Archived notes on Diamond Setting

From the Diamond Setting bench of “gerrylewy18@gmail.com”

Still more additional notes on…Diamond Setting!

(These are a compilation of more setting notes from 2005 A.D.) 

What is the minimum thickness of metal to bead set .01 pt. diamonds?

    Well from my experience the metal in question should be no thinner than .75 mm. The optimum thickness could be in the range of .8 – 1.0 mm. Why this range? It is because of the beading-raising tool should not go through the gold as it’s been created. The diamond still as to “have a seat” to be secure and the Culet should not show through the bottom.

What happens when you wish to solder and customer’s dirt is visible?

   Just do really two easy things, and that is to clean it in either the ultrasonic – cleaner or steam, but get it clean! If you go ahead and apply heat to all of the ‘grunge & dirt” that gets caked on and it’s pretty difficult under normal circumstances. You might have to soak it in lye overnight, or in a pickling agent for hours!

Ring Mandrel; with a groove?

   Ring mandrels are used for sizing rings now as well as bezel and for channel setting.

In the case of a bezel setting, this piece of equipment can be very helpful. It can free up one hand, get close to the work and see just where the hammer should hit. The ring as it’s been secured into the bench allows for a chance not to have you get tired out holding the ring. All of these little actions gives you a chance to do better work.

 Now why the groove? Glad you asked if, for some reason that the item you are working on has a protruding Culet, the ring will have no chance to have that Culet be damaged from the continuous hitting. You can also adjust the force of the hitting action to suit the pressure of your hammer. Yes, you might add that I have to turn the ring around continually, but the labour wasted, is far better than misjudging the ‘hits’. If you wish to use your Reciprocating Hammer, you again can still use your mandrel but you now can have a free hand to hold the stones securely. Even with hammering, check for the Culet exposure.

Are you wasting precious time? 

   Look for a peg-pad that has little spaces for your burs, lay them out in sequential order (larger to smaller). Why have them laid on your benchtop in total disarray? On my benchtop, I have seven bur-pads just for my different styles of burs…Round, Bud, 156C, and “77B” cup-burs. I don’t waste my time looking for one bur somewhere laying around my desktop!

The hand tools that I don’t need, are stored in my bench drawers, out of sight, kept away from my hands, not getting accidentally stabbed. As for my hand tools, all the separate gravers with their uses are kept with the same handle. Again, time-saving for easy retrieval at a seconds notice. For example; my “Flat graver #40” is always in my "wine-coloured" handle.

How can you clean your oil-stone? 

    First of all, remove as much of the oil that been sitting on the steel impregnated "India FB6" (8 inches in length, by 2 inches wide) with a cloth so the residue of tissue paper doesn’t remain for the next step. If you shop around at your convenience store, please purchase some lighter fluid and let a few drops settle on the stone. With your magnet just gently run it along the surface of the fluid, not on the stone. Why?

As you are running the magnet along the oil-stone, you will see the steel particles lift off from the lighter fluid. Interesting isn’t it? Wipe off the residue, pour more fluid again and repeat until you are satisfied with the cleanliness of the stone. If you are continually grinding your gravers on a soiled stone you are then “pushing” more particles INTO the stone at each draw of the graver.

Why is your ring slipping around the clamp?

Nothing so inherently dangerous as when you are doing some bead raising and you find that your ring is slipping around the tightened clamp. What would you do now, remove the leather ring pad and turn it around and glue again the leather to the wood? Hence a more secure and safe to work ring clamp.

Wipe off any residue glue and trim the leather to make sure both items are smooth to your touch. If you feel that the leather is too thin, replace with a thicker leather that can be bought from any “shoe-repair” store.

Plastic versus Wood ring clamps, which and why?

Every hand of any trades-person has the tendency to perspire. More or less the hand and the clamp have to breathe. If the clamp is plastic, there is no chance for the hand to give up the moisture while being built up. When the clamp is made of wood the clamp can now have a pleasant association. I find also that the wood is sometimes lighter to hold and not so tiring. Plastic is heavier in general, no transferring of moisture can ever be achieved. Hence, perspiring hands while you are working, not too pleasant is this?

Communication

   When two people are speaking and one of them is the trades-person there will a modicum of the difference of ideas and how the others perceive the “word”. Now let’s go two steps ahead and visualize the following scenario 1) Customer, 2) Store owner, 3) Staff, then the 4) Jeweller, 5) Setter. Each with their own interpretation of the facts. Time passes and the facts are now even been forgotten.

 The problem is that there are too many people are getting involved and the original idea is lost or misrepresented.

