

The “Achilles heel” of full eternity rings is that they cannot be sized—at least, not easily. The stars pretty much have to align for a successful sizing.

The in-depth explanation:

While it’s not technically impossible to size an eternity ring, there are so many factors that make the task quite difficult.

For example, let’s say the ring is too tight and you want to increase the ring size by a half size larger. Making the eternity ring larger would mean adding an extra stone. The problem with this solution is that adding an extra stone will most likely make the ring larger than the half size you wanted. Now that’s a problem!

To make it work, you might need to add an even smaller stone—a solution which won’t look good at all. You don’t want the new stone to mismatch the original stones.

There is a chance that the extra stone will be the exact addition you need to make the ring fit, however that is pretty unlikely. Even the slightest variations in ring circumference can change the fit dramatically.

Another solution to sizing a full eternity ring larger would be to cut the ring open and add metal. This could work, but it certainly breaks the seamless “full eternity” look of the original design.

The unfortunate conclusion is that if you ever want to get your full eternity band sized up or down, the ring will most likely need to be remade completely.

When In Doubt, Ask A Goldsmith

Question: “I have an eternity band that does not fit anymore. Can it be sized?”

Answer: No, but it is possible to use your existing metal and stones toward a NEW eternity ring! Contact us for a free quote.

The “Pros and Cons” of 1/2 Eternity Bands

a 1/2 eternity band. — **1/2 eternity bands have stones going half way down the sides of the ring.**

PROS (1/2 Eternity)

Can be easily sized and adjusted.

1/2 eternity bands are less expensive than 3/4 and full eternity bands due to there being less stones.

This style requires the least amount of maintenance of the three options.

CONS (1/2 Eternity)

1/2 eternity bands are pretty far removed from the “eternity ring” symbolism. They are mostly referred to as “wedding” or “anniversary bands”.

If the ring spins (or tilts even slightly) when being worn, the metal part of the ring will be visible.

Are 3/4 Eternity Bands the Best Compromise?

a 3/4 eternity band. — **3/4 eternity bands go almost all the way around, leaving just a small solid section at the bottom.**

PROS (3/4 Eternity)

3/4 eternity bands leave room for sizing. This small space is known as a sizing bar.

A 3/4 eternity band will have the same appearance as a full eternity ring when looking down at the ring. Even if you spread your fingers, or the ring spins slightly, you will still see stones.

Less overall maintenance. The bottom of the ring is a place that generally receives a lot wear and tear. The solid metal portion at the ring can absorb a lot of that force.

CONS (3/4 Eternity)

Nearly as expensive as a full eternity ring. Generally 25% less stones than a full eternity ring does not equate to 25% less expensive.

If the ring spins far enough, the metal sizing bar will be visible.

A proper ring fitting can combat spinning issues, but it does not guarantee that the ring will not spin. Sometimes getting a ring over a larger knuckle results in a ring that will always spin. This will vary from person to person. (us humans are unique!). We will cover this topic later in this post.

The “Pros and Cons” of Full Eternity Bands

a full eternity band. — **Full eternity bands by very definition go all the way around the ring.**

PROS (Full Eternity)

Seamless design. There is no beginning or end—a true eternity ring.

This style has the most brilliance of any of three options.

Full eternity bands are by far the best option if you are worried about the ring spinning on your finger.

Aesthetically pleasing.

CONS (Full Eternity)

Cannot be sized.

Greater chance of needing maintenance. Whichever stones are at the “bottom” of the ring when it’s being worn will be subjected to a lot more wear and tear. This increases the chances of the stones chipping or coming loose. To combat this, having the ring periodically inspected can go a long way in increasing the longevity of the ring.

The most expensive of the three options.

The Concern Over Ring Spinning

Eternity band spinning poll. — A poll taken from a “weddingbee” discussion board. (Source)

When searching the market for an eternity band, this is one of the questions I see many people agonize over.

This is completely understandable. A ring buyer wants to make sure they make the right choice. They don’t want to invest their money in a certain eternity band style only to regret their choice later down the road.

I’ve created a simple guide to help people decide.

STEP #1: Look at the poll shown above. Now think about which category YOU would fall under.

If the spinning will be annoying or drive you crazy—choose full eternity.

If the ability to size the ring in the future is your greatest concern—choose 1/2 or 3/4.

A spinning ring will not bother you at all—choose any of them.

Step #2: Know Your Finger (and knuckle!)

To minimize spinning in a ring, an exact finger size is needed to ensure a proper fit.

Sometimes our knuckles are above average in size, thus skewing what the proper ring size should be.

If there is more than a half size discrepancy between your knuckle and your finger, the ring WILL spin. If this concerns you, choose a full eternity ring.

Should you suspect you fall into the category of having a larger knuckle, a specialized finger sizer must be used to determine your knuckle size vs your finger size.

Note: Many jewelry stores will only carry the traditional finger sizing gauges, which are just solid metal rings that don’t open and close. The problem with this method is that the metal ring can feel tight going over the knuckle, but then loose once it passes the knuckle! They aren’t reading your actual finger size, rather your knuckle.

How To Measure Your Finger and Knuckle Correctly

I use ring size gauges that both open and close. This means I can measure the exact size a knuckle and the exact size of the finger itself.

For a DIY option, a plastic ring sizing gauge which tightens like a belt can also be used. Find one here on Amazon.

First tighten it around your finger. Then expand it if necessary and tighten it around the knuckle. Note the size difference, if any.

Once you know the difference between your finger and your knuckle, you can have a pretty good idea of what to expect.

guideline to how much a ring will spin. — *Disclaimer: This chart is merely a general guideline and not a guarantee.*

THE FINAL VERDICT

Full eternity band with lab grown diamonds. — Full eternity band with lab-grown diamonds.

