What is a bezel?
Quick answer
A bezel is a continuous strip of metal that wraps a stone and holds it in place, instead of using prongs. A full bezel wraps the whole stone. A semi bezel grips two sides and leaves the rest open. The finish sits low on the finger and does not snag.
How a bezel is made
The jeweller cuts a strip of metal to match the stone, solders it to the base of the setting, drops the stone in and works the top edge over the stone until it sits flush. The fit has to be right first time, so the work is slower and more skilled than setting prongs.
Full, semi and partial bezel
A full bezel wraps the entire perimeter of the stone in a continuous rim of metal, giving the highest security and lowest profile. A semi bezel, also called a half or partial bezel, grips the stone on two opposite sides and leaves the other two open, which lets more light in from the exposed sides and shows more of the stone outline. East-west settings often use semi bezels on the long sides of an oval or emerald cut. The two styles trade security for sparkle: full bezel is the safer pick for hands-on routines, semi bezel keeps more of the diamond visible.
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