  This will lead to a complete communication breakdown of what the customer originally asked for. For example; 1.00 carat diamond in 18 kt. yellow, 4-claws will probably get 14kt yellow with an 18kt 6-claw head for a 1.00+ centre stone…duh? Loose, size 6 gets you size 6 ¼. Already you are getting my drift, so what do you do?

 Write down all of the instructions, pictures or copies of customer’s ideas and have their initials…everywhere.

   

A variety of Diamond Setting Tools

                                     Diamond Setting Tools!

 Files, Gravers, High-Speed Steel Burs, Micro-Motors, Carbide burs, Posture, Lights “Opti-Visor” (plus a few more interesting items)!

For every Diamond Setter, there are certain tools we all use. If these tools are not written or discussed, then the operator will surely find themselves wondering what has just happened? Poor quality will ensue and the blame will not be from their tools, but by their own sheer negligence.

  Let's first start on the list with “Files”, these implements normally will last for a few decades, as mine are now doing. These are not cheap, but over a course of many setting projects, they can pay for themselves in a few setting projects. Measure the file as the end of the tool sits comfortably into the palm of your hand and not extend further than then first joint of your middle finger. These are an “extension of your fingers & hand”...they are your new friends, treat them as such!

 I use only a Pillar file #2-cut, at 8 inches in length (or 20 cm’s). The next file is my Triangular file #4 cut with the same length. For convenience, I use a black-marker felt pen and paint the ‘grit number’ for easy retrieving. Either a “4” or “I I I I”.

 My most favourite setting tools are my two Onglette #1, #2 and lastly the Flat Graver #40. Without them, I couldn't masterfully execute the setting & engraving I succeed in creating. These are also costly in both time, money and maintenance. If I accidentally drop a graver into my metal bench, I will make sure the cutting edge hasn't been damaged or made unusable. I observe if they will be ready for immediate cutting! I will allow the graver-tip to touch my finger-nail, if it grips, then it's ready for use. I've been active in discussing these wonderfull tools all through this ongoing blog!

 The “High Speed Bur” is a misnomer, as it doesn't mean it has to be used at a high speed. It means that the steel is “Case-Hardened” in the production of this particular bur, these are one of the most expensive tools for any setter, but they are so well needed. These are very aggressive in their cutting, but they earn their cost many times. Carbide burs have their teeth quite close together and are very gentle in their cutting. H.S.S. burs teeth are further apart & cut metal quite easily & with little effort.

 The Micro-Motor is the most important machine that any setter has in his inventory of tools. My micro-motor is a desk-top, with a handle that has its own fan & motor. No further need of the pole to suspend any overhead motor, with this, you now have complete flexibility while in use. The result is, no hands being tired from the constant lifting and bending of that semi-movable, flex-shaft!

Poor posture, while sitting for long hours is your enemy, get up and walk around every half-hour. Find a chair that has a lower back "Lumbar" support, this is so very important. You can adjust your sitting height, back-rest even an arm-rest is important. Remember, you are now sitting in a comfortable position.

Lights are the most important feature at your bench, no matter if you are setting or fabricating jewellery, your eyes can get extremely tired. Remember this point, that each Fluorescent bulb pulsates at 16 cycles per second, you can’t see it this occurring, but your eyes can ‘pick up the pulses’. Get a 3-bulb outfit, as one bulb cancels out the two pulsating bulbs. Expensive for now, but so much easier on your delicate eyes in the long term.

"Optical-Visor" how strong should they be? I use only a #5 lens, or if needed, a #7. On a very rare occasion, I could use a #10, but that is too much of a strain for any ones delicate eyes for those long hours! Number #3 lens is not just strong enough for your delicate Diamond Setting.

 “Snap-On”, “Medium grit”, Emery (7/8 inch diameter) wheel/disks. Never leave home without any, far better than using your emery sticks, ouch! You can easily see just where the wheel is actually touching. You can rotate the wheel around for easier applications. When finished; THEN YOU CAN USE YOUR PUMICE WHEEL, afterwards!!

Pumice wheels are really my favourite kinds of cleaning tools. The grits being used are the #180 and the Pink coloured “1,000 grit”. Each comes in a Tapered & Flat-faced shapes, I don’t buy 6 of each, but I prefer to buy 50 of each shape and as well the grit…200 wheels. When they are partially worn down, I can use them to clean the inside of the rings.

 At this point, I hardly throw any of them away! BTW, I have additional wheel-mandrels on hand, then I’ll have new wheels & a few more semi-new!

