Thin Compressible Lip Bezel Setting for Diamond Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bezel settings for diamonds cover a significant portion of the stone, reducing its visibility and making the diamond appear smaller, while also exposing the girdle to damage due to thick bezel walls and potential scratching from prong settings.
Innovation Solution
A seamless bezel setting with a thin, compressible lip that wraps tightly around the girdle and minimally covers the crown region, using a jig fixture to bend the lip over the diamond, resulting in a sturdy and visually appealing setting that maximizes diamond visibility and protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional bezel setting with thick walls is used, then the diamond is protected from damage, but the diamond visibility is reduced and the diamond appears smaller
Solution Approach 1:
The bezel setting employs an ultra-thin wall structure (0.02 to 0.05 inches) that appears as a flexible film rather than a rigid thick barrier. This thin bezel wall is sufficiently delicate to maximize diamond visibility while still providing protective enclosure when properly set
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the critical parameter of bezel wall thickness from conventional dimensions (typically 0.125 inches or more) to an ultra-thin dimension (0.02 to 0.05 inches). This parameter change fundamentally alters both the visual appearance (maximizing diamond visibility) and the structural characteristics (requiring precise setting methods to ensure protection)
2Area of stationary object
If a thin bezel wall is used to maximize diamond visibility, then the diamond appears larger and more visible, but the setting may lack strength and durability
Solution Approach 1:
The setting method performs preliminary actions by precisely positioning and securing the ultra-thin bezel wall to the setting body before final assembly. The bezel is pre-formed with precise dimensions and carefully attached to ensure optimal strength-to-thickness ratio, eliminating the need for thick walls
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs hydraulic or pneumatic pressing mechanisms during the setting process to apply controlled pressure that forms and secures the ultra-thin bezel wall. This controlled pressure application ensures the thin wall achieves maximum strength without requiring increased thickness
3Reliability
If prong settings are used to hold the diamond, then the diamond is secured in place, but the prong areas expose the diamond to scratching, chipping, or fracturing
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the prong elements from the setting design, replacing them with a continuous ultra-thin bezel wall that encircles and protects the diamond. This removal of prongs eliminates the sources of scratching and chipping while maintaining secure diamond retention through the encircling bezel structure
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The seamless bezel setting achieves a higher visibility ratio of the diamond, up to 98%, while providing enhanced protection against damage and maintaining the diamond's luster, by minimizing the bezel's coverage and using a thin, bendable lip to securely hold the stone.
Implementation Method 1
the lip is made of a material that is compressible and bendable so it can be bent over to tightly wrap the girdle and slightly cover a crown region of the precious stone
Data Source
AI summary
A bezel setting comprises: a bezel body having a circumscribing wall with a given body thickness, an upper surface sized to enable a corresponding pavilion surface of a precious stone to rest thereon, and a bendable lip substantially surrounding the upper surface of the bezel body, the lip having an interior surface shaped to be substantially matched and complementary to an exterior surface defining a girdle surface of the precious stone, and the lip has a thickness dimension that is substantially smaller than said body thickness of said bezel body. The lip is made of a material that is compressible and bendable so it can be bent over to tightly wrap the girdle and slightly cover a crown region of the precious stone.