Double sided bezel - tomorrows project

[Faith]

Tomorrow I have absolutely nothing to do, how delicious....

So I'm going to attempt a double sided bezel setting, ie just the bezel wall, no back, using some 12mm rounded square chequerboard / cushion cut smokey quartz.

Plan is make the bezel wall, get a good fit, emery to the right height, solder on some wee jump rings for ear wires, set stone (probably using thermoloc to hold it.

Any tips or advice before I have a crack? I've not done double sided bezels before ever. (But no one panic, the stones weren't expensive) :)

Faith

[Dennis]

Well have fun Faith. Advice: Don't be surprised if they take longer than expected. That's when you might be tempted to rush things and spoil them. Dennis.

[Dennis]

In the cold of morning I have thought up more advice, hoping not to overwhelm you.

You will end up with some waste, so if possible practice with copper first.

Ideally you would have a square bezel mandrel and though cushioned ones are rare, you might find a cheap square one on EBay. This will work as guide, provided you don't score the metal for sharp corners. Alternatively you could go for the assortment from Proops.

No two stones are identical, or perfectly square. So you will have to keep right and left on separate saucers, keep the stones and bezels the same way up throughout by marking them in some way and also mark which side of the stone goes with which side of the bezel.

Scratch 'this way up' arrows inside the bezels and mark one side of each stone with a scrap of sticky paper so that it always goes in the same way.

Lastly I prefer to make the joins in the centre of one side, rather than the corners. Excess solder on the inside will have to be removed. Dennis.

[Faith]

Thanks Dennis, not overwhelming at all, and actually good tips for me, previously when I've done normal bezels for oval stones I've managed to keep the stones with the bezels but didn't mark the orientation which was probably a mistake.

I don't have a cushion or square bezel mandrel tho, on reflection that does sound like it would make things easier, but possibly I'll be okay, I never had oval mandrel a either - equally looking back my oval settings aren't nearly as pleasing as my latest round ones!

I'll let you know how I get on :)

Faith

[enigma]

You should be fine with just your pliers to shape it, I rarely use the square mandrel tbh.
Looking forward to pics please ;)

[Faith]

Well I got this far today (Dennis was right not that I'm surprised everything takes me longer than I expect ;))

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The stone is obviously not set yet and (I decided to go for a fixed hookwire rather than a jump ring) but the hook isn't formed. Not too bad tho maybe so far.

Faith

[enigma]

Thats looking really good!

[Faith]

Hello,

I have a question if I may...

I've decided I'm not sure about this so far (picture couple of posts up). So far I've only made bezels for cabs, where the stone slopes quite gradually away from the bezel wall (until its set). With these cushion cut stones there's obviously a much sharper angle between the girdle and (I'm not gonna get the names right) the slopey bit up to the table, and slopey bit down to the culet.

So the metal will need to go round more of a corner when setting, but I'm worried that even so I might have left the double sided bezel too high. The height of the girdle (by which I mean the height of the flat bit on the side) is 0.5mm. I've made the bezel 2mm high. Does that sound too tall? I don't know how much metal I've going to need to push over both sides.... :s

Many thanks,

Faith

[Dennis]

It sounds pretty good Faith. Your only challenge will be to keep the stone the same depth each side. So I would only slightly close one side in say four places before turning over, checking pushing a little and turning again,etc.

In other words do both sides simultaneously bit by bit. If I were doing it I would not bother with any thermoplastic resin at first, but just sit it on a sheet of clean paper until I have the stone fixed in the right place. Dennis.

[Faith]

Thanks Dennis, I'll have a go like that then if you think the bezel height is okay.

Much as you enjoy me keeping u waiting there may be a slight intermission as realised I need to start making a pretty long Byzantine chain for a friends birthday. It's Madeline Coles fault - I made one from the book you recommended me years ago (she recommends a bracelet - probably to avoid people suing her after they get RSI !) but I liked it as a choker, and a few of my friends are desperate for them, although inevitably longer than chokers even. So I'll be here with my jump rings a while!

Faith

[Dennis]

Ha Ha a jewellers work is never done.

[Faith]

Well this is where I got to today...

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And I cannot express how tricky that little critter was to set! I don't think it's perfect - it's a touch lumpy around the solder join... But I'll consider it for the evening before doing any more. Oh and obviously changed my mind since last time, took the hookwire off and went for a jump ring instead.