Oil Stone; there is only one grade to buy and that is the “Fine India, FB6” (light brown colour) stone of 8 inches in length. For the first time in using it, soak this porous stone in oil overnight (in a narrow baking pan) and let it sit until the next day. Thus letting all of the oil seep into all of the pores of this “your new friend”, your new oil-stone.

 Lubricating oil: I use a "3 in 1" oil of light viscosity. I've discussed this topic in my previous essays.

Carbide burs: There are almost as many Carbide burs in existence, than the visible stars at night!

 I prefer to use only the basic selection; Round, Bud, Cup-shaped, 156C-(Undercutting), the letter “C” means Carbide! Jewellers might and will use other styles and shapes, but us, the setters can work with these and get so much accomplished with so few!

My range of Round burs starts with a #005, but usually start with the #006 Round. I have been using a Bud-shaped as a mini-file, just where the Triangular file just can’t reach. I suggest that you to explore just what these little “mini-files” can do while also preparing for the setting of stones. To give more uses of these burs can lead to many more essays.

10x Power Hand Loupes. This topic needs only a few words, show me a setter who hasn’t a few of them on his/her bench. I will use a 15xpower just for the close examination of a diamond, but generally, I prefer a wide lens of a 10x power, nothing else!

Elbow pads: Is this little pile of mini-wash clothes really necessary? Let me ask you one question if you don’t rest your elbow on your bench pan for many hours a day and after 5-8 years what’s going to happen? You ulnar nerve that sits inside your resting elbow will get inflamed. The nerves inside the channel in this area will subsequently get pinched and cause you nerve damage or even worse numbness in your finger-tips. Your decision!

Contact me at "gerrylewy18(at)gmail.com"

General Repairs for Diamond Setting

GENERAL  REPAIRS  FOR  DIAMOND - GEMSTONE  STONE  SETTING!

    This list of trouble-shooting repair duties are geared mainly for the jeweller who does the general form of basic setting repairs at their bench!

Although this essay was written about 15 years ago, it's good to rewrite this again for this useful blog and it's just for YOU!

1) For Centre stones, it is far better to just lower the diamond in the old setting than to retip with 4-6 new claw tips. Although the stone is somewhat lower in the head, it alleviates much of the stress of soldering new tips, by the jeweller.

2) For resetting bead-set diamonds, just be careful, that the metal is thick enough to sink down the diamond into the metal. The absolute minimum should be for .01 - .03 pointers is 0.75 millimeters.

3) For multi-diamond cluster rings. Re-align all of the claws, then check for stone security.

4) Before accepting and items for repairs, examine for wear on the supporting gallery, is the jewellery item worth the effort? How long will it last for?  It can be "a ring from Hades?"

5) My motto is: "once you start working on it, fix it, finish it & get rid of it! Do it so it won't burden your time and haunt you later.

6) For bezel work, it’s far easier to make a new bezel, for the original stone than to waste your time with the worn and abused frame. The finished results will be more gratifying to you and the customer. Not to mention how much happier the client will be...and of course YOU!!!

7) I won't want to choose to re-setting a centre diamond. At times it is necessity to reset the diamond in a new "head", then to re-tip & it looks much cleaner. The decision is up to you, as you are the jeweller!

8) Don't use solder to retip. Use gold tips, or you will be troubled by discolouration of the solder at the joint of the two metals. Make the finishing of the claws very clean looking. Always leave the job clean so while you are polishing your item, you won’t have to waste precious time.

9) If the customer asks, "can you fix this setting?" Never say, “I'll try” and have you marry the ring from Hades. This customer may turn out to be one of the most excruciating clients you might ever want to meet. If your gut feeling is to say "don't do it" then say it! Look at the grief you just saved yourself! (I can speak from experience!)

  10) If you have to remove a stone from the bezel, BREAK OUT THE SYNTHETIC STONE!

  It’s easier to buy a new stone than to ruin the mount and start re-building a ring.

 This can happen at any time.

11) Check out the settings and its stones, place the whole item into a sieve or a lid-covered tea strainer and place it into a sonic-cleaner for 10 minutes. Then steam it out afterwards. How many stones are loose or have fallen out? Better there than at your bench or at the polishing machine.

Remember when your metal expands due to soldering. Your stones might get loose!

12) As a Diamond Setter, it is my job on many occasions, not too start the job for the impending doom that might befall the enclosed diamond or genuine stone. If the diamond is  heavily included, Emerald, Opal, or any other kind of gem-stone, is in a rather dangerous condition, it is my responsibility to advise the client immediately, if not sooner!

