Erika's Delights

Not sure what type of setting you need?

If you are not sure what type of setting you need for gemstone. We are here to help. First you need to know what type of cut your gemstone is.  Is it faceted of cabochon (cab)? You cannot use a cabochon setting for a faceted cut gem or a faceted cut gem for a cabochon. This Is the #1 problem customers have because they are not educated about the difference between cabochon and faceted cut gemstones.

In this picture you have  a 16x12mm faceted cut gemstone with a 16x12mm pre-notched basket setting.  A faceted cut gemstone is gemstone that has multiple facets (cuts).  In simple terms they have a pointed back . A diamond is a faceted cut gemstone.  With faceted gemstones you would use pre-notched basket setting or snap tite settings.   When you  look at the 2 you may say " This gem will not fit this setting, the gem is much bigger than the setting".  When you set your gemstone the prongs will expand out  to fit the faceted gemstone for a secure fit. If you tried setting a faceted gemstone in a cab setting you will find out it will not work because the faceted gemstone has a pointed back and is too deep.

Click the link below to see the picture larger

http://stores.ebay.com/Erikas-Delights/What-is-a-Faceted-Gemstone.html

In this picture you will see  a 16x12mm cabochon cut gemstone, otherwise known as a cab cut gemstone with a 16x12mm cab setting.  A cab cut gemstone has a flat back with a dome top.  The gemstone we have here is a tiger's eye cab cut gemstone.  With cabochon cut gemstone you would use a cab setting NOT a pre-notched or snap tite setting.  If you tried using a pre-notched or snap tite setting it would not work. This is because the prongs of the settings do not have a deep enough notch in them to fully wrap around a cabochon.

Click the link below to see the picture larger

http://stores.ebay.com/Erikas-Delights/What-is-a-Cabochon-Gemstone.html

In this picture we show the finished pendants

If you have 16x12mm cab setting and a 16x12mm pre-notched setting  you will notice that the cab setting is larger than the pre-notched setting. This is because with faceted gemstone the prongs of the pre-notched setting expand out  to fit a 16x12mm gem. A pre-notched setting will not measure 16x12mm, it will measure smaller.  When you are purchasing a setting like a "10x8 oval snap tite setting ", 10x8mm simply means it will fit a 10x8mm gemstone.