My Pave' apprenticeship-training, circa 1960. => 9 photos

 This was my "apprenticeship training" for Pave' setting!

 How many Diamond Setters (today) can create Pave' beads on flat metal? They leaned upon using "CAD-created metal (mini-prongs) beads" instead.

 In the earlier years of my apprenticeship, circa 1960 A.D. I had to explore the basic bead-setting techniques that my teacher himself used. He then showed me the route of using only an Onglette graver with the 'front point rounded'.

 How many of today's setters use the Pave' raising of beads? I believe that this method is slowly getting 'forgotten', and I intend to keep this skill alive.

 "Times have indeed changed...but thankfully, not forgotten".

 If not for these blog essays, this technique might very well get forgotten, in future years.

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  I still have the 'brass plates' that I practised on, as 'these plates' were the beginning of my career in Diamond Setting. Brass is a very hard substance and difficult material to practice. To learn on a softer material (silver) wouldn't give me a chance to experience what 10 kt. gold would be like in those earlier days. Jewellery in 10kt was the 'normal gold alloy', as 14kt was saved for the more expensive clientele.

 I succeeded and 'the rest is history'.

 During those earlier days, I learned how to cut & shape Onglette gravers. And you my 'great blog readers', can buy a new graver without experiencing the method of graver shaping. Today you must use a rotating disk laden with an abrasive to shape the graver. All I use today is an oil stone for the face of the graver and 'polishing papers'.

 You just can't learn how to shape your gravers, if you buy them already shaped by your tool supplier. I spent literally 6 months, practising (every day) learning how to shape gravers on a bench-grinder and an oil-stone, just for my instructor. Because of those long months, I now think of this task as 'second nature'.

This brass plate is still on my bench after 65 years.  

 I had to learn what a Milgrain tool was, and how it worked on metal.

  My next lesson was how to cut into the metal corners 'without slipping'.

 These brass plates remind me of the many earlier weeks that I wanted to give up, but my Dear Father, (R.I.P.) said "get back to work next Monday, start again & keep learning".

 These two little stones were the very first stones that I ever set. Imagine doing this on brass?

 

 I went on further to cut squares without slipping and ruining the corners. Remembering that this was back in 1960. Brass is a very unforgiving material & I learned some unsavoury language when my graver accidentally slipped. 

 Those little '4 dots' were the first 'beads' that I ever created. There were so many rules in using a graver in creating beads. Even placing the brass plate unto a shellac-stick and preventing the plate from falling off during the 'rough cutting' was a new lesson.

  Once that I mastered the 'bead making technique' my teacher instructed me to keep doing this 'basic, bead making'. He had the wisdom in knowing that one day I might be teaching this skill to others. How true he was!

 In learning in 'how to control the graver', was the most difficult task that I had to learn.

 

  How to cut 'parallel lines' and again not in slipping was my most challenging task. I wonder how many jewellers and setters had to maintain control their choice of words in their apprenticing years?

 

 "Apprenticeship is a main ingredient in learning a new profession". You just can't learn by reading new techniques from a book, as you can't interact with written text.

 My blog is good for you, as I've 'walked those roads myself' and know the problems you might have. If there are any questions, please mail me at 'gerrylewy18@gmail.com'.