Tarnishing under cabachons

[MissMagpie]

Hi

Newbie here so i hope ive posted this right?

I have a question, ive been setting cabochons in pre made bezel cups and ive noticed that after a few months there is tarnish underneath the stone (mostly seen under peridots and any light stones mainly in the centre where the setting has been soldered onto the ring shank, can anyone tell me where ive gone wrong or how to prevent this happening?
Many thanks
Lisa

[MMM Jewellery]

Hi
Any Stirling will tarnish over time- where it has been heated and alloyed with solder speeds it up. There are a number of fixes: use argentium silver, use fine silver or platinum foil under the stone, or don't have a base on your cups.
Hope that helps.
Cheers Matt

[Dennis]

I think the answer is that ready made bezel cups don't always lend themselves to an airtight setting, so liquid and airborne pollutants can seep in.
This is more obvious with very translucent stones.
A good reason for cutting away most of the back plate before setting the stone and just leaving a narrow bearer. Then when the piece becomes tarnished, as is natural for silver, a quick dip in a dipping solution and then a prolonged rinse will deal with the problem. Dennis.

[MissMagpie]

I think the answer is that ready made bezel cups don't always lend themselves to an airtight setting, so liquid and airborne pollutants can seep in.
This is more obvious with very translucent stones.
A good reason for cutting away most of the back plate before setting the stone and just leaving a narrow bearer. Then when the piece becomes tarnished, as is natural for silver, a quick dip in a dipping solution and then a prolonged rinse will deal with the problem. Dennis.



Thank you so much, will cut away the back from now on, AND learn to make my own!

[MissMagpie]

Thank you Matt!