Day 20 Setting Emeralds and Other Deep Stones

Setting Emeralds and Other Deep Stones

Hello again and welcome back. Since we spent a few days on the V-Bezel Pendant, I thought I would finish off the week with a couple of articles on stone setting and gemstones in general. Today I will give you a quick demonstration on cutting seats for different shaped stones. When we set the Amethyst in the pendant yesterday, we noticed that the shape of the stone was not like a diamond, but the girdle was thick and the “belly” of the stone was rather “fat”. This is common for colored gemstones and especially common for genuine stones like emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and amethysts. (many others as well). Special care must be taken to cut seats for these stones.

Using a normal 45 degree hart bur will work wonderful for diamonds, cz’s, and other created stones, but the seats in prongs will have to be “tailored” to fit other stones. (The seat is the shape of the cut into the prong or channel wall where the stone will rest)

Here is a couple of images to demonstrate what I am trying to explain.

The first image is not a good fit, the second is what we are aiming for.

I usually start with a 45 Degree Hart Bur to cut the seat, then modify the bottom of the seat with a Ball Bur or a small Cylinder Bur. The seat is cut the same whether it is in a prong, channel wall, bezel, etc. What you are really trying to do is make as much contact area as possible between the stone and the metal, this will protect the stone better, create less pressure points on the stone so it has less chance of breaking, and make the stone tighter.

Quick lesson today, but I hope you find it beneficial.

Have a good day! Now go “Dazzle” the word.

Doug

Day 19 Setting a Bezel Stone

This little “Bezel Pendant” project started a few days ago when I got the bright idea to show how to make a “V-Bezel” after I had the need for one. I thought I would show the process after I got a few comments and questions on application, so I said to myself, “well self, let’s just show how U would use one”.  Today I will show how I finished the setting and finishing on this pendant.

Just as I have used before, I mount the pendant in Dop Wax to secure it during setting. I have some dop wax pre-loaded on different sizes of wooden dowels. I “slightly” heat the surface of the wax, as well as the pendant with my Mini Torch, not too hot or it will sink too deep into the wax. After the pendant is settled in the wax, I press or mold the inside of the wax to make room for the bottom of the stone.

After the piece has set into the wax and is cool enough to handle, I scribe a line with my Dividers, on both the large bezel and the “V” bezel. I mark the line from the base of the setting on both, so the seats I cut will be the same height and the stone will sit level.

Now I carefully cut a “seat” into the bezel. You will want to check out the stone’s girdle and match the shape of the girdle with the cut. In this instance, the Amethyst has a very thick girdle, so I cut the stone seat with a 2.5mm Hart Bur, following the scribed line as best as possible. After the initial cut is made, I shaped the bottom of the seat with a 1.2mm Ball Bur to match the stone as best as I could.

The V-Bezel is cut a bit differently. Since the stone end that is going to be secured is pointed and therefore more fragile, you will want to drill a small hole or divot (not all the way through) into the bezel where the point will be so there is no pressure on that point of the stone. The rest of the seat can be cut with a ball bur, once again trying to match the shape of the stone’s girdle. As you are cutting the seats, you will want to constantly check the stone against the seat, to see how well they match. I hold the stone with a small piece of sticky red wax on the end of an old bur or a nail.

After the seats are cut, place the stone in the setting and press the bezel over the stone carefully with a Flat End Prong Pusher. Slowly push the corners first to secure the stone, then “fold” the rest of the bezel over the stone. Be careful not to add too much pressure and constantly check the stone for tightness.

Now that the stone is set secure, remove the pendant from the Dop Wax by adding as little heat as possible until the wax releases the pendant. Place the pendant in Alcohol to dissolve the wax, in an Ultrasonic Cleaner to speed up the process. Make sure the stone can tolerate the heat, alcohol, and ultrasonic waves beforehand. After the piece is cleaned from the wax, use rubber wheels and polishing wheels to finish the bezels. They look better the flatter you can get them. BE CAREFUL not to touch the stone with the wheels as you are finishing the bezels.

Finally finish polishing the pendant on a polishing wheel with Red Rouge. Clean with an Ultrasonic Cleaner and a Steam Cleaning Machine.

There you have it, an extended lesson on how to make a V-Bezel and how to use it in an application. I hope you enjoyed it and it has opened up some ideas for you. Feel free to comment or share.

By the way, if there are things you would like to see on JewelryMonk, let me know.

Thanks for coming along this journey, now go make something brilliant!

