"Miami-Dolphin" (Football Award) => 36 unbelievable photos.

 Here is the "Miami-Dolphin" emblem-logo after all of the stones have been set.

 This is my favourite Onglette Graver #2 which is highly polished only on one side. I use it often just for cutting patterns into gold, or silver.

This area looks flat, but really it is in a 'near vertical' position when it's being used. I had to place it in my ring-clamp as shown,

 

 In this flat position you can see how near-vertical the sides of the abdomen really are. BTW, those blue stones are 'Blue Diamonds'.

  Underneath, or back-view, I know that 'counter-sinking' all of the holes is definitely required, and not left untouched. I wanted as much light as possible to enter the stones, therefore 'opening the holes' was needed.

  Every hole before drilling, had to be perfectly planned ahead of time. If one hole was ill-placed, I had to get my jeweller to solder the hole once again.

  I modified my Onglette graver #2 to be used as a "Bead-Raiser". This "Dolphin" project could not be CAD created with the beginning layout. There was no chance of knowing where the different size stones were to be placed.

   Around each of the Orange coloured stones is a decoration style of metal cutting.

 Instead of placing the project on a shellac-stick, I decided to place it on my adjustable metal clamp.

 

 I filled in all of the gaps in between the diamonds with a large array of decorating beads.

 

  My client wanted to 'push in' (his words) as many of  Blue Diamonds as possible.

 Many times I had to decide if I needed more large diamonds that was originally intended at first. I was planning this option constantly.

 On some raised areas, I saw some defects from using my burs. These were inspected and subsequently removed.

 

 During my setting, I had to make sure that each stone was secured or tightened.

 I only wished now upon viewing this project, that my client would have given me extra smaller diamonds.

  For spacing, I had to decide many times if I had enough Diamonds or Coloured stones. They had to be placed in a certain way as to enhance the overall appearance.

 

 I must have spent many days just on the 'spacing' and deciding if I had enough stones. 

  If some of the spacing was made in error, then I just removed some of the 'ink-spots' and started all over again.

 These 'casting-lines' were a real problem to my drilling and finally the actual stone setting. To call these lines a nuisance, was an 'understatement'.

   Every few days my client shipped more Diamonds of various sizes to me. I spent many days anticipating another *** delivery.

 

 Just in the "tail", I had additional shipments coming to me requesting for me to set more diamonds. To set even larger stones, I had to have my jeweller solder the holes and start again with MORE larger stones. (This was getting so very annoying).

  

 Finally he sent me a package of loose white diamonds just for the 'Dolphin-helmet'.

This photo shows where and how the holes were made ready for the Blue Diamonds. When inserting any of the stones, I always left 'extra' space for the size of stones and the many 'Beads'.

 What expected to be just a few (6) numbers of Blue stones ended up with 12 stones in all.

 

 This "Miami-Dolphin" project took me well over 4 weeks of difficult planning and deciding which stone was to be used and where each were to be placed.

 

 This project was placed at "30, out of 10" on the Difficulty Scale.