This result is purely subjective. At the end of the day, each eternity ring style can be the right choice for someone.

From the perspective of a goldsmith, the full eternity band takes home the prize.

The very definition of an eternity band is a ring that has continuous stones all the way around, so how could it not win?

That being said, the 3/4 eternity band is the best of both worlds when it comes to aesthetics and sizing flexibility.

Want to work together to create an eternity ring? We would love to hear from you. Fill out our customization form to explore further.

So which style is your favorite? Let us know down in the comments below.

Custom Ring Guards and Wraps

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Ring guard with and without and engagement ring — **Custom made ring guard to fit an engagement ring**.

Ring guards and wraps are an excellent way to add a beautiful accent to an engagement ring. They can also serve the purpose of the wedding band.

A ring guard is rightly named as such—it “guards” the engagement ring from one or both sides.

Ring guards are also referred to as “ring wraps” due to the way they enclose and wrap around an engagement ring.

In addition to ring guard and ring wrap, these rings are also called ring “jackets” or “enhancers.” To make things easy, we will mostly refer to them as ring guards in this post.

How To Choose The Right Ring Guard For Your Engagement Ring

Different ring guard styles — **Ring guards vary greatly in shape and style**.

I cannot stress the importance of this aspect enough. Most box-store jewelry retailers will carry a varied selection of ring guards and wraps, but finding the right fit for your ring can be a challenge.

It is very difficult to find a guard that works well for your engagement ring if the guard was not made specifically for your engagement ring.

Here is a list of common problems that arise:

Large gaps between the guard and the engagement ring
Engagement Ring is too large (or too small!) for the ring guard
Ring shoulders don’t line up properly
The “bars” at the bottom of the ring guard get in the way
The style of the ring guard simply does not match well

What’s The Solution?

There are really only two options: Try to find something pre-made out of the jewelry display case, or have a ring guard custom made.

Let’s start with the worst of the two options. While most “out of the box” ring guards are not good matches for existing engagement rings, there generally are ways to make them work.

I would know, I’ve done it countless times.

I’ve had contracts with big-box jewelry companies where they expected me to make these imperfect ring guards work (for the sake of the sale), and I got pretty good at it. Their customers were generally pleased with the result…that is unless I had to turn down the job completely.

Why did I have to turn down certain jobs? This generally occurred when inexperienced jewelry salespeople would sell a ring guard that simply would not work with the engagement ring.

Ring wrap bars which hold the jewelry together — ***The bars at the bottom of the ring guard join the two sides together.***

Here are some of the ways I would alter ring guards to work with engagement rings:

Remove the bars at the bottom of the ring guard
Solder the guard to the engagement ring (if customer wanted)
Squeeze the guard together at the top to minimize gaps
Size the engagement ring larger than the guard so that the shoulders line up better
Ensure the engagement ring and guard were properly centered.

These techniques are passable, but there is a solution that is much better. That would be custom!

Custom Made Ring Guards and Wraps

Custom rose gold ring wrap or jacket — **Custom 14KT rose gold ring guard with lab-grown accent diamonds.**

That’s right. Custom, custom custom!

Having a ring guard made specifically for your engagement ring will always yield a better result.

Not only will the ring guard match up a lot better with the engagement ring, but it can also be designed to compliment it.

In addition, in some cases buying a pre-made ring wrap is downright impossible if your engagement ring has unique curves and lines. Nothing you find in the jewelry display case will work. Custom is the only answer.

To inquire about getting a custom ring guard made, please fill out our customization form!

How Custom Ring Guards and Wraps are Made

Contoured ring guard — ***Having a contoured ring guard is essential to a proper fit.***

In order to achieve the best results for a custom ring guard or wrap, it is important for the goldsmith to have the engagement ring in hand to use as a starting point.

It might be difficult for some people to part with their engagement rings (understandably so), however making the sacrifice to live without it for a few weeks will end with beautiful results!

The new ring guard will be custom made to fit the engagement ring, and after the guard is cast in metal it can be adjusted and centered appropriately.

Did you know all of our jewelry shipments are fully insured? Enjoy peace of mind knowing your jewelry is protected and in good hands. Contact us here for more information.

Utilizing CAD To Design The Ring Guard

Cad rendering of a custom ring guard — **CAD renderings show how the custom ring guard will fit with the engagement ring.**

In order to get the best match for your engagement ring, computer aided design (CAD) is used to create the ring guard model.

Using a 3D scanner, the original engagement ring is scanned in to the software. After that, the new ring guard is modeled to wrap around the engagement ring!

How Much Do Custom Ring Guards and Wraps Cost?

lab grown diamond ring guard — ***Custom is always superior, but how much will it cost?***

The final cost of a custom ring guard or wrap is entirely determined by the materials that are used.

For example, ring guards can be made in platinum, 18kt, 14kt, or 10kt gold, as well as silver. Each metal type has different prices associated with it.

Lastly, some ring wraps will have accent stones in them while others will be plain. The accent stones can be lab-grown diamonds, moissanite, or another stone entirely.

On average, a person can spend between $1,200-$2,800 on a custom ring guard.

Get a FREE QUOTE. Work one on one with a goldsmith to create a beautiful ring guard or wrap.

Engagement ring with ring enhancer — **The engagement ring and ring guard should compliment each other.**

It should be understood that custom ring guards will generally be a bit more expensive than a generic ring guard bought out of the case.

Generic ring guards are generally massed produced and imported, which equates to a lower cost than something that is custom made.

The trade off is that you risk the quality and fit of your wedding set. Custom ring guards and wraps offer a greater value in quality and cohesion. It’s well worth the investment!