What Is A Pave Diamond Setting?
Many times people who are considering jewelry purchases notice the words pave-setting in the description, or the salesperson may make note of this feature. Not surprisingly, there are not that many consumers who are completely familiar with this term. You may not come across it until you are buying jewelry that includes this distinctive setting. These pieces give the illusion that the item is completely paved with lovely, brilliant diamonds.
Pave-settings are used to create some spectacular and eye catching jewelry pieces that provide consumers with a lot of bang for their buck. When you have a piece of jewelry with this type of setting, it will have a paved or beaded appearance. With rings, the band may have this type of setting or it could be the central feature of the ring. Many engagement rings and wedding rings are created with pave settings and women tend to love this look. It does create a very feminine and attractive jewelry. Yellow gold is not the first choice of metal for pave work because it cannot be minimized that much when creating this intricate setting. Silver, white gold and platinum are the materials that jewelers prefer to work with, but the yellow gold can still be selected.
The word, pave, is taken from the French, and it literally means something that is paved. In the case of jewelry, this word is used to describe the paved effect of the setting, which is specifically created from tiny jewels that are matched and fit to exacting standards. You will see pave settings used with rings, necklaces, pins, earrings and bracelets. Even tiaras will sometimes have this exact setting used to give them that extra sparkle and fire. When jewelry pieces have a pave setting, it adds undeniable brilliance and elegance to the item. Many watches are seen with this type of setting.
These settings are distinguished by the use of tiny, round diamonds that are set in a very tight pattern. This makes the setting itself appear to be totally covered with sparkling, elegant diamonds. Only very tiny areas of metal can be seen and this is only with a close inspection. When the rings or other jewelry pieces are being made, tiny settings are drilled to accommodate the diamond stones that will provide the pave appearance.
Then the jeweler will place these tiny jewels in their proper settings. Miniature prongs will hold them in place. These prongs resemble minute beaded claws. They surround each individual diamond and are able to be tightened around the girdle of the stones. There is a great deal of time that has to be spent in the bending of this metal. It has to be done exactly right in order that it can produce a delicate, beaded appearance. This beading is incorporated into the setting. If you have a quality pave setting, you will see a glittering diamond surface in front of you that will sparkle and glow. All of the diamonds will appear identical and there will be almost no metal visible even on close inspection.
The Pave process is exquisite and it requires patience, an extremely high skill level, and very talented jewelers. The cost of pave-set pieces depends a great deal on the quality of the jewels involved, but also on the overall skill of the person who fashions and creates the item. With pave settings, customers can choose a piece to suit their budget. The price of these items depends mainly on how detailed your setting is and how high the quality of the stones are. These settings will provide you with the look of a much more expensive piece of jewelry for less money because of the lower priced, smaller stones that are used.
