Bezel set into ring shank

[belette]

Hello all

Me again with another of my queries. I've just bought a little bit of 9ct to make a ring out of, in a somewhat foolhardy manner I haven't tried this style of ring in silver before (but might before taking the plunge!)

It is just a basic bezel setting with a textured shank. Rather than making a shank and soldering the bezel onto the shank in the manner of stacking rings, though, I want to solder onto the bezel to create the band so the bottom of the bezel is directly onto the finger - hope this makes sense! Like this:

http://jewelryclassdc.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/spinel-ring.jpg

I wondered if anyone has any tips on how to do this? I am planning on measuring the external diameter of the bezel and subtracting this from the usual length of wire required for the size, texturing the wire then forming on the mandrel before soldering the bezel in the gap. Would you do it a different way? Any suggestions? Feels like it might be difficult to get the wire to the right shape given the shank won't be closed at that point.

[china]

There many ways to arrive at the same outcome, my method would be to make the complete ring then cut a gap to suit the bezel, file the ends to fit the bezel then solder the bezel in place

[Dennis]

Yes me too. Complete the ring shank first. Then let the collet into the ring bit by bit until it just fits.

That said this kind of ring looks miles better if the collet is tapered. It also makes it easier to keep in place for soldering. Dennis.

[belette]

Thank you both, i will do it that way instead. My stone is an 8mm rose cut labradorite cab so i am going with quite a flat, low profile bezel for this one :D

[Dennis]

Two things:
If the shank has been stretched or hammered after soldering, anneal it before cutting it, or it will probably spring open and enlarge.

To shape the part of the collet near the finger, you well need a curved back plate or an open back with a bearer. Dennis.

[belette]

So i have succeeded in making an ultra low profile bezel set ring in gold, unfortunately not with a rose cut labradorite as i slipped while setting it, labradorite flew off to the land where all the lost stones and odd socks must be hanging out, bezel wall bent over, argh! I managed to fix the bezel - albeit with a significantly more rustic look than it had before and changed the stone out for some blue paua shell. This wasn't the end of the errors as the bits of the bezel where the shank joined were a nightmare to try to push over as I'd not left enough of a lip, so i then put a nice scratch in the cab. Whoops! Fortunately the customer is only me so the fact that the bezel is now battered doesn't matter. My first time working with gold and really liked how it polished up.

[Dennis]

Some suggestions:
1. Practice with copper and an unwanted cab first.
2. When working with stones, lean over the bench and work on a towel or non bounce cloth. Do not use tweezers, but pick them up with BluTack, or similar.
3. When trying in stones in a bezel cup, lay some dental floss across the bottom to yank them out by.

That said labradorite is notorious for flaking, so look out for cracks before you start. Dennis.

[belette]

Thanks Dennis -with this one the problem occurred when the stone was already in place in the bezel seat midway through being set. Somehow I pressed too hard and the side wall bent over ejecting the stone at speed! I still haven't found the original stone. I invested in a proper bench vice after that as I'd been using a ring clamp and wedge which I think was making things more difficult at setting stage. The quality of my bezels has definitely improved since!

One of the issues I have with working with gold is that I find it rather expensive especially when you factor in the wastage from piercing out bezel backs, trimming wire etc. Wondering if for larger, more elaborate pieces (ideally with calibrated stones) I might be better off making a master in silver and sucking up the cost of mould making and cast - not sure how it would compare.

[theresa]

Why not save the gold for the bezel only, it can make a lovely contrast set on silver, but you need to use a higher carat otherwise there isn't enough contrast. You could then add tiny blobs of leftover gold as accents.

[belette]

Why not save the gold for the bezel only, it can make a lovely contrast set on silver, but you need to use a higher carat otherwise there isn't enough contrast. You could then add tiny blobs of leftover gold as accents.

That's a nice idea, I recently made a different version of this ring in silver with curlicue type things on the shank, would look good with a gold bezel. I do like mixed metals (my own wedding set is a palladium and yellow gold combo) :D

Would you use gold solder or silver solder to achieve the silver/gold join? i tend to use hard solder wherever i can if it makes any difference.

[Dennis]

Would you use gold solder or silver solder to achieve the silver/gold join? i tend to use hard solder wherever i can if it makes any difference.

When you solder, gold to silver, some is likely to spill out or go astray. So the answer is to use the colour which will cause least mess. For instance for a gold setting to a silver ring, use silver and place it on the inside of the bezel. Dennis.

[enigma]

If the bezel wall collapsed in as you pushed its likely that the stone was not 100% square/even inside the bezel.
If you are soldering gold onto silver its normal to use silver solder :)