Bezel Pusher with V-Groove

A bezel pusher is the first tool you pick up once your stone is sitting in its setting, and this one has a V-groove cut into its polished tip. That groove is what makes the difference. It catches the top edge of the bezel wall, so the pusher stays put as you lean on it instead of skidding off and scratching your stone.

It really comes into its own on prongs. The groove cradles the rounded tip of a prong, so you can push it over the girdle of a faceted stone with control and without it rolling sideways. If you're moving from bezel setting into prong setting, this is the prong pusher that makes the switch easier.

Our Jewellers Stone Setting Tool Kit pairs it with a flat-faced Bezel/Prong Pusher, and the two work well together. The flat face covers more of the bezel wall for the first few pushes. Then the V-groove takes over for tighter spots, the corners of shaped stones, and prongs. From there, a Bezel Roller closes the wall down evenly and a Curved Burnisher smooths and tightens the top edge.

For stone setting on a budget, this is one of the most useful tools you can own. It's small, it's simple, and it does a job that fingers and pliers can't.

Worth knowing:

• Any nick or scuff on the tip will transfer to your bezel, so if the groove gets marked, give it a light rub on fine emery paper to bring the polish back.
• Fine silver bezel wire is much softer than sterling, so it pushes over with less pressure and fewer tool marks.