Bullet shaped gemstones

Hi, I am wondering if anybody knows how a bullet gemstone is set?

Thanks!

It really depends on what you are making, also the size and type of bullet shape gemstone you are referring to. Try to add a photo of the stone and design and you may get clearer answers.


James

Thanks James,

I'm hoping to make a torc bracelet (3mm round wire) and have the following bullet-shaped peridots set on each end. I was thinking that a 4 x 6mm stone could work nicely but don't know how the setting works.

Thanks!

Attachment 9375

Having set (or in some cases failed to set) some 'Bullet' shaped cabs recently, I can honestly say that it depends on the shape of the 'Bullet'. Some have parallel or near-parallel sides up to near the final tip and are impossible to set in a rollover bezel setting without high walls covering the sides until the stone starts its final taper, which IMHO is pretty pointless. Others start to taper inwards just above the base and are in reality high-domed but pointy round cabochons and these can be rollover bezel set in the same manner as ordinary round cabochons. I pondered about getting a groove cut near to the base of the parallel walled variety and rolling a bezel into the groove or using a hidden sprung setting, but time is too precious to waste it on such fiddly operations on the small low-valued samples I had experimented with. I haven't tried, yet, but I would expect the same wall profiles would also restrict how a claw setting would need to be constructed to hold them.

Edit: By the time I posted this, a picture had also been posted. That looks very much like one of the types I had some success with, not parallel walled but near-so with just a slight taper for quite a lot of the depth. From my experience, you can get these types firmly set in a reasonably low bezel setting, but it has to be as tight as tight can be, so you will probably need a thicker walled bezel than you expect so that it doesn't spring back as you roll it over, as thin-walled bezels can tend to. Note: I have only tried these bullet cabs with sterling silver and gilding metal, maybe fine silver would produce the tightness required, but would it last?

Paul

I have had mixed success with bullets. Power to your elbow, a deeper than usual setting and filing the bezel top third more than usual seemed to help me. Mostly biceps though!

The problem is leverage. A normal cabochon is rounded and by its very nature resits removal from a well fitting bezel. The bullet can be worked on by repeated bumps to loosen it

This can be countered by making a taller bezel as suggested by Lydia, grooving the stone just below the bezel edge and/or applying a little slow setting epoxy glue prior to setting. Dennis.

i found that some stones also have a slightly rounded base to add to the problems of movement and need a wee bit of epoxy to fix
t

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tm*

i found that some stones also have a slightly rounded base to add to the problems of movement and need a wee bit of epoxy to fix
t

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or a quick grind? the base is hidden