Every Alister Grant setting begins as a rough idea and ends, roughly eight weeks later, as something a client will wear for the rest of their life. Here’s what happens in between.

Our signature pavé setting has become something of a house hallmark — small enough to be worn every day, precise enough that no two batches ever look quite the same under close inspection. It’s also one of the most technically demanding pieces we make, which is exactly why we still do it entirely by hand.

Where the Design Begins

Every setting starts on paper. Our design team sketches the stone layout by hand before anything touches wax or metal, working out proportions that a computer render tends to flatten. Once approved, the sketch becomes a CAD model used only to check tolerances — never to replace the handwork that follows.

“A render tells you if the maths works. It won’t tell you if the ring feels right on a hand — only a goldsmith can do that.”

Carving the Setting

From the approved design, a wax model is carved and cast in-house using recycled 18k gold. This is where the setting gets its structure: the prongs, the gallery, the seat for each stone — all shaped before a single diamond enters the room.

A goldsmith filing a freshly cast setting before the stones are placed.

The cast piece is then filed and pre-polished by hand. This stage alone can take a full day for a single ring — far longer than a machine-finished piece, but it’s what allows the setting to sit flush against the finger rather than catching on clothing or skin.

Why We Don’t Cast in Batches

Most commercial jewellers cast dozens of identical settings at once to cut cost. We cast in small runs of six or fewer, which lets our goldsmiths catch imperfections before they’re set with stones — not after.

The Stone Setting

Each stone is selected individually for colour and clarity match before setting begins. Our setters work under a loupe, cutting each seat by hand with a graver and setting stones one at a time — a process that, for a full pavé band, can take upward of twelve hours.

Twelve hours of setting for a ring that takes twelve seconds to put on. That’s the trade we’re always making.

• Each stone is matched for colour and clarity before setting
• Seats are cut individually with a hand graver, not a drill press
• Every setting is inspected under 10x magnification before moving on

The Final Finish

The last stage is entirely by eye. A setter polishes around each stone by hand, working in small sections to avoid dulling the facets — the difference between a setting that sparkles and one that merely shines. Only then does the piece receive its final quality check and the setter’s initials in our internal record.

It’s a slower way to make jewellery. We’ve never found a faster one that we’d be willing to put our name to.