Alternative Stone Setting: Bezels Made Perfect with Jennifer Stenhouse, Jan 31, 2026

Saturday, January 31, 2026
10:00 am - 2:00 pm PST 

Instructor: Jennifer Stenhouse 

Learn one of the foundational skills of jewelry making—creating clean, professional bezel settings. In this workshop, we’ll explore essential bezel-building techniques, creative variations, and innovative ways to craft bezels using materials beyond traditional bezel wire.

We’ll start with the basics of bezel wire and share useful tips and tricks for producing beautifully finished custom settings. Students will develop stronger soldering and fabrication skills, refine their finishing techniques, and learn to design bezel settings for cabochons, faceted stones, unusual shapes, and even found objects.

You’ll also discover effective ways to use the flex shaft for clean-up, setting, and polishing. Demonstrations include working with sheet metal, standard bezel wire, step bezel, and gallery wire to create versatile stone settings. We’ll cover reshaping tricky stones, solving common bezel challenges, and achieving clean results using polishing wheels and burs.

Students may choose to watch the demos or work along to create sample settings they can later use in finished jewelry pieces.

Prerequisite: Beginning Jewelry or equivalent. Students should have some soldering skills. All levels welcome!

ll classes include the video recording, which you will have access to for 60 days after the class. The Zoom link, handouts, video(s), and other important information can be found by clicking on the individual class link on the "My Courses" page. The Zoom link and handout (if any) will be available 24 hours before the class starts.

You also get 1 free session of Open Studio Access (OSA) in the month following your class. The Zoom link can be found on the course video access page.

The class supply list is below and contains links to buy the supplies you need.

Supply List for Students

Use the links below to purchase any supplies you don't already have for your class. This site may contain Amazon and other affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, at no cost to you, we may receive a small commission on qualifying purchases.

Recommendation for materials:

• Fine silver bezel wire
• Silver solder wire 3” each: Easy, Medium, and Hard
• Flux
• 20g sterling sheet (copper or brass sheet may also be used for your samples)

Recommended Tools:

• Jeweler saw & 4/0 blades
• Small hammer
• Small rawhide mallet
• Drill of some kind, pendant drill, flex-shaft, hand drill
• Center punch/scribe
• Bezel mandrels
• Forming pliers
• Pin vise
• Bench pin
• Needle files
• Ball burs
• 6” half-round file
• Small tweezers
• Ring clamp
• Burnisher
• Agate burnisher
• Flush wire cutters
• Magnifiers

Supplies from the hardware store:

• Paper and pencils
• Safety glasses
• Set of small drill bits
• Pack of craft needles
• Emery paper
• Small pack of drill bits
• Large craft needles or tapestry needle
• Little paintbrush for flux (no metal parts, preferably)

Optional:

• Good option: Paste Solder, 1oz.
• Serrated bezel wire, 3-12”
• Scalloped bezel wire 3-12”
• Gallery wire, sterling, 3-12”
• 14g half-round wire
• 1x3mm rectangle wire
• Fine silver coin, ½ or 1 troy ounce can be purchased at a local coin, stamp, and metal shop. Great material if you have a rolling mill.
• Cabochon cut stones: oval, round, teardrop, square, and freeform cabochon stones will all work. Also, found objects and enameled elements can potentially be used.
• This site may contain Amazon and other affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, at no cost to you, we may receive a small commission on qualifying purchases.