Feedback welcome as always while I go and sit down!

Faith

[Dennis]

No, It's very good Faith and we are seeing it four times is real size. At that magnification, we could comment on someone's ear wax too. Dennis.

[Faith]

Lol! What's displeasing me most is you can really see the solder join as a dark line. It was pickled and emeried and I thought the polish would get rid of the last of it - actually it shows more clearly after the polish :( don't know how to get rid of it now...

Thank you for the nice comment tho :)

Faith

[Dennis]

Lol! What's displeasing me most is you can really see the solder join as a dark line. Faith

Well here are some thoughts:

In colour hard solder should match pretty well, but easy solder would be a slight mismatch, depending on the closeness of the join.

Secondly, solder when it sets, has a concavity-the meniscus. If you polish it flat and then heat it again, to add another component, the meniscus will re-appear and show as a line. Dennis.

[Faith]

Thanks Dennis,

It was hard soldered and was sanded and polished after the last heating. It was heated a few times tho, to attach and detach the hookwire and then pop the jump ring on, could that be it? It's like a darker grey line?

I wonder almost was it not in the pickle for long enough - can I put it back in salt and vinegar (I haven't switched yet) with a smokey Quartz set?

Thanks as always,
Faith

[Dennis]

No, you've polished it, Faith, so pickling won't help. Not sure, why the joint shows, but would go for the multiple heating. Dennis.

[enigma]

I think you did great!
As Dennis says, magnification will show the tiniest imperfections not visible to the naked eye so unless you are working under a microscope pretty impossible not to have any when viewed at this scale.
I actually do work under a microscope for stone setting now but I find it really hard, would have been easier to get a crap camera instead I think lol.
As far as the line goes, did it show after handling? I find the oils in my skin will show any solder lines that weren't previously visible but they disappear again when polished.

[Faith]

Thanks Sarah :)

I don't have a microscope but could well believe they're tricky to work under - I do check with a loupe now tho which helps a bit.

Think ur right about the oils, I found some old threads saying similar and obviously it was handled a bunch yesterday to set it, so today I finely emeried the join and re polished and now the line is almost invisible :)

The handy craft knife also sorted the bezel bumps out, so I'm happy now :)

Now I just need to make him an identical friend!

Thanks again :)

Faith

[Dennis]

Now I just need to make him an identical friend! Faith

Ha ha, you might be sorry you didn't make them simultaneously stage by stage. Like all twins, the mother can tell them apart and despite herself, prefer one of them. Dennis..

[Faith]

I know! I'm kicking myself already! Usually I do do that with earrings but I wasn't sure about the design of these and didn't want two little duds. So I'll just have to try and do everything the same.

Plus I'm pretty sure the best mothers love all their jewellery equally ;)

Faith

[Faith]

And here (finally) is my earring's little twin :)

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I'm reasonably pleased with the sameness of them - now I'm just finishing some handmade hookwires, which wierdly I havent made before, appart from when they've been integral to the earring.

I do like the nearly finished stage :)

Faith

[enigma]

Super job Faith :Y:

[Dennis]

Yes, they're dead ringers Faith you needn't have worried. I've actually given up making my own ear wires, because Cookson http://www.cooksongold.com/Findings/Sterling-Silver-Hook-Wire---------Pack-of-20-No-Bead-prcode-NVK-058X ear wires look so good on. They are hard enough not to need soldering, if opened and closed sideways.

You might disagree as the settings are quite chunky and certainly my first and late lamented teacher would have strongly disapproved. Dennis.

[Faith]

Thanks Sarah & Dennis :) I would usually reach for my little stash of cookson's ear wires too but I think I have a picture in my head... (And if I don't like the ones I make I can always take em off again!)

[Faith]

And they're finished! :)

93449345

Yay :)
Faith

[Dennis]

I'm hooked.

[Faith]

Thanks Dennis!

[Maree Hart]

They are beautiful.

[Faith]

Hey Maree, thanks so much :)
Faith

[LydiaNiz]

Lovely job! You must be very pleased

[Faith]

Thanks Lydia :) I am real pleased.
Objectively I was about 90% sure the design was possible, but still when I sat down to set the first one I thought -that metal is never going to push over that far! Makes me want to get into more 'shaping' type work in addition to my current stone setting theme.
Faith