(I prefer
to 'under-line or highlight' certain areas of this essay, why? This essay
has very important setting notes! =>There are many setting techniques that you
must now need to know.)
I just never
attempt to have one little technique get forgotten, nor would I ask you to do
some research, in problem-solving the missing information. I have no intention
to have you guess. My feeling is that I am guiding you, but not misleading you.
(I edit my essays about 15-20 times before posting)
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I’ve been asked on
many occasions to explain just how a Marquise stone is prepared and then set
into a Full-Bezel. Apparently, when I ‘located’ a stone of my liking, it had
the correct width, but the length is 1.75mm’s short!
We setters, just
have to make do with what we have. In this case, I completed the setting
process but with little bezel-gaps at either end.
The very first thing you
should do is to observe the width of the girdle of the stone at its widest
point. I always check the measurements by eye, I’m using a #007, round bur
drilling deep INTO THE “VEE” ends! Just how deep into the wall of
the “VEE” do I drill? Easy answer, deep enough that ¾ of the round
bur is embedded into the center of the “VEE”…as shown!
At no point do I
want (or you) to have the point of the stone actually touching any part of the
"VEE"-corner metal!
In this demo-exercise,
this “Vee” drilling is still so necessary, but it’s good to know for
the other setting projects. Under a powerful pair of Opti-Visor lens
magnification @#7, start making a “beginning-cut” of a ‘rough looking bearing’.
From this point, all carving must be at the same depth from the bezel-wall tip
& all around the inside of the bezel frame.
Where ever you make your
bearing-cut, remember it’s here that your stone will sit. The amount of
concentration in this preparation of cutting angles using the round or HSS bur,
is so-o important!
Use your 10x power
loupe at all times, “don’t think that if it looks good, it’ll look good to go!”
But be aware of little pieces of untouched metal sitting and not wanted! I
don't want, or desire any problems once the setting starts.
There must be a
certain depth of the bearing-cut, let’s suppose we actually cut & lower the
bearing-cut to be at least ½ the distance from the Bezel-Tip, to the base of
the Bezel-Wall. The top of the “Gemstone-Table” must be at the same
height as the top of the bezel wall, when completed!! I’d try to leave
when finished, at least 1.0 mm as a ‘safety barrier’ in case the bezel gets
worn down from constant wear for many years to come! “Don’t think for
‘today & now’, but for the future use”.
If the stone has
different thicknesses on the girdle, plan to put that thickest section
of the stone against the bezel-wall, ‘mark’ that area with a black, felt pen! You
just might need a larger round bur for this section. Drill into the bezel-wall,
but this time go deeper into the BEZEL”. Now with the
HSS (High Speed Steel) bur, angle your cuts to make allowances to the Pavilion
shape of the Marquise stone. With this ring we are dealing with so many angles
of the girdle & thicknesses, lengths & widths. This ring can be a ‘real
setting’ challenge!!
There are going to
be many times you might be needing numerous burs and all of them are of
different sizes. Why so many? In the process of selecting burs, you might need
one bur to match the different widths of the girdle. I might even have 2 sizes
of HSS burs just to make sure the pavilion of the stone is sitting correctly in
the bezel. I would not hesitate in using many round burs, as I want the stone
to fit with no problems!
No stone is manufactured
perfectly, there will be little
subtle differences in the facet-shaping & cutting of any stone. We must be made aware of
all these “weird shapes” given to us to attempt to set it .
Many times you
should place the stone into the ring, just to make sure the stone-table is not
sitting twisted & not crooked. If the stone is still ‘moving or rocking’,
take the stone out and re-drill the ‘bearing & the pavilion-cut’!
Your stone might be
rocking & pivoting on a rough piece of metal still left behind somewhere in
the bearing cut. I would use a slightly smaller HHS bur to cut just exactly where I want the bur to cut. A larger bur won't give me that opportunity, it's too wide & might damage other parts of the Bezel.
When you start the hammering, it will squeeze the stone and “this is can be a total disaster
waiting to happen!”
I’d even use a
larger round bur to make a girdle-cut, what size? Again, measure and place the
bur of your choice, against the stone. Let that stone just sit and now after
multiple times, examine each preparation step with your 10x power loupe!
To tighten the stone,
I’m now showing you two methods to hammer the bezel-wall. I could use a
“riveting hammer” or my favourite “reciprocating hammer”. The hitting surface
should be filed at a “45degree angle away” from the stone
girdle, why so? When you are hitting the wall-tip, you won’t hit the ‘table’ of
the stone instead. You are now hitting & hammering at a
constant 45degree angle.
Start the initial
stages of setting this stone at the widest part of the stone and carefully
hammer towards the points of the stone. You will now be just ‘securing the stone’, until the stone is
tight! Then you can use any method to hammer the metal ‘towards & down’
onto the “Star-Facets”. Once the stone is tight, then now you can hammer all
around the bezel-wall. Again, at a 45-Degree angle. Use on
your method of hammering, my way might be best, or your own method. Being
comfortable is #1!!!
Where the ‘empty
space’ is near the the "VEE" of the Marquise stone, I’d keep hammering,
as if the stone-material is there! If you prefer to use the reciprocating
hammer instead, please be careful on the “TENSION” screw as the hitting of the
metal doesn’t squeeze the bearing-wall & stone!
Keep checking to
make sure the stone won’t get stuck at an awkward angle! If it is stuck, take
the ring out of the clamp and reset…NOW!
The stone
is now IN, now what? It’s time now to use your Onglette graver
#2, to start the “Bright-Cutting process”. You can see just how the metal is
slowly being cleaned & shaved away from and what is remaining is a ‘mirror
image’ all around the inside of the Bezel-Wall. “Bright-Cut” even where there
are two little empty spaces due to the short, stone-length.
As you get near the
point of the joining bezel walls, I'd use my Flat Graver #40, or my graver
Glardon #10.
As you get closer
to the ends of the Bezel opening, I’d still Bright-Cut. As this makes the cut
look like there is a stone close to the ends of the bezel. For the actual ends,
of near the “Vee”, I’d use a Flat Graver to cut right to the point and as where
the two side-cuts are joining each other.
We’re
nearly finished! At this juncture, I would use my many types of
pumice wheels, from #180 & #1,000 Pink & Blue Pumice, “Tapered &
Flat” faced wheels. All levels of intense ring-cleaning now starts to take
place. I use an "Emery-Disk" Medium grit, to start the cleaning of any 'file marks' or ‘hammer
hits’.
Here are the Pink and Pumice wheels doing just what is necessary to make this ring a fantastic looking item!!!
Here are the Pink and Pumice wheels doing just what is necessary to make this ring a fantastic looking item!!!
I don’t want any ‘rounded corners’ on the ring patterns, what is needed
afterwards...is to carefully polish the ring.
On a rating of 10 in my “Difficulty Scale”. This is a definite 6.5 plus!
“gerrylewy18@gmail.com”
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