What is a bevel?
A bevel is quite simply an angle made by the meeting of two surfaces. By definition, a bevel cannot be at a 90 degree angle, although all other angles are perfectly acceptable. The term is widely used in all sorts of industries to describe everything from a setting for jewelry to the blade of a knife; the meaning is usually quite clear from the context. Chances are that you probably have an example of a bevel in your vicinity, especially if you are in a location with ornamental trim, jewelery, or knives. The origins of “bevel” appear to lie in the Old French baivel, which is derived from bayer, “to yawn,” a reference to the commonly wide angle of a bevel. People have been using the word as a verb since around the 1600s, when beveled edges were coincidentally very popular in architecture. Commonly, the term “bevel” is used to describe an angled cut. In woodworking, for example, many pieces of furniture are beveled to create soft edges, and to ease the transition from one surface to anot
A bevel starts off as a sheet of 5mm thick clear plate glass. The plate glass is cut to the shape of the individual pieces in each design. Next, the edges are ground down at an angle. The grinding of curved pieces is not done by machine but by skilled craftsman using masterful hand and eye coordination. The pieces are then highly polished. Next each bevel is then wrapped in copper foil and soldered together according to the pattern. The end result is a spectacular beveled panel that reflects and refracts the light that passes through it. Bevels are so prismatic that you may have a room full of rainbows!
