The pavé setting is a special form of the rubbed setting and is characterized by the fact that a small chisel is used to make a notch in the precious metal the size of the gemstone to be set. After the gemstone has been inserted, the precious metal surrounding the stone is rubbed over its edges so that it has a firm and secure hold.
Characteristics of the Pavé setting
A pavé setting is the setting of a piece of jewelry when a large number of similarly shaped small gemstones are held in or on the piece of jewelry using this method.
The gemstones – diamonds are particularly popular for pavé settings – are set very close together and cover a surface of precious metal in such a way that, in the best case, almost nothing of the actual underlying surface is visible.
This is where this setting got its name – "pavé," a French term that translates as "paving stone." Indeed, the pavé setting in a piece of jewelry is reminiscent of a dazzling street paved with diamonds .
The production of the pavé setting
The aim of the pavé setting is to let as little of the precious metal show through as possible, as the focus should be entirely on the continuous surface of sparkling gemstones. Ideally, the small diamonds or colored gemstones are the same size to create a perfect pavé setting. The only thing that is still visible of the precious metal in this setting are small beads that are located in the empty spaces between the gemstones and serve to fix them in place.
The craftsmanship of the pavé setting is very time-consuming and sophisticated, but pavé jewelry is still relatively moderately priced. This is because the gemstones used are very small and the price for many small gemstones - even if they are of very good quality - is less than that of a large gemstone.
The pavé setting is particularly popular for ring bands of elaborately designed diamond rings, memoire rings and earrings.
jewelry with pavé setting
Almost all types of cut are suitable for the pavé setting. The classic and most commonly used are round cuts such as the classic brilliant cut and the oval cut, as they optimally emphasize the rounded shapes of the piece of jewelry.
Other popular cuts include the princess cut and the emerald cut, as they fulfill the goal of the pavé setting of covering the precious metal as completely as possible.
The pavé setting is often used in combination with other settings, especially for diamonds, as the small pavé diamonds complement the larger gemstones in the piece of jewellery very well.
Things to know
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