Any rules or guide lines

[kristowsa]

Hi all brand new to this jewellery making, just on making my first piece.
I cant find any information on prong thickness to stone size ratio or bezel thickness to stone weight.
Surely there is a rule of thumb to follow for different materials.
Any help would be much appreciated Thank you!

[metalsmith]

I cant find any information on prong thickness to stone size ratio or bezel thickness to stone weight.


Hi kristowsa

try this (https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#q=stone+size+prong+thick+site:cooksong old.com%2Fforum)

[Dennis]

Hi kristowsa,

It depends in the first instance on what metals you are using, how many claws in any one setting and of course the size of the stone.

In the end prongs, or claws need to be sufficiently strong to hold a stone securely, but still be unobtrusive so as to show the full beauty of the gemstone.
A failing with beginners is that they make a great show of the prongs and forget their real function.

Browsing high street jewellers windows will quickly give you a feel for this when mounting in platinum or gold and some idea of how much heavier they need to be for silver which is less strong.

As for bezels, a good universal thickness is 0.4mm, cut from sheet. As a beginner, you might consider using fine silver for this, as it is easier to set. Later on you might go for thicker metal for reasons of design, but bezel set stones rarely come adrift unless you are tempted to use bullet shaped cabs.

Dennis.

[kristowsa]

thanks Dennis

[kristowsa]

thanks Metalsmith