13) If your jewellers are setting pave', be very careful on making sure that the metal is thick enough to take the necessary diamonds. I once had to set .003 pts in metal that was only .04 mm's in thickness.

14) Where there are genuine stones, remove them from the setting, under no instances should you attempt the soldering process, where there are Emeralds, Opals, Turquoise, Coral or any soft stone. Don't tell me that you are sure you won't break or burn them. YOU WILL!  If you persist, you will be looking for another stone to replace the one you just burned,  trust me!

15) When setting centre stones. Please make sure that ALL the claws are pre-polished, once the diamond is in, no way can you polish the new head after it's been finished.

16) When there is a loose diamond, that is in the ring and ready to give to the client. I always secure the loose stone with a little "wire-bead". Do not hammer after, or press-over the claws again. You might have to re-polish the mount, I even use this method in a bezel-setting. Just a securing method that works all the time.

17) When breaking out CZ's the stones explode when breaking apart! Please wear glasses. I said this before, Please wear glasses! I've seen too many setters with splinters in their eyes over this procedure. I took one fellow to the hospital with this problem! Why do they explode? These stones are set into wax under great pressure and the wax retains that stress on these stones. Only at this stage of removal will they endanger yourself.

 So when these old stones are ready to be removed, please be 'very eye-careful'! My glasses form-fit my face and my only two eyes that I have been given since birth!..:>)

What is a Diamond Setter?

Some of Gerry’s Personal Notes and Observations!!!

What is a Diamond Setter?  He is a skilled craftsperson who is aware of the following disciplines. The composition of alloys, use of levers, the tension of metals, use of fulcrums, the density of various working metals. He should have some working knowledge of soldering principles uses of abrasive compounds, Plating procedures and designing. Along with this, he is cognizant of the following topics with gemology, the study of crystals, porous materials in casting, knowledge of gemstones and their inherent hardness (Mohs Scale), load-bearing limits on Diamonds and uses of abrasive materials. Did I say our job is easy?

He should be aware of polishing techniques, how to enhance his own creations. A Diamond Setter is a designer, artist, creator of “Objects Des Arte”. A setter should not be in this trade just for the dollars, although important. He must have a true understanding of what he is making. His labours will on the most part last longer than him or her, and those items that he is working on will definitely be passed down to other generations. Once he understands this, he then is called a very skilled craftsman. In this craft, we get “instant gratification” we see in a few minutes from the results of all our labours.

It is the setter who can transform a simple ring made of Gold/Platinum into a “Piece of Art”, what many people will gladly pay top dollar for. WE are one of the persons who sometimes meet the actual wearer and hear of the kind words of praise. On any occasions, I have seen a round disk with drilled holes in a row and after 4 hours of labour transform this disk into a “Rolex” styled watch-bezel worth thousands of dollars retail. Not to also mention setting diamonds into a Cartier watch frame, with the same exacting quality. The very same instances drill over 300 holes into a Patek-Philippe watch bracelet and have this same item be worn in tandem with a thousand-dollar watch.

  During the past 150 years our tools of our trade has progressed from a bow-activated hand-drill to the electric flex-shaft motor.

  We have also progressed from Bezel Setting all diamonds to bead setting these stones and now using CAD, aka “Computer-Aided Designing”. A few decades ago, “wax setting” came into being, it has transformed much of our labour intensive setting into setting these stones into a wax mount.

 In these early years of learning the trade, he should have a mentor who will guide him through the many different avenues of setting. I had such a mentor.

He explained all the subtle nuances of bead-setting, Pave’ Setting, ”Cut-Down” and

“Fish-Tail” setting, Princess and Baguette settings. Many of his fantastic techniques were passed onto me. I added many of his ideas and ventured onward to the realm of teaching.

Diamonds also have changed in the past decades, from the “Rose-Cut” shape to “Swiss-Cut” and to the popular “Brilliant” cut. Along with these numerous shapes, jewellery designs have also changed.

 We, the craftsmen, have to change and create new methods in Diamond Setting to adjust to these new and more modern patterns. If we won’t change, we will be left behind.  Experience in setting is based upon past challenges!

Experience from the past gives the setter a new road to tread and he then turns this piece of gold into a piece of art. He has to have the feel of creating something of value.

When to make a single cut or a double Migraine line cutting. When the setter has one bead out of place, it might ruin the whole effect of what we are trying to achieve. “Bright-Cutting” is that alone…“Bright”, with no interruption of the surfaces in the continuous cut. This method took me about 2-3 years to master bringing in new methods even of polishing the gravers.

