| Stone setting in general is much more difficult | | | | "needle point" prongs formed to start with in the |
| than many might suspect. There are short | | | | metal. We can talk about that sometime down |
| courses in various sorts of jewelry work but | | | | the road. |
| those provide only a basic starting place and | | | | Fancy Shaped Stones. Even when using prong |
| years of experience needed to become truly | | | | settings, fancy shaped stones need added |
| proficient in many areas. Fortunately, if a person | | | | techniques. Essentially the same methods are |
| devotes time to stone setting and does enough | | | | used to cut seats and tighten prongs for emerald |
| of one style of setting to become comfortable | | | | cuts as for round and oval stones. Marquise and |
| with it, moving on to similar styles is not nearly as | | | | pear shapes have a pointed end requiring a |
| difficult as those "first trials". | | | | different seat cutting method to hold the pointed |
| As you likely know, stone setting is done in many | | | | end securely without breaking the stone! The |
| different styles. Within those styles, one jeweler | | | | problem with emerald cuts is getting the stone |
| may use slightly different methods than would | | | | level and straight and secure enough that the |
| another jeweler doing the exact same job. There | | | | stone will not "turn" in the prongs. |
| is room to experiment with methods but only | | | | The problem with stones with pointed ends or |
| after you have set a few stones and are pleased | | | | corners is cutting the seat and tightening without |
| with the results. Once you have a feel for the | | | | damage to the stone. Such fancy shape are not |
| metal and the gems, then you know enough not | | | | to be feared but understood to be more difficult, |
| to totally mess-up by trying a slightly different | | | | requiring practiced hand control before attempting. |
| method. | | | | Settings. I recommend starting with simple prong |
| Stone Setting Styles. I will mention a few styles | | | | settings, generally found in four and six prong |
| and recommend what I believe is the best place | | | | versions. Note, jewelers often use the words |
| to begin.The prong settings using faceted stones. | | | | settings, heads, crowns and mountings to mean |
| This is the best place to begin. Start with a round | | | | the same thing. |
| stone, perhaps 4mm to 7mm in diameter. Smaller | | | | Stone Shapes. I recommend round faceted |
| stones are more difficult until you learn the "give | | | | stones in sizes from perhaps 4mm to 7mm. You |
| and take" of the metal, while larger stones | | | | may try ovals stone, too, but do a few rounds |
| present other problems. Start with normal prongs, | | | | first. With ovals, over tightening any prong can |
| generally four or six to the setting. | | | | make the stone go sideways a bit in the prongs. |
| There are lots of prong settings with fancy | | | | Stone Kinds. CZ's are good to start as are |
| formed and decorated prongs but those are not | | | | man-made birthstones. Most of the birthstones |
| the best with which to begin learning. I don't care | | | | are synthetic sapphire (corundum) and are quite |
| if the prong settings are part of a pendant, ring | | | | hard. The value of these stones is, they are |
| or earrings. The idea is fairly plain and basic prong | | | | pretty when set and are not expensive. The cuts |
| settings regardless of the jewelry type. | | | | are fairly uniform, too, compared to less |
| The Bezel Settings, is use a narrow area of metal | | | | expensive natural stones. Still, you need to |
| around the girdle or waist of the stone to secure | | | | practice on some stones which are not tough as |
| the stone in the setting. The most basic form is | | | | the birthstones. For this, choose perhaps some |
| seen in typical southwestern turquoise jewelry, | | | | inexpensive, meaning almost colorless, amethysts |
| essentially a band of silver wrapped around the | | | | and inexpensive garnets. |
| stone and pressed down toward the stone from | | | | These will not be the most beautiful gems but are |
| the top. | | | | wonderful for practice and can look pretty in |
| The more dramatic and much more difficult bezel | | | | earrings and pendants. You will likely discover the |
| is "flush set", where a gemstone is set directly | | | | girdle or waist of inexpensive natural gems may |
| into the surface of metal such as on a ring band | | | | be varied in thickness and the angles of the |
| and the metal is burnished or hammered to the | | | | facets on the pavilion or bottom of the stone |
| stone then finished for smoothness. This last | | | | may vary. The idea is to get the stone level in |
| technique is quite difficult for a beginner and is | | | | the mounting so it looks level to the eye. |
| best left until you feel ready for it and have the | | | | For the work to be done just like it should, stone |
| equipment to do the job. | | | | seats need to be cut into the prongs to match |
| Channel Settings. You have seen these settings in | | | | the gemstone on hand. I suggest trying something |
| which rows of stones are set into a "groove" or | | | | in sterling silver. The metal is easy to bend and |
| channel of metal. This is also a difficult job and | | | | work. In fact, sterling is soft enough to "over |
| should not be attempted to start. To try a | | | | bend" without due care. Gold is somewhat more |
| channel setting without lots of previous metal and | | | | springy and takes more effort to properly set |
| seat cutting experience will lead to frustration and | | | | than silver. However, gold is more forgiving than |
| disappointment. Look at channel set stones at a | | | | silver and certainly takes a better finish in the final |
| jewelry store. | | | | steps. I suggest a sterling pendant, facet set |
| Inexpensive jewelry is a "fake job" and the | | | | stone in prongs. That is a good starting place. |
| stones are in a channel but held in place with little | | | | Please, keep in mind the main idea is to have a |
| burs of metal pushed over opposite sides of the | | | | finished piece that does look good to the eye! |
| stone. Stones fall out of these settings! A real | | | | The stone should be safe and secure in the |
| channel set has the metal along the channel | | | | setting but that is not "seen". What is seen is the |
| pushed down onto the stones, all along the | | | | finished jewelry. That is the impression both to |
| channel. You need to learn to bezel set before | | | | you and to anyone who happens to see it. Set |
| doing channel settings since some similar | | | | the stone at a pleasing depth in the prongs, stone |
| techniques are used. | | | | set level, finish off the prongs so all is uniform and |
| Bead Set or Pave Setting. This setting is done | | | | neatly done. It will take some time to get use to |
| with hand tools in the final stages, forming metal | | | | this kind of think, but when you do get use to |
| over one stone at a time and sometimes two at | | | | this kind of thing you will have no problem fixing |
| a time using "graver" tools. This is advanced | | | | your jewelery, your families, maybe even some |
| technique. A setting style with a similar look uses | | | | of your friends jewelery. |