Stone setting course

[teatowell]

Hi all,

Does anyone on here run or could you reccommend a good stone setting course or tutor for a complete beginner? Have googled them but there are so many I don't know where to start!

Thanks for any suggestions.

Tanya

[ps_bond]

I think it probably depends upon what stone setting you want to do...? There's quite a wide range of areas covered!

[teatowell]

Peter,
I was hoping to find a basic one. I've just started to bezel set cabs in my evening class but was looking for something that would take my knowledge a bit further. Sorry - I don't know the technical terms yet but I'd like to know how to flush set faceted stones and channel settings too. I'm sure this is beyond my current abilities though!
Tanya

[Goldsmith]

Suggesting tutors or courses really depend on where you are based Tanya. Holts Acadamy run setting courses if you are in London, see;
http://www.holtsacademy.com/Short_Courses/Jewellery_Making___Bench_courses.aspx?

James

[caroleallen]

I'm doing one at John Cass at Easter, which I'm looking forward to. My son lives nearby, so I'm going to crash on his sofa.

[Dennis]

Tanya, when you are considering a stone setting course, make sure that it covers the basics of bezel setting, tube setting and possibly some simple prong setting.

Some years back, when I was younger and shyer, I called on a famous school in Hatton garden, mentioned by James, to enquire about an intermediate course. I made a point of saying I was not ready for channel and pavé setting and that I never used diamonds. The secretary assured me that would be O.K.
I spent a large amount of cash up front, but when It came to my first lesson and I was asked what I expected to learn, I was told bluntly ‘You’re on the wrong course then’. Big boys don’t cry so I stuck it out for the week, alongside bench trained jewellers who seemed to cope.

For me it was a complete waste of time, as I could barely see what the teacher wanted me to do, even with magnification. Dennis.

[teatowell]

[QUOTE=Goldsmith;45867]Suggesting tutors or courses really depend on where you are based Tanya.

Thanks James,
I'm out in the wilds of East Anglia, so I doubt there's much locally to me. Luckily my sister lives just outside Birmingham so that is always a possibility, or for day/ short courses I could get to London.

I will look into the one you have suggested.

[teatowell]

Words of wisdom as ever, Dennis. I will be sure to bear that in mind.

Carole - is the one you're doing in London?

[caroleallen]

Yes it's this one http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/jcamd/courses/short-courses/silversmithing-and-jewellery-easter-courses/stone-setting.cfm

[teatowell]

Thanks Carole,
Sadly much beyond my experience level at the moment. Please say how you get on with it as it may be helpful in the future.

[ps_bond]

That presumably would be the same Tony Tigg who does all the setting for Jinks MacGrath's Rings book? Looks like a good selection of settings to learn.

Gypsy and flush are often used interchangeably; my understand of calibre is that it's what I'd call channel setting, so there's 2 of the ones you mentioned!
I really need to find the time to practice cut down setting...

[caroleallen]

I didn't know that Peter. I've got that book, so I'll be having a look to see what I can expect.

[Wallace]

I'm doing one at John Cass at Easter, which I'm looking forward to. My son lives nearby, so I'm going to crash on his sofa.

going to be joining you (in the class, not the sofa!) lol

[caroleallen]

Fab! We'll have a great time. As for the sofa, it's all mine.

[mizgeorge]

SO jealous.... If it didn't clash with Flame Off, I'd be there too for sure!

[ps_bond]

Can we have pics of the results, please?

[Wallace]

Can we have pics of the results, please?

only if you promise not to laugh! lol - anyone got any spare tools - the course list is big (£74 big)!

[ps_bond]

Nobody laughed (publically!) when I showed my efforts :)
As for the tools, I'm not sure that I've got anything useful left - but I did see Cooksons had a few gravers at half price in the sale.

[Wallace]

[QUOTE=ps_bond;45977]Nobody laughed (publically!) when I showed my efforts :)
As for the tools, I'm not sure that I've got anything useful left - but I did
see Cooksons had a few gravers at half price in the sale.[/QUO


Flame off, sounds like fun for you George :o)

I'll be lucky if I get a straight line, I will be so nervous lol.

Forgot about the sales, thanks for the reminder.

[caroleallen]

Typical! None of the things we need are in Cookies sale. I've got a few gravers but I don't know what numbers they are, so I suppose I'd better fork out for more. Trouble is that everyone uses different names for them. This is the list. Can anyone throw any light on different names?

No 21 Bull Stick
No 2 Spitz Sticks
No 12 Flat Scorpers
No 6 Half Round Scorpers
No 10 Half Round Scorpers
Six round wwoden handles. The 6th one is used to make a pushing tool for rub over settings

[ps_bond]

Bullstick/oval - 2.1mm across the width. I'd be particularly interested in comparing notes on how you sharpen that, I've ended up very enthusiastic about them for cutting taper bearings.
Spitzstick/onglette (incidentally, a 3 is not all that much bigger than a 2, although I tend towards smaller ones)
Flat - er, flat? 1.2mm wide
#6 & #10 half round (0.6 & 1.0mm) - you can make a simple one from a broken burr & a universal handle. Just snap the rest of the business end off the tapered shaft & sharpen at 45 degrees. They work rather well for bead raising, but obviously get bigger the more you sharpen them.

[Wallace]

Thanks for the clarity Peter - I was wondering why there were so many confusing aspects to the list. Do we take an apron? Does it matter that it is not blue? lol Thanks for the #10 half round tip Peter.

Oh, am I allowed to say that another company have a good deal on some of the gravers and the handles?

I cannot find the half round no 10 anywhere! Okay I haven't tried absolutely everywhere, but three top traders I use do not have them. Any ideas as I am not sure I am going to be as innovative as Peter at the sharpening a broken burr just yet...... give me a few weeks post learning and I will have worked something out. New phone has a good camera on it, so pics will be interesting!

:o Wallace

[ps_bond]

999 AYN on Cooksons.

Graver & scorper are used relatively interchangably - although scorper is more normally used in the UK to describe any graver that isn't square.

As for the apron - yes, it has to be blue. If it's any other colour your stones bounce twice as far when they hit the floor and your gravers won't keep their edge.

[Wallace]

As for the apron - yes, it has to be blue. If it's any other colour your stones bounce twice as far when they hit the floor and your gravers won't keep their edge.

damn! I look so good in brown leather!:dance:

[ps_bond]

Nah, brown leather is for blacksmithing (well, mine is anyway)

[Wallace]

lol - biker chick days, couldn't get one in black! hahaha. Best protection I could find for all my melting needs and cannot be bothered to blue up again!