Antique Pavé Settings: A Guide

Walking the path to that perfect antique piece? This guide to the pavé setting will help pave the way.

A pavé setting covers a surface with small stones set so closely that the metal almost disappears, like a street paved with cobbles. It is one of the most beautiful effects in jewellery, and antique pavé, whether in diamonds, turquoise or pearls, has a softness and charm that is hard to match.

What is a pavé setting?

The word is French for “paved”. In a pavé setting, small stones are set into holes drilled close together in the metal, and tiny beads of metal are raised from the surface to hold each one. Done well, the result is a continuous surface of stones, with the metal barely visible between them.

A brief history of pavé

Pavé setting was developed by French jewellers in the eighteenth century, and it flourished in the nineteenth. Victorian jewellers loved pavé-set turquoise and natural pearls, in heart-shaped lockets, brooches and rings like this Victorian pavé turquoise and diamond ring. Edwardian and Art Deco jewellers used diamond pavé in platinum, which could hold small stones securely with very little metal, to create the white, glittering surfaces typical of the 1920s.

Shop antique pavé-set jewellery

Types of pavé setting

Classic pavé. Round stones set in rows or following the shape of the piece, held by small beads of metal. This is the pavé of most antique jewellery.

Edwardian 15ct Gold Large Heart Shaped Locket Pave Set with Natural Pearls

Micro-pavé. Very small stones set under magnification. It is largely a modern technique, made possible by modern tools, and you will rarely find it in genuinely antique pieces.

French pavé. A refinement in which the metal is cut away in small V-shapes beneath each stone, so more light reaches it. It is also mainly a modern term.

Cluster pavé. Small stones set closely around a centre stone or grouped into a raised dome, a style used in many Victorian and Edwardian cluster rings.

French ring with a cluster of stones — A French ring with a raised cluster of stones. The Walters Art Museum. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Victorian pavé turquoise is pure joy. The stones sit together like a little cobbled street of colour, and it’s one of the few things that looks even better with a bit of wear.
Olly Gerrish, AJC Founder

Why choose antique pavé?

Sparkle and colour. A pavé surface catches the light from every angle, whether it is set with diamonds or with coloured stones.

Versatility. Pavé works on everything from a small heart pendant to a bold Art Deco ring or brooch.

Elegance. Antique pavé has a softness that modern machine-made pavé often lacks.

Luxury. Pavé is time-consuming to set by hand, and a piece covered in finely set stones has an unmistakable richness.

What we look for

We check that every stone is present and secure, since small pavé stones can work loose over time, and that the setting beads are crisp rather than worn flat. With turquoise and pearl pavé, we look for original stones of good, even colour; replacements are common and should be well matched.

Our view

For us, antique pavé is at its most charming in Victorian and Edwardian heart lockets and pendants set with turquoise or pearls, and at its most glamorous in Art Deco diamond rings. Both are easy to wear and wonderfully characterful.

Victorian and Edwardian pavé-set heart pendants from our collection — Victorian and Edwardian pavé-set pendants from our collection. See more

We’ve paved the way for you to understand pavé but why not visit our London showroom to see for yourself? Make an appointment with us and start you antique journey.