1. Bezel Ring

2. Choose your supplies
Cabochon (smooth round stone or glass piece with a flat back)
Bezel wire (goes around the outside of the cabochon)
Bezel Base (goes underneath the cabochon)
Patterned ring band (forms the ring)

3. Match stone size to band size
Too big Too small Just Right
Stone should be wider than band but no more than twice as wide

4. Trim bezel wire height
If needed, trim you bezel wire height so that it is about 2/3 the height of your cabochon.
Only thinner stones will need this.
See me if you’d like help—this takes a lot of practice.
Trim with scissors
Trim thickness of wire so it will pass the curve of your stone but will not cover the stone
Side view of bezel wire & cabochon

5. Make a bezel for your cabochon
Wrap bezel wire around your cabochon.
Mark size with a Sharpie and cut with scissors.
Solder the bezel wire together with HARD solder just like you would a ring, except flatten your solder first.
Remember this is a tiny piece—be careful!

6. Flatten your Bezel and Base
File the BOTTOM of your bezel on 600 grit sandpaper. If you trimmed the height of the wire, sand on the cut side.
Flatten your base with a rawhide mallet on the anvil
When you stack the two pieces together, they need to fully touch everywhere.

7. Set up your base to solder
Prop your base up on two carbon blocks.
Be sure you can access underneath with a torch.
Add flux to the top of the base.

8. Add bezel and solder pieces
Put bezel on base.
Put 2-3 pieces of MEDIUM solder inside base, touching bezel.

9. Solder Bezel to Base Heat from underneath.
You will see the solder run and connect the two pieces.
Do not overheat!

10. Trim and file base
Trim extra base with scissors. Save your scraps for casting.
File and sand seam at an angle until cup looks like one continuous piece.
Be careful you don’t cut or sand through the side of your cup.

11. Cut your ring band to length
Find your finger size.
Wrap the band around the mandrel a few sizes smaller.
Slide ring band up to your desired size.
Mark with Sharpie.
Slide off mandrel.
Cut ring band at mark.

12. Solder ring band
File ends very flat. The thicker your ring band, the more filing you’ll need to do.
Solder the ring together with MEDIUM solder.
Round the ring.

13. File the top of the ring band
The top of the ring will be the seam—the bezel cup will cover the seam.
Use a needle file to make a flat spot on the seam. File until your bezel cup sits flat.
File top flat and wide enough for bezel cup.
File top flat and wide enough for bezel cup.

14. Set up to solder Put ring in third hand, with filed seam area on top.
Lay the cup upside down near your soldering area.
Put flux on back of the cup and on top of the ring.
Put a flattened piece of EXTRA-EASY solder on the top of the ring seam.

15. Solder your cup to your ring
Heat around the ring until the solder flows.
Put the cup on the ring.
Heat underneath the ring until the solder flows and holds the cup on the ring.
You should bring a buddy over for this—one for the torch and one for the cup.

16. Set stone
Insert stone and secure it just like you did for the bezel pendant.

17. Finish ring
Buff, using red rouge only. Tripoli will take off your pattern.
Hold your guarded thumb over the stone so you don’t ruin it.
You can get around the stone area using a popsicle stick wrapped with a Sunshine cloth.