Examples in using a powerful "Digital Microscope"? => 33 photos

 One of the most interesting additions to my Diamond Setting bench is the "Digital Microscope". It has allowed me to see many gemstones & jewellery without relying on the 10x or 15x power loupes. The display screen has its very own levers to work with in improving the lighting and magnification. Is this a great tool to invest in, YES.

 A 10x power loupe is mediocre to what the 1,200X viewing scope can achieve. I will show you my digital microscope with many views saved on this unbelievably small "128GB" memory card.

 I learned these USB modules now come in a staggering "256GB" size. It's not the physical size but it's the increased capacity. (mind-boggling technology).

 I'm just amazed at this size and I wanted to share this with you.

 I didn't want you to see any used and previously seen photographs. Here are some new ideas to give you a 'feel' of what this digital microscope can do on your bench.

 No, this is not a GPS picture of some local terrain, but it's an enlargement of the surface of the Cabochon stone. Those numbers on the right indicate the ongoing capacity used at present.

 

 On the side display monitor are two little buttons that increase the lighting and the magnification.

 Those white buttons are for 'tools' and 'OK' to approve the photo.

 On the far right button is the 'on & off'.

 The white button below the flat base 'takes' the actual photo.

 I wanted to show you the details of a wax-injected form. From here you can easily examine any defects. Those little spots are dust but not always seen under normal circumstances. 

 This is a 'clean'(?) file, just look at those particles of dirt in between the teeth. 

 This is a photo of the 'anvil' that I used in my previous essay. This is a basic 'Concrete Nail' that was modified for 'Hammering Channel Settings on a Diamond bracelet'.

 Using this 600X magnification, you can see the rough texture of the anvil tip.

 This was a hand-engraved "Tiger Eye" stone, you can see the etching being created.

Here is the same stone but under a powerful magnification.

 What the heck is this? Would you believe it's just a line on a "4x5" cue card? Looks nice, now let's look at the next photo.

 That fine line is now not what you'd expect. This is the supreme magnification at 1,200x power.

 This photo is of a Cabochon Turquoise stone on a wooden stick that is used for Lapidary purposes.

 These photos are additional 'Hammering Anvil', now under 1,200x power magnification.

 This is the start of a series of photos to explore the 'texture' and subsequent number of 'irregularities'.

   

 When the Cabochon stone is 'locked' upon the wooden stick then the Lapidary technician can shape the stone.

   Here is another 'needle file' showing the accumulated specks of metal.

     Just look at these flakes of gold that remain in the teeth of the file.

                                            Diamond Photos!

 Can you guess what this is? This is the 'Girdle' of a diamond alongside the 'Crown Facets'. This photo uses the powerful 1,200x power magnification that is constantly available.

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 This plastic envelope describes "My Father's first attempt at Diamond Polishing, circa 1930". This stone is now 95 years of age.

  This is another photo of the 'Crown Facets' just above the rough texture of the "Girdle Facets". The semi-circle is the beginning of the 'faceting' process. That 'black line' is actually the untouched Girdle.

    This photo was taken using the strongest power available 1,200x strength. You can see the dust sitting on the surface of the diamond.
  On this diamond, there are irregularities in the crystal. As this stone wasn't to be used for commercial value, it was used only as a method of learning how to polish a stone. You can see the deep colours within the stone. There is no way can a 10x power loupe succeed in showing these colourings.

 JUST AN AMAZING PHOTO, agree? 

 How many Jewellers and Diamond Setters have seen photos like these? Anyone who works in the jewellery profession has never seen the true beginnings of "Polishing of a Diamond". These photos are quite common with professional Diamond Polishers.

 In this remarkable photo, you have a great opportunity to see all three sections of a diamond. These 3 areas are the "Crown Facets", "Girdle" and the beginning of the "Pavillion Facets".

 

 This is the surface of the Cabochon-shaped 'Turquoise' stone. You can easily see the rough surface and defects in this stone.

 When I saw this stone initially, I thought of the "West Coast of America and the Pacific Ocean". This particular area of the stone is 'blemish-free' and good for viewing.

"Handpiece Repair Service" - 3 photos

 It is not my policy to advertise anyone's repair services on this blog, but this is too important to refuse.

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Telephone number: 1 - 718 - 339 - 2640

Fax: 1 - 718 - 339 - 7901

Email: service@jewelershandpiecerepair.com

"ABOUT US" 

 He has been a family-owned and operated 'handpiece repair service' for the past 45 years. He services & repairs handpieces for Jewellers, Diamond Setters, Hobbyists, Jewellery manufacturers, Gunsmiths, Arts and Crafts, Restoration, and Musical Instruments.

 His services include advising on using tools to avoid unnecessary future repairs and problems.

 He specializes in repairing handpieces on flexible shaft machines. These consist of rotary, hammer and setting mallets. 

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This company repairs the following brand-name items:

Foredom, 

Pfingst,

Faro,

Technique,

Asaic,

Anteos,

Techno-X,

Svedia,

Grobet,

Badeco,

Joisten Kettenbaum.

 This company repairs many obsolete handpieces that were once used by a select group of craftspeople. They make it simple to get reliable repair service with FREE pick-up anywhere in the USA. 

They will quality check every item before being shipped back to their client. "If you send them 6 pieces, you only pay for only 5".

EMAIL address:: service@jewelershandpiecerepair.com

Mail your package to:

JEWELER'S HANDPIECE REPAIRS

1420 KINGS HIGHWAY

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK. 11229. USA

My CAD created jewellery. => 6 photos

  I have 6 CAD 'Computer Aided Designs' that are quite interesting, I have no copyrights on any of these items. You may copy (at no charge) any of them as you wish.

