What is "bezel"

Bezel \Bez"el\ (b[e^]z"[e^]l), n. [From an old form of F. biseau sloping edge, prob. fr. L. bis double. See Bi-.] The rim which encompasses and fastens a jewel or other object, as the crystal of a watch, in the cavity in which it is set.

1610s, "sloping edge," also "groove in which a stone is set," from Old French *besel (13c.; Modern French biseau), cognate with Spanish bisel; of uncertain origin, perhaps literally "a stone with two angles," from Vulgar Latin *bis-alus, from bis- "twice" (see bis-) + ala "wing, side" (see alar). Meaning "oblique face of a gem" is from c.1840. The verb meaning "grind (a tool) down to an edge" is from 1670s.

n. 1 The sloping edge or face on a cutting tool 2 The oblique side or face of a cut gem; especially the upper faceted portion of a brilliant (diamond), which projects from its setting 3 The rim and flange which encompasses and fastens a jewel or other object, such as the crystal of a watch, in the cavity in which it is set; the collet. 4 The panel that covers the front of a computer case, or the panel covering each drive bay that can be removed to install a removable drive that requires external access, such as a CD/DVD-ROM drive, which usually has its own preinstalled bezel.

n. a sloping edge on a cutting tool

The bezel of a ring is a wider and usually thicker section of the hoop, which may contain a flat surface, usually with an engraved design, as in a signet ring, or a gem. The ring is normally worn to display the bezel on the upper or outer side of the finger. The word may also refer to a bezel setting for a stone, which is a general term for a setting holding the stone in place using a raised surrounding for the stone with a lip encircling and overlapping the edges of the stone, thus holding it in place. Modern bezel settings typically use a band of metal containing a groove and a flange (i.e. projecting lip) to hold a watch crystal or gemstone in its setting. This was the earliest method of setting gemstones into jewelry, in historic examples often made by leaving a hole or slot in the ring with a thin lip which was bent over once the stone was inserted, holding it in place. An extension of the word used in this sense can refer to a rotatable rim on a clock or watch used to indicate certain data such as elapsed time.

Other types of bezels, less used in modern jewelry, are "swivel bezels" where the bezel, perhaps just formed of a stone with a metal rod through it, can rotate, and "box bezels", where a "box" or cage forms the bezel, often sitting on the main ring hoop, and perhaps open at the top where there is a stone.

In gem-cutting bezel may also refer to the sloping faces of a cut stone round the flat "table" face (another meaning of the word is the sloping face of a chisel).

More broadly, bezels are found on tools and appliances. It is the diagonal face at the end of the blade of a chisel, or similar implement, leading to the edge. In vehicles, it is the part of the vehicle's bodywork that surrounds a headlight or turn signal. On a cell phone, it is the back surface that frames the LCD screen.

Bezel may refer to:

• Bezel (jewellery), the rim which encompasses and fastens a jewel, watch crystal, lens or other object
• The sloping facets of the crown of a cut gem such as in diamond cutting
• The front surround of a TV or VDU screen, particularly in cathode ray tube screens
• The removable plastic faceplate or front panel of a slot, such as CD or DVD player
• Jay Bezel (born 1983), American rapper
• The space between the screen and edge of an electronic device