Gemstones you can set in class
Add a stone to the ring or pendant you make in any silver, brass, or gold class. These are the ten we keep in the studio, with the hardness and setting notes that matter when you are choosing one for everyday wear.
Stone setting is taught in the silver class and the couple class; your silversmith helps you build a bezel or prong mount sized to the stone you pick. Stones are priced separately and chosen on the day.
10 gemstones
Cubic Zirconia
Diamond-like sparkle
Clarity and confidence
A lab-made stone with a bright, colorless sparkle and a hardness of 8.5, so it stands up well to daily wear. A common choice for a first silver ring: affordable, easy to set in a bezel or prongs, and available in several sizes.
Solitaire rings, drop pendants, accent stones
Tanzanite
Blue-violet and rare
Transformation and intuition
Mined commercially in only one place in the world, tanzanite shifts between violet, indigo, and blue depending on the light. At 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale it is best set in a protective silver bezel, which is the technique you learn in class.
Statement rings, pendants, bezel-set designs
Sapphire
Deep blue, very hard
Wisdom, focus, and loyalty
At 9 on the Mohs scale sapphire is the hardest stone we carry, which makes it a good choice for a ring you plan to wear every day. It looks classic in either a prong or a bezel setting.
Everyday rings, wedding bands, classic pendants
Green Emerald
Rich green
Renewal and abundance
A saturated green beryl, 7.5 to 8 in hardness. Emeralds often carry natural inclusions, so we set them in a bezel to protect the edges. The green reads well against both polished and oxidised silver.
Bezel rings, leaf-motif pendants, organic designs
Garnet
Deep red
Passion, protection, and vitality
Wine-red and affordable, garnet (6.5 to 7.5 Mohs) pairs well with hammered or darkened silver. A good option if you want color in a signet-style ring.
Solitaire rings, signet rings, dark silver contrast pieces
Peridot
Olive-lime green
Good fortune and renewal
Peridot is one of the few gemstones that comes in a single color: a bright olive green that stays lively in daylight. 6.5 to 7 Mohs, well suited to a bezel or a stacking ring.
Nature-inspired rings, drop earrings, stacking bands
Moonstone
Blue flash on milky white
Intuition, balance, and new beginnings
Rainbow moonstone shows a soft blue sheen (adularescence) that moves as you turn it. It is a softer stone at 6 to 6.5 Mohs, so we always bezel-set it. A long-standing favorite in Balinese silver work.
Crescent rings, pendants, ornate bezels
Larimar
Sea blue with white patterns
Calm and the ocean
A blue pectolite from the Caribbean with white, wave-like markings. It is softer (5 to 7 Mohs) and best in a protective bezel, and it is the natural pairing for our turtle and wave designs.
Turtle-motif rings, wave pendants, cuff bangles
Turquoise
Sky blue with matrix
Protection and good luck
Natural turquoise: sky blue with darker veins of host rock, known as the matrix. At 5 to 6 Mohs it is always bezel-set, and it suits textured or rope-edged silver.
Signet rings, rope-frame pendants, textured bands
Tourmaline
Pink, green, or both
Creativity and balance
Tourmaline comes in more colors than almost any other gemstone, including pink-and-green 'watermelon' slices. 7 to 7.5 Mohs, fine in a bezel or prongs. You pick the color you like on the day.
Multi-stone rings, colorful pendants, custom bezels
Three steps to a set stone
Bezel setting is the method we teach most: it protects softer stones and suits the hand-built silver work you do in class. Your silversmith does the measuring with you and checks each step.
Pick the stone
Choose from the tray at the studio: color, cut, and size all affect how big the mount needs to be and how the finished piece sits on the hand.
Build the bezel
Measure, wrap, cut, and solder a strip of silver bezel wire around the stone, then solder the cup onto your ring or pendant.
Set and polish
Drop the stone in, push the silver rim over its edge with a burnisher, and finish the whole piece on the polishing wheel.
Make a ring with a stone in it
Book a silver class at the Kerobokan studio, pick your stone from the tray when you arrive, and leave with it set in a piece you made.