 

 Many of my “blog-pictures” show how I do the actual gem-stone setting. These words are my personal experiences and while at the setting bench.

You may email me at "gerrylewy18(at)gmail.com"

"Whats the name of that bur?"

 “What's the name of that bur?”

  This very useful bur has four names, they are:

 1) “Under-Cutting” bur!

 2) “High-Speed Steel” 45-degree angle bur!

 3) “Bearing Cutter”!

 4) The common & generic name is “414” or “156C” (“C” means Carbide).

  (I, as a Diamond Setter, have an estimated 175 "High-Speed Steel" burs in my inventory!)

 Along with each “name” comes the reason for being used. I will demonstrate how this one bur can literally have multiple names, depending on its immediate use! This can be a really very busy bur!!

 I will now explain its many uses and with the aid of photography. For example the “Under-Cutting” the process of 'making a seat' for the stone is so very
important. There is no other bur that can accurately provide this service, why so? It helps you to carve out a little recess into the claw/prong and allows the stone to 'sit in & against' the metal.

  My preference for this bur is at "90-degree" angle! These also come in "70-degree" angles, but there isn't any stone of that shallow angle, is there?
 (Some setters will use the "70degree" angle to cut only a bearing!)

 The next bur is the great “High-Speed Steel” cutting bur. As this is a very special setting tool, I use this’ special cutting bur’ for only Engagement 4-6 claw configuration. It has a very 'aggressive cutting' action that the 156-Carbide cannot supply, why?

 Each bur is hand-cut on a lathe, the teeth are deeper into the metal & the teeth are further apart. 

But this bur has a dual purpose! It cuts much deeper into the claws, I know just how much metal will be removed and how the bearings will be made.

 This little bur is really small, it measures only 0.85mm's. Even this small, you can still see the uneven machining of the teeth at the edges.

 As this bur is ‘hand-made on a lathe’ there is one 'negative'! The girdle 'cuts' are not as uniform or 'evenly made' as with the 156C-Carbide bur.

 But I can easily overcome this easy problem, by using a small bud-shaped bur to make a clean 'bearing-cut' where the girdle of the stone will be located.

 Here is a better photo of the bud-bur cuts!

 The HSS bur can cut both the "Pavilion & Crown-Facets", together!

 The third use of this bur is to cut 'bearings' or grooves into small claws. Its name is quite obvious, it's purpose is to cut 'seats' for the girdle, for very small stones.

 In a ring of a cluster-top pattern, I wouldn't use any HSS bur, but I would use only a 156C "Carbide" bur in its place.

    I will use only a 156C bur on theses delicate settings. 

  I attempt to keep my larger & smaller burs separate, this makes this so easy to locate the correct bur, at a moments notice!

 As both are made of Carbon Steel, but the HSS has been treated differently and is very long-lasting in the 'family of burs', but working in different situations.

 In this essay, the generic named bur “156C”, or “414” as shown in its 6-bur package.

 These burs are the "best friends" of setters,  I always invent situations where one bur can be interchangeable and still produce quality workmanship.

 I'd use a "156C" bur in the following delicate procedures.

1)Channel Setting:

2) Gypsy/Flush Setting: again only a 156C bur is required!

 Never use any "aggressive" cutting bur in this application. You need all of the metal to carefully push the metal over the stone. The High-Speed Steel bur removes mostly all of that much-needed metal.

3)Mini-cluster rings: Here is another setting pattern that must not use any rough cutting bur.

 Every bit of metal is needed, as some stones could be only 1-2 millimetres in diameter.

  I wouldn't use the aggressive “High-Speed Steel” in any of these above instances.

  BTW, many of these burs being shown are acceptable in 'most cases'.  I will shy away from any rough-cutting bur even if it's setting a small stone. 
(This is only my personal preference!)

 Therefore in closing: Some burs are good & some are just really ’fantastic’, it's for you to decide which, when & where to use them.

 In this essay, I am only giving you a 'bur-guide'. The actual stone-setting techniques can be found in other essays.

  Enjoy these photographs and have fun setting your stones!

Setting "Square, Pear, Triangular & Marquise" gem-stones!

       What do all of these stones have in common? One answer, "THEY ALL HAVE POINTED CORNERS!"      

 I'm using photographs from my inventory of 'past essays' in showing how a square stone is prepared for the setting. In this square, stone-setting, it's the very same technique as for the other various "Vee" shaped claws.

 I will explain in this essay, just how similar this process is with "Triangular" shaped stones. The only difference is with three-claws, I'm dealing now with four claws in this setting!