Doug

Day 18 Pendant Clean up (Metal Prep)

Hi again, for those of you who are new, Welcome to the JewelryMonk site. This is a new site and my goal is to kick it off with 90 days in a row of tips and tricks. So far, this is day 18. ( I will quit counting down when I reach that goal. So let’s get after it!

Part 2 of the V-Bezel pendant. Today we will finish soldering the pendant I started a couple of days ago, and I have a couple of clean-up tips for you before I get it ready to set the stone.

First I take the setting base and scribe a center line in the back of the half round bezel with Steel Dividers. This is just a location line so I know where to solder the bail. I picked a bail yesterday that had a diamond setting on it, but decided to cut it off because of strength and aesthetic issues. I used Handy Flux, Medium Solder, and my Mini Torch to solder the bail on. I hold the bail with Soldering Spring Tweezers and secure it with a Third Hand Tweezers.

After I solder the bail onto the setting, I clean the back with a Snap on Sanding Disc, make it flush, and add a Sterling Stamp.

I next clean up the edges, making them sharp and crisp. I used a Barrette File, then I wrapped a piece of 600 grit sand paper around the same file and take out the file scratches. I also used a Knife Edge Silicone Wheel and  JoolTool 3M Bristle Brushes. These little babies work amazing for taking out scratches.

Now if you have ever wondered how to polish inside places like the inside of a bail, here is a neat trick to get into those hard to get into spots. Get yourself some cotton string, (in different thicknesses) and rub polishing compound on it, now run the string through the bail and tie the other end to your bench. Rub back and forth and it will polish nicely. I use Graystar Compound first, then Red Rouge.

I also polish the tip of a burnishing tool on a piece of paper rubbed with Yellow Rouge and use it to polish the inside of the setting, if the setting base is polished, this will help the stone reflect more brilliantly.

Now the pendant is ready to set and polish. Stay Tuned.

Now go make something wonderful!

Doug

Day 17 V-Bezel Pendant

Ok, ok, After yesterdays V-Bezel illustration, I had quite a few questions and comments about how I would use the bezels and a good application for V-Bezels. Well, you ask, you get.

Over the next 2-3 days I will make a pendant and set a stone using the now “semi-famous” V-Bezel. I found a stone that I have had in my drawer for a while looking for a use for it, well now I have found a purpose for it, so let’s get going.

First, I find a piece of flat silver for the pendant base. In this instance, I use a piece that is 1.25mm thick. I place the stone I am using top down on the silver, (I slightly dull the surface of the silver with a piece of used 1200 grit sandpaper so it will show the tracing better) and hold it in place with a small piece of sticky wax, something that will hold it firm. Once the stone is held down, I use a scribe to trace a light line around the stone. I pull the stone off of the silver and use my Saw Frame with a Saw Blade to cut along the outside of the line. I hold the silver with a pair of Smooth Jawed Parallel Pliers. I file the outside up to the scribed line.

Once I have the base cut out, I scribe a line inside approx 1.5 mm thick, I drill a hole in the center of the base and load it on my Saw Frame. I cut along the inside up to the line, as close as possible. I use a Barrette Needle File and a Half-Round Escapement File to clean the inside and make it smooth and crisp.

Now I have the base cleaned up, I roll a piece of silver approx 4mm wide and 0.8mm thick with my Rolling Mill to use as a bezel for the back of the stone. After I roll it to the desired thickness, I anneal it and form it to match the shape of the back of the setting. (If you are unfamiliar with the annealing process, see Day 9’s blog entry) I now solder the bezel to the back of the base that I made. You can see I place the solder in between the bezel and the frame on my Soldering Block. I solder using my Smith Mini Torch with a fairly small flame from the #5 torch tip. (I have drilled out my tip, so it is a little larger than a #5, but a #5 is a good tip) I am using Oxygen (approx 30 psi) and Propane (approx 10 psi) as gas for my torch. (to see how I set up my torch and to safely check for leaks, See Blog Post Day 5)

Next, I take the V-Bezel that I made in Day 16’s Blog entry and saw off about 4.5mm of it to use as a bezel setting for the point of the stone. I solder it to the point of the setting base while holding it with my Soldering Spring Tweezers with heat protective handles.

Can you see it starting to take shape yet? A little more massaging and it will come alive….. I found a bail that I have been itchin’ to use as well, seems like the perfect project for it.

Stay Tuned and I will finish cleaning it up and set the stone in the next days.

Now go make Something Beautiful!

