Stone settings: what actually holds the stone in

In its guide to diamond settings, published on 26 September 2015 and written by Åse Anderson, The Jewellery Editor says the claw setting, "whereby the diamond is held in place by small metal claws, is still the most common", usually with 4 or 6 claws, and that those claws "can catch on clothing so need to be checked regularly to ensure that they remain secure". One sentence, and it contains the whole subject. The setting is the part nobody asks about and the part that decides whether you still own the stone in 10 years.

I am Anna Lou. I have made jewellery by hand in London for 22 years, from a stall on Portobello Road to Liberty, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Harrods. In that time I have reset a great many stones, and most of them arrived loose in an envelope because a setting gave up first.

What is actually holding the stone

Claws, also called prongs. Fingers of metal bent over the edge of the stone. Because so little metal is used, more of the stone shows and it sits lifted into the light. The trade-off is in the quote above: they stand proud, so they catch on jumpers and hair, and wear thin where they rub.

Rub-over, also called bezel. A rim of metal all the way round. Rachael Taylor, writing in The Jewellery Editor on 3 June 2015, describes it exactly: a rub-over "places the gemstone in a circle of metal, which is then folded all around it to catch the hips of the gem". The London goldsmith David Ashton, quoted in that article, says rub-over settings give stones "more security and protection from dirt and damage", make them look larger, and are easier to wear because there are no claws to catch on fabrics or hair. What it costs you is light: metal around a coloured stone can mute it, which is why a rub-over suits an opaque stone better than a pale transparent one.

Grain, which is what most people mean by pavé. Stones set tight against each other, held by beads of metal raised from the surface. The beads are, in the guide's words, "hardly noticeable", so the surface reads as stone rather than metal.

Channel. Stones sit in a grooved track with no claws at all, which is why it turns up on eternity rings and on bands meant to stack.

Halo and cluster. Small stones ringed around or grouped with a larger one, to make the centre look bigger.

Two things follow. The setting changes how large and how bright a stone looks before you have changed the stone at all. And a setting is a consumable: claws are meant to be looked at every year or two by somebody with a loupe, and tightening one costs a fraction of replacing a stone that fell out.

The piece I would start with

The Triangle Gemstone Necklace is £175. A triangular onyx in 18kt gold plated sterling silver, pendant 15mm high on a 16in chain. Onyx is opaque, so it loses nothing by being held in metal rather than lifted into the light. To see the same idea in a line of small stones instead of one, the diamond pieces are the place to look, and the bridal collection is where the ring settings live.

The stones already in your drawer

This is the part I care most about. Most people reading this own a stone in a setting they do not wear, and the setting is usually the reason. The claws are worn, the style is somebody else's, the ring does not fit and never will.

A stone is not the setting it arrived in. On my Second Life page I put it plainly: I lift the stones, design a new setting around them, and reset them. Diamonds and most coloured stones can be removed from an old setting and reset. The estimate is free and there is no obligation.

There is a reason this is handwork. Writing in Professional Jeweller on 31 October 2013, Tim Phillips noted that coloured stones are "much softer and more prone to damage" than diamonds and reach recyclers "frequently chipped and scratched as a result of being removed from a piece of jewellery". Taking a stone out badly is how you lose it. If only the metal is worth keeping, recycling it here gets you a free postage label and a £20 voucher, and the gold goes back into the workshop.

Two more ways in

The Galore Bracelet is £65 in sterling silver, £75 in gold vermeil and £600 in 14kt solid gold. The Galore Huggies start at £90, and the 9kt solid gold pairs at £550 are made with diamonds. The Hanging Disc Bracelet is £150, sterling silver with gold plating and cubic zirconia, and I say that plainly because at the lower price points it usually is cubic zirconia and you should be told. The Letter Onyx Necklace is £275, an initial and onyx together. For a ring, the ring size guide gets you there at home with a strip of paper and a ruler.

The second life is the real one. Anna Lou x.

Send me a photo of the piece you never wear and I will tell you what the stones could become. Start on the Second Life page, or write to anna@annalouoflondon.com.

Common questions

How do I know if a stone is working loose?

Hold the piece close to your ear and tap it gently with a fingernail. A stone that is properly held is silent, and a loose one can rattle faintly. The other sign is catching: if a ring has started snagging on wool when it never used to, a claw has probably bent or worn. The Jewellery Editor's settings guide is right that claws need checking regularly, and once a year is a sensible habit for anything worn daily.

Can the stones from my grandmother's ring go into something I would actually wear?

Yes. Diamonds and most coloured stones can be removed from an old setting and reset into something new, and that is the whole of the Second Life service. Odd earrings, broken chains and single loose stones all count. Send a photograph and the estimate comes back free.

Which setting is best if I want to wear a piece every day?

A rub-over, on the evidence of both articles quoted here: the metal sits flush, so there is nothing to catch on clothing or hair, and the stone is better protected from dirt and knocks. Weigh against it that enclosing a pale transparent stone in metal can quieten it, so it suits opaque and darker stones best.