 You can see that these 'vee-shaped' claws still need a few light touches with your Triangular file with a #2 grit.

 This setting now has a very nice clean finish! The claws are not appearing to be too thick or 'heavy'. I also attempt to Bright-Cut the two sides inside of the "VEE".

  Let's now get started in this interesting multi-use 'VEE'-shaped claw configuration!

 The very first thing you must do is to literally drill out the corners of the claws with a round bur that is larger than the Girdle of the stone.

 The point of the stone must not touch any metal, anywhere, at any time!!!

  In this style of setting, you can see where the point is resting. It is sitting in the centre of the "Lucida" style of setting, if it isn't, then fix it NOW! But be careful that the claws are not damaged!

                         

 Here are the corners of the stones that we will be working with. You can see just how thick the Girdle of the stone is. 

 Remember that the round bur that you just selected, must be wider than the widest Girdle facet anywhere on the stone. Do you agree with me?

 Please check everywhere on the stone that you need to set! There must not be any fractures or breakage on the Girdle or even the corners, or you will be blamed for the breakage!

 This happened to me, and I totally refused to even 'touch the ring or the stone' until the client was made aware of this major problem.

 No one saw the 'hidden problem', the stone was 'chipped' underneath the Pavillion that was resting against the claw of the old mount. If I just 'lightly touched' the claw to remove it, I would be then held financially responsible! WHEW!

 If your 'gut feeling' says stop! Then do so, examine the stone carefully with your 10x power loup or your 40x power Gem-Scope!

 This particular layout is so similar to a Triangular, Marquise, Pear, Princess-shaped stone setting!

 For your information, this 'claw-finish' is just mediocre at best.:>( There is no faceting on the outside edges of the claws! Every claw looks misshapen!

 This ring top now looks 'acceptable'!

 For every 'vee' claw, the corners must be made clean and ready for the next important step in setting!

 Use your bud-shaped bur as you did on the previous Princess setting. This process is still the same for all four 'Fancy-Cut' stones.

 You must now 'chamfer' the inner gallery, just remove any sharp corners. As your stone might be touching this metal.

  Just remove this metal from one 'VEE' claw setting to the other.

                       

 You might say that this essay is very similar to "Princess, stone setting", you are right! But the similarity continues further, all of the 'pointed-corner stones' do have the same features and must be considered as 'one of the same'. 

 Here are some roughly-drawn diagrams that I made for the Princess stone. These techniques are transferrable to ANY POINTED STONE!

 Please excuse my spelling mistake for "Princes(s)" ring.

  I hope that you can see the many detailed cuts by your burs, as shown in the above diagrams!

 The claws have now being brought together, but much more work needs to be done on them!

 The 'left-top-claw' hasn't yet been moved. Remember that the space in between all of the claws must be uniform in distance. You need a "professional attitude" in setting these delicate stones!

                       

  We don't need or want an "Mt. Everest" amount of metal holding any stone, do we? YUK!

 You can now see how much nicer the outside of the claws are now starting to look. For additional instructions, kindly go to the "Princess Setting" essay => dated 03/08/2018

 Here is the final great looking finished setting. You can see that I 'attempted' to Bright-Cut inside
the little amount of allotted space given to me.:>( I used a Flat graver #40.

 

 As a few points to remember, all burs be must sharp and able to carve seats for your stone! I usually expand the claws of the setting, why is this? I need full access, at all times, to get my burs into the little areas to do the carving of the seats.

 Remember, that we're dealing with only a few millimetres of space.  Even I, (sometimes) have difficulty at this stage of preparation.

 If you wish to do a 'pre-polish' of the inner Gallery, do it NOW! This will give more of a shine to the metal that you were working on!

 As a follow-up, the ring is now ready to accept the stone shape of your choice! 

Again, the "VEE" shaped claws can be used with any of the 'originally' mentioned shapes. 

 In this photograph, you can see how far apart the four claws are. I will do this on the Triangular as well as the Princess stone, I need and want full access for my burs to get to the claws.

  Just remember to keep the claws on any of the four, 'pointed' stone claws looking thin to the viewer. This must not or ever jeopardize its security.

"How to understand a jewellery appraisal!"

 These little appraisals might look like that they're written in another language. But they aren't and you don't need degrees in metallurgy or a university degree in knowing about crystals.

Let's now examine each line of this appraisal, "word for word & line by line".

(((BTW, I made this ring for my wife 35 years ago and to this day she still wears it!

