Mounting — The Metal Framework That Holds the Gem
Mounting — The Metal Framework That Holds the Gem
The complete metal structure of a piece of jewellery, distinct from the specific stone-setting technique
In jewellery trade language, the mounting is the complete metal framework — typically gold, platinum, silver, or a combination — that holds and secures one or more gemstones in a finished piece of jewellery. The mounting comprises the structural elements (head, gallery, shoulders, shank in the case of a ring; principal body, bail, and clasp in the case of a pendant or necklace) that together form the wearable jewel before stones are set. The trade terminology distinguishes mounting (the metal structure) from setting (the specific technique — prong, bezel, pavé, channel — by which a stone is secured within the mounting). In practice the two terms are sometimes used loosely as synonyms, but the distinction matters for technical and commercial precision.
Components of a mounting
A typical ring mounting comprises several functionally distinct parts. The head (or top) is the upper structure that holds the principal stone, including the bezels, prongs, or other setting components specific to that stone. The gallery is the openwork below the head that lightens the appearance of the head while providing structural support. The shoulders are the upper sides of the shank that flow into the head and may incorporate side stones, channel-set accents, or decorative metalwork. The shank is the band itself that surrounds the finger. Various accent elements — under-bezels, basket designs, scrollwork, milgrain edges — may be incorporated according to the design.
Pendant mountings comprise the principal body (the area surrounding the central stone), the bail (the loop through which the chain passes), and any decorative elements. Necklace mountings range from simple rope settings for individual stones to elaborate multi-stone constructions with calibrated arrangements of accent stones. Earring mountings vary from simple stud settings through intricate chandelier designs.
Fabrication
Mountings are fabricated by several techniques depending on quality tier, design complexity, and quantity. Hand-fabrication — the traditional approach — uses sheet, wire, and casting components combined by sawing, soldering, and finishing operations to produce one-off mountings to specific designs. Lost-wax casting from rubber moulds (see the related entry on mould rubber) supports production runs of identical mountings from a single master pattern, the dominant approach in commercial production jewellery. CAD/CAM design with 3D printing of wax masters supports rapid prototyping and production of custom designs at increasing quality and speed. Stamping and die-pressing produce less expensive volume work for the lower price tiers.
Following fabrication, the mounting passes to the setter, who installs the stones using the technique appropriate to the design (prong, bezel, pavé, channel, flush, or others). Final finishing — polishing, milgrain detail, plating where applicable, and quality inspection — completes the piece for delivery.
Material considerations
Mounting metal selection considers durability (platinum and the higher-karat golds are more durable than the lower-karat alloys for long-term wear), colour (white, yellow, and rose gold; platinum's white tone; silver's susceptibility to tarnish), weight (platinum and 18 ct gold are heavier than 14 ct gold or silver), price (platinum at the highest tier, 14 ct gold and silver at lower tiers), and protection of the stone (platinum's higher melting point makes resetting safer; silver's softness is a liability for high-stress mountings).
In the trade
Mounting design is the architecture of the finished jewel, and a well-designed mounting maximises both the visual appeal of the central stone and the wearability of the piece. The GIA jewellery design and manufacturing courses cover mounting design in depth, and the trade reference works (Untracht's Jewelry: Concepts and Technology, Bovin's Jewelry Making) document the conventional vocabulary of mounting types. Buyers should evaluate mounting quality alongside stone quality when assessing a finished piece — even an exceptional stone is undermined by a poorly-designed or poorly-executed mounting.