Doug

Day 16 V-Bezel Making

If you are making jewelry long enough, eventually you are going to come across a project with a stone with a sharp corner, either a marquise, pear, or square shaped stone. Today I will demonstrate how I go about making a v-bezel for setting stones.
First, I find either a scrap piece of sheet silver or cut a piece off of some stock. I roll it down in my Rolling Mill to about 0.5mm and then anneal it. If you are unfamiliar with annealing, see Day 9 of this blog.

I then file a flat edge on one side of the silver and scribe a line approx 2.5mm away from the edge. (longer or shorter if you want longer or shorter bezels.) Once you have a line scribed, use a Square Graver or a Flat Graver at a 45 degree angle to cut a grove into the silver about 2/3 the way through the sheet. After the groove is cut, I run a Square Escapement File along the groove to make it uniform and straight.

Hold the silver sheet with a pair of Smooth Jaw Parallel Pliers with the grove even with the edge of the pliers and use a Square Prong Pusher to fold the sheet to a 45 degree (or square) angle. I also tap the silver with my Rawhide Mallet or a Plastic Head Jewelers Hammer to make sure it is seated against the other side.

Next I fluxed the solder joint with Handy Flux and add 3 pieces of small solder, spaced evenly, to the inside of the bezel. Do not use too much solder, you can always add more, but it is a pain if there is too much. I solder from the back side of the bezel with my Smith Mini Torch, to make sure the solder penetrates the solder joint.

Now measure the finished side and scribe a line along the other side the same width, and cut with your Jeweler Saw Frame. (I use a 3/0 Saw Blade) Again, you can trim the sides either longer or shorter, and use thicker or thinner silver, depending on the application you are using.

Now trim off the amount you want and solder to your stone seat or pad. Set stones and enjoy!
Have a wonderful day!
Doug

Day 15 Silver Tarnish Remover

Silver Tarnish Remover

 

Happy Father’s Day!!

Today being Father’s Day and me being a father, I am going to not spend so much time in front of my computer or my bench today, So allow me to give a quick tip, to “Phone one in” so to say.

If you work in Sterling Silver, and have any pieces around that have been sitting for a while, you probably notice they get tarnished and dark, well here is a way to remove the tarnish without taking a polishing wheel or polishing cloth to them.

Take an Aluminum pie pan, add hot water, approximately 2 cups hot water or enough to fill pie the pan. Add 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon Water Softener Powder, You can use Baking Soda as well. (to use a larger aluminum pan, increase the salt, water softener/baking soda, and hot water accordingly) Place pieces (touching) in the water and watch the magic happen.
Be careful with antiqued pieces and pieces with stones! This should only be used with just metal pieces.
Dry off and enjoy!

Thanks again for following along on this journey of mine, I hope you are having as much fun as I

Doug

 

Day 14 Files (Metalsmithing)

Day 14, let me “Geek-out” a little on tools today. I might have mentioned before, but I am a modelmaker by trade, hence, I pay particular attention to minute detail. I never touch a piece of jewelry without my Optivisor with a #7 lens, and am constantly aware that if I leave a flaw in a piece of jewelry, it will be duplicated over and over again due to the molding process. I will use a Foredom when I have to, but prefer to take a little more time and “massage” the piece by hand, it is my “happy place”. So today, let me show you my arsenal of files:

Large Files:

#2 and #4 Flat Hand File are a must

#2 and #4 Half Round Ring Files for inside ring shanks

Needle Files:

#2 & #4 Barrette File (my all time favorite)

#2 & #4 Crossing File (inside radius stuff)

#4 Equaling File (sizing)

#4 3 Square File

#4 Square File

#4 Round File

Escapement Files:  (smaller than needle files)

#6 Barrette File

#6 Half-Round File

#6 Equalling File

#6 Round File

#6 Three Square File

#6 Square File

There you have it, my Geeked-out list of Top 18 Files I can’t live without.

Now go do something Great!

Doug

Day 13 Small Bezels (Setting)

Today let’s look at a quick way to set small stones in a bezel.  For this example I will use a 2mm stone in a tube setting. To start with, I will take a piece of round silver wire approx 2.6mm in diameter. I drill a small pilot hole in the center with a 0.8mm drill, then follow it with a  1.5mm drill bit. Now cut the seat with a 2mm setting bur, not too deep, but deep enough so that the whole girdle of the stone is lower than the top of the bezel. I am holding the silver with a Pin Vise.

After the seat is cut, what I like to do is take a very small bur that is used up or broken, and take the sharp edges off and polish it with Yellow Rouge rubbed on a piece of paper. rub it on the paper until it is polished to a good shine and has no scratches. Rub this “burnishing tool” on the inside of the setting (the inside of the bezel walls and the inside edge) and take off any sharp edges and polish it.