(Please view the full appraisal, I made this view 'extra-large' as you can now read all of the fine details)

1.1 - This is the appraiser's reference number for his own records!
2.2 - This is the date of the 'actual' appraisal!


3.3 - This is his very own trade-mark with an hand-stamped impression!


4.4 - This is his signature, including any degrees from an organization! e.g. "G.I.A". 


5.5 - This line is the official address with the city, suite number & telephone number!


6.6 - This is his company name and what he does!


7.7 - A true image (photograph, not a drawing) of the item being appraised.

   "The appraiser is a trained individual to give an 'independent assessment' of the item".
What's also very important is that he is not affiliated with the retail store who is selling or manufacturing that item."

 He is a "third party, uninterested" stating that he will not allow or permit anyone to tell him what they made or sell! Basically, 'he is the judge, in his court' and he sees fit to disagree with the retail store owner if he sees that errors are being made.

Description and full details of the specific item being viewed:

1) This is an 'overview' of the item being inspected, with full disclosure of what he is seeing!

2) "Gauging": This means the appraiser has measured, using the 'metric system' and measuring the diamond in two spots of the Girdle on the diamond. He now describes the style of setting!

3) As the diamond is already mounted, he will attempt to 'guess-estimate' the weight using the above measurements. This is not 100% accurate if the diamond has been set.

4) "Clarity" - The quality grade of SI-1, Colour - GH, Cut - "VERY GOOD" or just "V.G."

5)  The number of the shoulder-stones, style of setting (Pave') and description of the cutting!

6)  "Gauging" reflects upon the size (mm's) of the shoulder-stones & approximate total carat weight!

7)  Using the "3 C's": Clarity -VS, Colour - G/H, Cut - Good!

8)  Total metal weight; Weighed in grams and Total Carat Weight  (TCW) 0.77cts.

9) "Estimated retail (or wholesale) replacement value"; This is fully dependant upon the cost of gold on that day "4:00 p.m. closing of the market". This amount does not include any taxes (if applicable).

10) The gold price is measured in NYC, USA. In any other country's the money exchange rate will be reflected in a percentage e.g. "Canada @ 35%". USD $100.00 => CDN $135.00.

 A very true story happened to me many years ago. A client wanted an Eternity ring with only "F colour, VS1 quality diamonds" of .15 points each! I went to my diamond dealer and picked up the parcel of diamonds. I then went to my appraiser and asked him to tell me what these stones were?

After looking at them under his Gemscope of 40x power. He asked me what I signed for? He said that out of 15 diamonds, only 2 or 3 were of that quality, the remainder were "G-H, SI 1-2"..:>(

 I went back to this diamond dealer and asked him "What did you give me? There are many problems here! Why did you give me these **** inferior stones? The owner said, "Oh, I guess we made a mistake, so sorry!" I gave the package back, left his office and never saw him again.

Now you see why an appraiser is so important, he is the judge in many instances! He can and be the 'second opinion'.

 He will never assume that the gold ring is 14kt or 18kt. even if its stamped that number. He will do an 'acid test' to verify the gold content. He also verifies that the diamond has no "Fluorescence" with his "UV" light, as this alters the colour grading.

His diamond scale is accurate to 3 decimal places, e.g. "0.008cts."

'What to look for when examining a Diamond?'

 In this essay, we will be dealing with multiple shapes of stones. The correct terminology is called "Fancy-Cuts".

 First of all, how would you actually hold a Diamond or even a Semi-precious stone? Don't hold it in your fingers, why not? The answer is easy, grease or lubricants on your fingers might give a 'poor' quality & colour reading. If you see a spot near the "Girdle" it could be some dirt as well.

GET YOUR FINGERS AWAY FROM THE STONE..!!!

 I have two kinds of "Diamond Tweezers". The holder on the left has 4-prongs and on the right has only three, why the difference? I'd use the 4-prong for larger stones and the 3-prong for smaller ones.

 For example, I will use a 4-prong for holding difficult shaped diamonds, such as Princess or Marquise. 

  Next question is how would you grab it without touching the stone?

 Very easy to do, just place the stone "Table-Facet" down on a flat 'clean' surface and let the 'claws' just grip the stone. Making darn sure that the prongs have caught the stone.         

            

 Open the tweezer-claws and carefully let the spring-action close around the stone. Done!  

 When working with a Princess stone is a little exercise in finger dexterity. As this is now a delicate process of making sure all FOUR claws situated on the four 'sides', leaving the FOUR corners exposed.

