How to make lump clay bezels

• Roll a ball of clay larger than the stone.
• Place the stone right next to the ball, culet side up and use an acrylic roller to flatten the ball just until the very tip of the culet comes in contact with the plastic.
• Now the ball is the exact thickness of the stone.
  NB- Don't use too much pressure when flattening. If the culet presses into the plastic, the setting might be too shallow.
• Dab a little water on the ball, cover with plastic wrap for about 45 seconds; this will enable the water to soak in and hydrate the clay.
• Put a little divot in the ball for the culet to rest in, set the stone in place and push down until you've properly seated the stone.
• Now you can worry about the shape of the bezel.

For square, emerald cut and triangle shapes, just using a tissue blade to cut the bezel.

For round and fancy cuts like stars and flowers, just find a straw or tiny round cutter that is about 1mm larger than the stone in diameter.

For other shapes you can use a combination of tools, for example...for hearts and pear shapes, use a straw that safely clears not only the upper section, but the point of the bottom as well, followed by using a tissue blade to cut the V. Section, and to softly round over the sharp angles et voila! a perfectly shaped bezel.

For the heart, you can just use a pencil tip or a pin tool to shape the bow.

After you make the bezel they are fresh enough to place on the base with a little water or slip and will mold themselves to a very fine texture.

Pieces with deep texture will probably need to be set with syringe, so that the syringe can fill the voids and give you more contact for a good bond.

You could also set the bezels after they have dried - this has the added benefit of being able to sand the bezel to perfection or scribe a design on the rim or sides before hand.