 This blue stone ring consisted of three pieces. The centre section was set first & polished before any assembly,  The main section (yellow) was as well polished, and the inside Azure (white) section was carefully trimmed and as well polished. Thus leaving very few chances for errors in cleaning.

This Ruby ring had the same technical assembly as the Blue stone ring

  The Blue Sapphires were not of the same size but had a 'tapered effect' on the stones.

 I decided on having a Tube Setting soldered on the side of the ring, this gave the ring a bit of glamour.

I wanted to show diamonds in this ring, instead of coloured gemstones

 My client gave me a large pearl that her husband bought in South America. All 'we' added were some of her Princess-Cut diamonds and made this into a beautiful butterfly brooch.

How to Channel Set diamonds in a bracelet? - 5 photos

 I've had this photo sitting in my bookcase for many years, it's time to explore how it was set. I had only one chance to photograph the stone-setting process.

 My teacher and I worked on this bracelet together 'as a team'. This was long before there were any 'Reciprocating Hammers'. He held the shellac stick with the gold bracelet in one hand and I had to "GENTLY" hit the little anvil that tightened the diamonds.

 I stood beside him and hit this anvil without any undue force.

 All of this was done ONE DIAMOND AT A TIME.

 BTW, this hammering anvil was originally a "Concrete Nail" modified into a 'new setting tool'. I held the 'nail' securely in my fingertips. Many of our tools were made at our benches and had to be modified to our exact specifications.

 After the hammering was completed, my teacher (Stan Levine) Bright-Cut on the inside of every channel wall. You can see the spacing that had to be done as this was for the diamonds. At the beginning of each row of stones was where each diamond was placed. Spacing was so critical that much time was spent deciding that there were enough diamonds for every channel. Many times Stan would change one or two diamonds, large or smaller as we proceeded.

 The next process was the use of "Pumice Wheels" of #180 grit followed by a fine high lustre Pink Wheel #1,000 grit. The 'polishing department' in this jewellery factory had no reason to improve on the setting of the stones, all they did was to give a light Rouging. 

 This bracelet was intended to be worn by the owner's wife, because of this, "extra care was the rule".  

 The burs that were used were very limited in the inventory. The burs then (50 years ago) were not like today, there were no Computer Designing or HSS burs all 'we' had was the basic "156C" undercutting bur. 

This whole process took my teacher (who himself learned his profession in London, England). This diamond setting took 'us' almost 4 days in duration, this bracelet had diamonds circling the whole item.  
 As Stan had one stone secured in place, I hit the anvil and finished the tightening. This repeated process was labour-intensive.

Hoping that this insight was interesting as it was for 'us'.

(Repaired video) "Wax Carving to Silver Pendant" this video lasts 53 minutes.

   I am giving you the 'direct link' to view this DVD all you do is 'double-click' on the BLUE highlighted link and there you are!

 You can now "view, learn and enjoy"!

  This video was made with the auspices of "Rio Grande" and "Orchid-Ganoksin". I used DVD disks 12 years ago, but now technology has improved and we use only internet links to access knowledge. 

https://youtu.be/YAZNxVKx9o0?t=1

Assembly of a wax ring prior to casting - 17 photos.

 One of the most important aspects of wax and metal casting is the assembly of the wax.

 All areas of the preferred wax MUST BE CLEANED of residual that was taken from the rubber mold.

 Here you can see the difference between the 'injected wax' and the 'casted ring'.

  I'd prefer if the Tube for the diamond be adjusted for size BEFORE THE CASTING HAS STARTED.

 This wax ring is too difficult to cast as it appears here. There will be numerous problems starting to occur. That is why the wax ring has been created in two pieces, hence the two sprues being shown.

It would be advisable if you examine the 'connecting' spots to make sure that they will fit together.

When the 'joining spots' are connected, always examine the actual wax for any pinholes. Always examine ANY WAX RING FOR DEFECTS, it's too late after the metal casting.

I prefer to see if the sprues are of the required length. These sprues need to be made long enough as the ring(s) must be attached to the 'wax tree'. DO NOT JOIN THE WAX before the metal casting.

 If you are setting large stones, make sure that the openings are of the exact size. As this will save you much time and labour.

                         QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF!

 Have you selected the correct sizes of stones? 

Are the selected stones of the correct colours?

Have the wax claws made to fit the stones?

Are the sprues long enough?

Lastly, are these waxes CLEAN?

 Use a low-temperature wax heating pen, why? If the heating pen is too hot, the chances of melting the wax will cause you much 'grief' and time being wasted in casting another wax.

 Every one of these 'shared claws' is of the same size. Thus making the 'stone setting' a much easier task if you are a beginner.

  This is when 'setting stones in wax' can be a great way to get the stones into the metal. There must not be any need for 'pushing claws' after casting.

 You can easily see that only one claw is actually holding the stone.

 This is my 'low-heat' wax pen and I prescribe it for melting wax on the delicate areas of wax jewellery.

 This is the up-close photo of the 'shared claw' ring. You will notice how uniform and thick the claws were made ready for metal casting.

This ring is the same for the two pieces seen in this essay, they were earrings. In fact, the earrings were made for my daughter Stephanie.

 This 3 wax ring style is of one casting. There must never be any residual pieces of wax remaining as it could be a disaster in cleaning after the metal casting.

 If by any chance you see some claws missing or being too short, don't waste your time fixing them. STOP and INJECT ANOTHER WAX FORM. I would, so why should you?