recessedbezel1

Recessed Bezel Setting in Lentil Earrings. I wanted to set noncalibrated round stones in bezel settings and preferred the look of a recessed bezel with the stone sitting almost flush with the surface of the silver. This is the technique I worked out to get the look I wanted. This tutorial assumes a basic knowledge of metal clay technique. If you are a beginner please review the tutorials in the Metal Clay 101 section or visit my resources page for more information about PMC.
Materials Needed: 25 gm PMC3 Art Clay Oil Paste PMC 3 paste shaping tools - roller, cards, tissue blade, paint brushes, needle tool, texture sheet or rubber stamp (I used the mini Deco Circles Texture Tile from Cool Tools ) circle template curved file 28 gauge 1/8" x .013" fine silver bezel wire 2 round gemstone cabs (approx. 10 mm) 2 sterling silver post pads emery boards finishing tools - wire brush, burnishers or tumbler Stone setting tools - stone pusher and curved burnisher particle mask vermiculite kiln shelf kiln
First we'll make the bezels
	Measure your stones. Choose a cylindrical form (pen, glass rod, ring mandrel etc.) a little larger in diameter than your stones. Wrap the bezel wire around the cylinder and clip with flush cutters. ( Or you can wrap the bezel wire around the stone - beginners may find this method a little easier. A round bezel mandrel would be a good investment if you set many round stones.)
	Trim the wire a small bit at a time with the flush cutters until you have a slightly loose fit around the stone.
	Match the ends of the bezel wire by gently pushing the ends of the wire over and under each other until the ends square up and are held together by the tension formed in the process. This might take some practice. Just be patient. If your wire distorts you can reshape it by wrapping it around your cylinder and starting again.
Next we'll make the 2 layers of PMC for the base of our earrings.
	Roll the PMC3 out 2 cards thick and apply texture. Cut out 4 circles :2 -1 1/8" and 2 - 3/4". Using the formed bezel as a cutter, cut out a circle from the middle of the 3/4" circle. Return the unused clay to the package (hint: I put a small piece of dampened sponge into the package to keep the clay moist).
	Set circles on a curved surface to dry. I use a light bulb set into a shot glass and put a small amount of olive oil on the bulb to keep the clay from sticking.
	Roll out a small amount of remaining clay 2 cards thick. Do not texture. Cut out a 1" circle and then remove a 1/4" strip from the center. This will give us the two supports for our earring posts. When the circles are dry refine the edges with an emery board.
	Using a curved file, increase the size of the hole for the bezel in the 3/4" circle. The clay is going to shrink about 12% during firing, so the hole needs to be 12% larger than the size of the bezel. I am going to fire my pieces separately and then attach with paste so I can refine the size of the hole later if needed. At this point having the hole a little too small is better than too large - we can make it larger after firing if needed.
	Drill a 1/4" hole in the center of the 1 1/8" circle. I find that I get much cleaner, neater holes if I start with a small drill bit and work my way up to larger ones.
	Attach the post support to the back of the 1 1/8" circle. Use a paint brush to place a bead of PMC3 paste along the edge of the circle. Moisten the edge of the post support with a little water. Press the moistened edge of the support onto the paste and align the edges. Allow to dry.
	Place a pile of vermiculite on a kiln shelf. I find that I get the least distortion when firing lentil shapes if I set them into the vermiculite on their edges. Place the kiln shelf in the kiln, set the controller for 1650 degrees and fire for 2 hours. Allow to cool with the kiln or remove (carefully!) and quench in water.
	Check the size of the hole in the 3/4" circle against the size of your bezel. If the hole is too small, use a curved file to enlarge the hole. Now we are going to add the 3/4" circle and the bezel. Use the paintbrush to put a bead of PMC3 paste on the back side of the small circle. Invert it onto the large circle, centering it while pressing down lightly. Add some more PMC3 paste to the inside of the circle and up the sides of the hole in the circle. Drop the bezel into the hole. Check again to make sure everything is still centered and allow to dry.
	Check for any gaps. Use the paintbrush and PMC3 paste to fill them in. Put a small amount of paste over the place where the ends of the bezel wire come together and allow to dry again. Fire at 1650 degrees for 2 hours and allow to cool. Check again for any gaps around the outside of the bezel wire or where the ends of the bezel wire meet. If there are any, fill them in with PMC paste, allow to dry and fire again. Allow to cool. Brush with a wet, soapy brass brush and then tumble for one hour or burnish by hand.
	Check the fit of the stones in the bezels. The bezels should be 1/2 to 2/3 the height of the stone, depending on the stones curvature. If the bezels are too high on the side of the stones use a file to cut them down to the right height. Check the seam where the ends of your bezel wire meet. Smooth gently with a file if needed. Remove the stones. If the stone is stuck in the bezel, push it out from behind (that's that the hole was for :) The hole also allows the stone to sit on a flat surface rather than the curved top of a lentil.
	Using PMC3 paste or Art Clay Oil Paste, attach the post pads to the support. Allow to dry and fire at 1250 degrees for one hour. Allow to cool, brush with a wet, soapy brass brush and then tumble for one hour or burnish by hand.
	Use the bezel pusher to push the bezel wire up against and over the stone in the sequence indicated. Be very gentle, giving a very light push. Keep going around the stone, pushing gently to maintain the round shape.
	Use a curved burnisher to flatten and smooth the edge of the bezel wire against the stone.
	Polish as desired (I use a sunshine cloth from Rio Grande).
Sit back and admire your work.
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