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