this one drove me to drink.

[sam.k]

this is the beastie, the setting was an absolute nightmare. I certainly bit of more then I was capable of chewing.
still it turned out alright in the end. the setting looks skewed while the ring isn't being worn, as soon as its on a finger it looks straight, I can only imagine its twisted, unsymmetrical design.
its a trillion cut white topaz and sterling. thanks to the advise that made it possible.
http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww358/Akkirin/Mobile%20Uploads/20160125_182925_zpsnlaqh3j3.jpg (http://s735.photobucket.com/user/Akkirin/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160125_182925_zpsnlaqh3j3.jpg.html)
http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww358/Akkirin/Mobile%20Uploads/20160125_182857_zpslydcr2yf.jpg (http://s735.photobucket.com/user/Akkirin/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160125_182857_zpslydcr2yf.jpg.html)
http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww358/Akkirin/Mobile%20Uploads/20160125_182908_zpsnoxqkrdo.jpg (http://s735.photobucket.com/user/Akkirin/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160125_182908_zpsnoxqkrdo.jpg.html)
http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww358/Akkirin/Mobile%20Uploads/20160125_182012_zpsujz2qohv.jpg (http://s735.photobucket.com/user/Akkirin/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160125_182012_zpsujz2qohv.jpg.html)
the pictures are a bit naff I'm afraid

[enigma]

Such a great design! and yes, very adventurous!
Have you tried using a cup burr to finish off the ends of the claws? you end up with them round rather than pointed but its a lot easier to get a neat finish.

[sam.k]

I've not considered it before but that is purely as that's the first time I've seen one mentioned. ☺
Looks like I need to buy a new toy

[enigma]

Well they are fairly cheap :)

[Gemsetterchris]

Maybe a fraction smaller bezel as your claws look a little too far away from the stone edge which doesn't help you setting.
Ideally you want to have to cut a bearing in the claw to get it to sit in place as opposed to just dropping in.
But don't worry as I'm having the same problem with manfacturers doing the same!
File your claws level first so they are the same length & you could have them a fair bit shorter by the look of it.
Good try.

[sam.k]

Yeah the top gallery was just a fraction to big.
Cheers for the advice chris! The next one will have shorter claws (i hope)

[Aurarius]

Ideally you want to have to cut a bearing in the claw to get it to sit in place as opposed to just dropping in.
But don't worry as I'm having the same problem with manfacturers doing the same!

So I wasn't too far out then when I suddenly wondered the other day whether big commercial jewellers do that routinely.

I rifled through my wife's rings, and she has a quarter carat diamond solitaire on an 18k white gold shank her mother bought her a while back. I noticed the round-section claws have no detectable bearing cut into them; they have just been pushed inwards against the girdle and their tips rounded off. Whilst I was giving the ring a bit of a polish with the micromotor I noticed the stone move, and then keep moving until it had rotated round in its "seat" about 180 degrees. Then it rotated back again to its starting point. It did this several times. I've heard of "spinner" rings, but I didn't think it meant the diamond spins.

I've told my wife she has a novelty ring.

Some sad mug is going to have sort that mess out. Any tips on how to approach it?

[Gemsetterchris]

Without seeing it I'd say just gently squash the claws over a little more & be done.

[sam.k]

So rather then my claws being, well, claws and curving over the top of the stone I should be making posts, cutting the profile of the stone into them and then squeeze them closed?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BA-NLQ6Ksz8/
There's a video that shows it off better.

[Gemsetterchris]

Well I guess it depends what you decide as the designer, but yes that is how claws work & being near enough vertical once done rather than bent over.

[sam.k]

thank you chris, I will aim to do it that way from now on wherever I can.

[enigma]

Well diamonds do at least cut their own bearing to an extent, anything softer though I don't know how people get it to sit properly unless they cut out.
I was taught to use a scorper but being lazy I generally go with a hart burr :)

[Aurarius]

Without seeing it I'd say just gently squash the claws over a little more & be done.

It's an obvious solution, but the infinitesimally small surface area where the girdle contacts the round profile of the prongs means the risk of cracking the stone is a lot higher than average. And the thing still won't be held very securely after I've done it. The stone isn't straight in its setting either.

[Gemsetterchris]

It's an obvious solution, but the infinitesimally small surface area where the girdle contacts the round profile of the prongs means the risk of cracking the stone is a lot higher than average. And the thing still won't be held very securely after I've done it. The stone isn't straight in its setting either.

Maybe not straight because it`s loose? you could use a small flat scorper & bring down a smallish amount of metal from the inside edge of the claw onto the stone.

All guesswork unless you can get a decent photo of it which might help abit...I`m picturing all kinds of things from your description.

[Aurarius]

Here's a close-up of one of the prongs showing the absence of a proper seat. The gap between the prong tips and the crown of the stone is another weak point.
8613

[Gemsetterchris]

Take it out file that lip back a little, cup burr it & cut a small bearing & push back up to stone.
Claws are the right length so you don't need to worry about that.

[Aurarius]

OK, thanks. I'll give it a go when I'm feeling patient.

[diamonddan121]

Wow, looks great! Good Job!

[diamondfoster]

Well done! I agree there are some small optimizations that could be done, but overall I think you did a great job on a complicated design.

[Aurarius]

Well done! I agree there are some small optimizations that could be done, but overall I think you did a great job on a complicated design.
diamondfoster, I say this in the nicest possible way in case you don't merit the accusation, but are you a bot, or are you just imitating one?

[ps_bond]

The pattern doesn't suggest bot to me, but I am aware of it.

Diamondfoster, you seem to be posting a lot of low- or zero-content messages that do nothing but boost your post count; this is behaviour normally only seen from spammers. You said in your brief introduction you were hoping to get started on some jewellery, how has that gone?