WAX & Silver (mini claw) setting => 30 photos

 This is the rear of a rubber mold that we are to be discussing in this essay.

 This is the front view of the mold, which shows the claws clearly.

These little pins of steel are used extensively in a 'Magnetic Tumbler'. They will rub against each other as they are continually tumbled in this plastic flask.

 These small metal pins will rotate and collide with each other in a beaker, subsequently polishing hard-to-reach metal patterns.

Here is a close-up of these steel pins.

 There is only ONE TOOL to push over each claw, and that is using a hollow tip 'Bead Burnisher'.

 Here you can see the '156C, undercutting bur' that is preparing a seat for each gemstone.

 I will only have a select number of stones for each of the '4 sections' on my bench peg. It is quite easy to mis-handle the multitude of stones, as they could get dropped or get lost.

 Only 2 mini claws will be holding each stone. My '156C' will be creating a seat just at the bottom of each mini-claw. This gives each claw enough leverage to bend that one claw.

 It is imperative NOT TO SET ANY STONE CROOKED, as seen in this photo.

 GET RID OF ANY LITTLE REMAINING PIECES OF METAL before setting any diamond.

 On the left displayed wax is what I was intending the disk to look like. On the right is the finished metal casting.

 As seen in previous photos, these holes are Oval in shape but not fully ROUND. As this wax was carefully removed, a disfigured wax occasionally occurred. 

 These two steel burs are the exact 'Bead Burnishers' that will move (gingerly) the metal over each stone.

 Each burnisher must not be the same size as the claw tip, but slightly larger. The'bur cup' should cover the top of the mini-claw.

 When the 'pre-polishing' process has started, DO NOT USE ANY LARGE AGGRESSIVE POLISHING WHEEL as seen here.

 Here is an example of the 'Bead Burnisher' moving the mini-claws. It 'rounds' the claw tip as it is moving the claw.

  Imagine if 'we' had to use an Onglette graver to set these stones? The results would be catastrophic, with setting defects seen almost everywhere.

  Here is the exact 'Bead Burnisher' that I'm using and being seen under a 10-power Loupe magnification.

                     WAX CASTING DEFECTS:

         Here are a few problems that occurred before the setting.

 There was no inspection of the wax casting, thus having claws that cannot be used in a stone setting.

 There are only two words to describe this photo:

'TOTAL DISASTER'. There was no inspection of the wax casting.

  Luckily, some of these claws were not needed for stone setting. Many of them still didn't have the 'structural height' to securely move metal over any stone. 

 It appears to me that these little claws just couldn't hold any stone. Closer examination of the claws was not on the 'to-do list'.

 

  These claws appeared to be 'reduced in height'; therefore, this whole disk was on the verge of being scrapped.

  My client gave me an order to cast and set 8 disks as a necklace. Many of the initial waxes were scrapped, but I persevered and 'saved' many of the remaining items.

  

 In each disk, there were 180 stones, and then multiply that number by 8 disks, and then you have 1,440 diamonds to set.

 I kept only a very select group of setting tools in front of me. These tools were kept on a metal tray just in case some stones bounced off and got lost.

 On some 'stone openings', there was only one claw per hole. How did I overcome this setting problem?

 I used an Onglette graver with a rounded point. This 'rounded point' gently moved this one claw closer to the 'cross beam'. In the next photo, I'll display the technique that I used.

  I selected the largest diamonds and kept them all for one purpose. These stones were 'saved & set' for the full pattern.

 I used my "156-C Undercutting Bur" and created a seat for any stone that had only one claw.

 I decided not to use 'THE TECHNIQUE OF SETTING STONES IN WAX'.  There would be problems with the 'burn-out' of the wax along with the diamonds. Not to mention being unable to pre-polish the metal after casting.

  I segregated all of the required groups of diamonds long before I started to do the actual stone setting.

  I sincerely hope that this exploration on Diamond Setting proved to be helpful in your gemstone setting.