Pave Diamonds: What Are They and How Are They Used in Fine Jewelry? Pavè Diamonds are a top trend for both jewelry designs and jewelry enthusiasts. It’s a pivot point for fine jewelry designers in literally every major jewelry show we’ve been to recently and you can see its influence in designs from high end cocktail rings and earrings to everyday necklaces. Not new in the area of jewelry making, pavè diamonds have been around for decades. Here’s a little bio about them in case you ever wondered what a pave diamond exactly is.
Pavè is not really a style of diamond but rather a style of setting used for diamonds and gemstones in fine jewelry. It is also referred as Mille Grain Setting. Pronounced as ‘pa-vay’ it has been derived from French word pavement. With more and more fine jewelry designers choosing this setting to showcase their talent, a number of unique designs in pavè diamonds have significantly increased over last few years. In fact, in spite of being an old setting format, it has gained so much momentum in the last decade that it’s commonly used in every jewelry making country today. As stated earlier, the term Pavè is derived from French word pavement. It came to be used in early streets when cobblestones were set together closely and sealed with sand and mortar for finishing. Even today, it is used in landscaping and to enhance the look and feel of a driveway or more commonly street ways where a European look is desired. You will find cobbled pavements and streets in most well-known landmarks viz. the pathways leading to Eiffel Tower in Paris and beautiful streets of Venice, Italy. It is definitely a step up over regular streets.And, who wouldn’t love walking on cobblestones for the dreamy, elegant experience they connote?
Similar to the way stones are paved on streets, pavè setting is used to set diamonds or gemstones in jewelry. Pave set diamond jewelry consists of a large number of small diamonds set extremely close together so that none of the underlying metal is visible. Jewelry looks like it has been ‘paved’ with diamonds. Diamonds used in pavè setting are usually similar in shape and size to get a homogeneous look across the surface. Any uneven size and shape in diamonds will lead to a non-smooth finish bringing down the overall value of the piece.
Mounting of diamonds in pave setting requires great skill and expertise. It is a craft which demands patience and perfection along with a cool temperament to work with. For this reason, the price of pavè set diamonds jewelry is high, especially if surface area to work on is more. Here are steps generally followed in crafting pavè set diamonds or gemstones jewelry: Identical sized diamonds or gemstones are mounted carefully in these holes and are placed with pointed tip on the bottom. Diamonds are grouped tightly in row so that diamonds cover entire space visible on the surface, without overlapping and with minimal underlying metal being visible. To fill in the gaps between two diamonds and to separate them, tiny metallic beads (of same metal as being used in jewelry setting) are pushed over the edge of the diamond into metal form. Anywhere between 3 – 6 metallic beads are used per diamond for a stable setting. An alternate way of setting the pavè diamonds is to use tiny prongs which are set into the jewelry (usually 4 sided) then used to fasten the diamonds in place. If it’s a jewelry design which tapers to one side, size of diamonds need to be graduating in the same dimensions. Selection of diamonds needs to be precise or else both the beauty as well as price of piece will be undermined. If you’re looking for pave diamond earrings, rings, necklaces or bracelets online, Sivalya.com is worth considering since it carries an exclusive selection of handmade pave diamond rings, earrings, pendant necklaces, and palm bracelets. You can also explore an excellent selection of meaningful, bohemian gifts for her on this website, e.g. Tibetan healing bracelet, spiritual home decor items, sterling silver stacking rings, 108 mala beads, and mini gemstone energy bracelets. Visit this online shop now!