                      

 Just make sure as in any stone you need to view that all of the wire-prongs are holding TIGHT! If not, you will find your stone run off the table. I've had this happen a few times, embarrassing to keep looking for that 1.00carat diamond..:>(

 Oval stones are a difficult stone, why is this? There are curves everywhere and PLEASE use your 3-prong tweezers. Be extra careful as you are closing the wires!

On a Marquise stone, you may use either a 3 or a 4-prong holder. This is your choice!             

 On an Emerald & Princess-cut stones, the method is still the same. Let the wires hold the four sides.

                       

 I prefer the 4-prong for any Triangular-shaped stones. A complete and detailed examination is required for these shapes with no chance of 'wires' covering any inclusions.

 All stones should be viewed against a white background, why? It's best so that there is a white colour and YOU can get a true colour of the stone.

 If you view any stone in front of your bench. Your bench will give the stone a 'false colour reading'. Even your fluorescent bench light can be also problematic, I use three 'daylight' bulbs.

                             

 In this viewing of the cubic zirconia, I use a white background just to examine this stone.

 The colouring of theses stones is fantastic as they won't pick up any peripheral "false" colouring.

  This is my "demo-crystal" that I will be using for this particular essay. I drew many with a 'correction fluid' and a 'felt-marker' showing some of the flaws that will be discussed here.
 So let's get started now.

 One of the interesting features of this 'large crystal' is that we won't be examining a little diamond but this will make our viewing much easier!

   The observations listed can be used for any stone, no matter the shape.

 1) Take a look at the 'Girdle' and observe the uneven width or thickness. Why was this as it now appears? The diamond-cutter wanted to keep the mass or weight of the stone heavier for a 'better $$ return on the investment'. 

 But there are more reasons; the cutter should have 'faceted' the 'girdle and have the stone give more reflective light throughout the stone. He didn't..bad move!

2) On the tip of the "Culet" (that is the correct name of the point) if you see that the Culet is broken give it back.

3) If you see a 'breakage' anywhere, return it to the 'dealer', immediately.

 BTW, Don't go to a dealer without your own set of 'diamond tweezers' and your 10x loupe.
  
4) "Inclusions" are so very interesting, they can appear just anywhere. The location of them correspond with the quality of the stone; e.g. VVS 1-2, VS 1-2, SI 1-2, I 1-2. If the little inclusion is near the girdle, the chances of covering up the girdle inclusion with a claw and can still make this stone a 'good-buy'!

5) If there is a 'little, black spot', it is actually Carbon, which all diamonds are made of. But they, in turn, will give the stone a poorer colour grade in the appraisal. Another reason not to buy it..:>(

6) If there is a 'feather' as it's called sometimes, looks just like a "bird's feather". It is still very acceptable, because of the white colouring! But the downside is that it will diminish the overall quality of the stone; e.g. from a VS,2 to an SI 1-2...All of this is depending on its location!

 This stone, even with the white 'feather' is still a very decent stone!

 Just look at the myriad of 'carbon spots' being reflected off of the 'facets'. I only painted 6 of them, but can you count how many there now?

7) When you examine any 'pointed' stone, even if it's a genuine-stone, make darned sure that the points are not broken. 

 Here you can see a badly damaged Culet facet...this is not acceptable!

 The 'pointed' stones are; Pear-shape, Princess (Square) shape, Marquise, Emerald-cut, Triangular-shaped.

 The reason being is that these 'breaks' are now the 'weakest' part of the stone. The 'break' will continue to literally 'grow' while being set!

 This even appeared on my high-quality CZ Princess-cut stone.

8) Are all of the "Facet-cuts" inline above the Girdle facet as well joining the Pavillion Facets below the Girdle? This one fact will show up on your appraisal as an "Excellent-Cut" or just a "Good-Cut"!

 If the Girdle is very wide but not faceted, I wouldn't accept that diamond!

9) What is "Fluorescence"? This is a strange colouring and it strongly appears under 'Blue-Light', this will give an unnatural/artificial colouring. I always avoid this kind of stone! 

10) What is "EX, EX, EX,"? or just (3-EXs)? "Excellent-cut, Excellent-colour, Excellent-quality".

11) What is a "P" grading? It has another name, it's commonly called "Promotional". There have numerous 'dark spots and feathers' everywhere, these 'spots' literally reflect off all of the facets as well. These are usually used in smaller stones in multi-stone cluster-tops, also in Engagement-solitaire rings where the price is more important than quality!

  With these "11 little pieces of information" that I've learned from my many years of buying diamonds. I hope that these observations have been of some help to you.

(It's far better to be educated a little than to walk into a stone-dealers office not knowing anything.)