 

Take another broken bit and grind and sand the end to a flat end, this will be your “Stone-picker-upper”. This trick works very nice on small stones, up to 3mm or so. What you will do is take this flat ended bur, MAKE SURE IT IS CLEAN, and touch it to your tongue…… YES, you read that right. Touch the flat end of the bur to your tongue and then take it and touch the table of the stone, the little bit of moisture on the bur acts like a suction, or magnet and will pick up the stone and allow you to place it into the setting. If you are uncomfortable with this, you can always use a piece of soft sticky wax to pick up and place the stone. I have been a stone setter for years, and the tongue is just natural to me, but I always rub the bur off before I touch it to my tongue.

Now I will introduce you to another hand-made tool. If you have and brass rods around, somewhere around 3-4mm round, and cut a small piece off, about 1 to 1.5 inches long. Take a large ball bur and grind and polish a concave divot into the brass. Make it larger that the bezel setting, place it on top of the setting and gently tap with a small Chasing Hammer, checking it frequently until it is tight, make sure you are not putting too much pressure on the stone.

Now, finish with a light buffing. Enjoy!

Doug

Day 12 Pearl Posts (Metalsmith)

If you make jewelry long enough, you will eventually make a piece of jewelry with a pearl or a post that will hold a glued stone to it. Here is a quick way to make sure the pearl or the stone you set will be more secure.

If you have a Rolling Mill with a grove for rolling square stock, you are ahead of the game, just roll a piece of silver down to approx  0.7mm or so. If you don’t have a mill with those rollers with it, well here is another way to go about it.

Find a piece of sheet silver approx 0.7mm thick and file the straightest edge flat and then scribe a line the same width as the thickness.

Now it is time to work on and perfect your sawing skills. Use your Jewelers Saw to cut along the side the line that you scribed. Take your time and cut right on the outside of the line. The straighter the cut, the less filing you will have to do. I use a Saw Blade 3/0 to cut this. Now file the edge that you just cut off and make the piece as wide as it is thick. 0.7mm in this instance.

Next it is time to anneal the small piece you just made. This piece is very small, so be careful not to overheat it in the process. Use a “bushy” flame and turn off your bench lamp. Watch the color of the silver as you  heat it, you want to aim for a dull pink color in the silver. Try to maintain this color for between 15 and 30 seconds, waving the flame (not too close) back and forth over the piece. I use a Smith Mini Torch for soldering and for annealing. Do not get it red hot!  If you do, cool your piece and start over.

Use 2 pair of pliers or a small vise and 1 pair of pliers. I prefer to use Smooth Jawed Parallel Pliers, so the silver is not marred. These are same pliers I use to hold the silver while I cut it with my saw. Now twist the silver.

Next, just trim off enough to hold the pearl or stone and solder into place. I use a cup bur to finish off the end of the post, and drill a small divot, a little larger than the post, in the piece to be soldered to. The divot will give the post more contact area for the solder to attach the post to, and make a stronger solder joint. The twisted action of the post will bond the glue or epoxy to the stone much better.

Now, go make something beautiful and have a great day!

Doug

Day 11 Tool Modification (Pits and Porosity)

Ready for another quick lesson? Today I get to address one of my favorite-est (not a word) subjects in the world….. Tool Modification. I mentioned before that I seldom throw away tools, bits, burs, etc. I am always trying to find a way to modify them into new uses. For one reason, I can make tools for the exact job I am doing, and 2, it is a free way of expanding my tool arsenal. (you should see my garage…..)

Here is a quick way to make a tool that works wonders cleaning those hard to get into areas. If you have a small used up bur, snap/break off the end and grind of sand with a sanding disc with between 3 and 6 different angles or “facets”.

These edges when spun in a Foredom work as a powerful burnisher that will grind and smooth rough areas that ordinary tools and burs can’t reach.

If you work with casted pieces, then you are no stranger to pits and porosity. This little tool also takes care of small pits and porosity, where trying to polish these away usually just reveals more pits and porosity. Use this little rotary burnisher to rough up and “smear” the metal over the bad areas, then when you sand and polish, unless the porosity is extreme, you should be able to remove or repair these areas.

I have a huge selection of burs, burnishers, grinders, texture-makers, and pit-beaters to select from that I have made over the years.

Now, put on that creative cap and make some fun tools to experiment and play with.

Doug