Search:

Thanks Peter - I contacted Sam and her prices are very reasonable, so will be sending some stones to her.

Both Peter. Even though my finished pieces are relatively inexpensive and no-one is going to buy them for heirlooms, I wanted to be sure of the authenticity of some of my stones.Who is Kerry?
Thanks

Can anyone recommend a company who can authenticate gemstones? Also, is it expensive?

I've used joint tubing for really small stones and it works very well.

James - your work is always perfect, I have yet to see any flaws. Wonderful

I have already made the bezel setting which I thought would give the edges the best protection (the client likes it). Claws would be too harsh leaving the edges vulnerable to chipping.

I have a very uneven boulder to set and wondered if I put some blue tack underneath if this would work?
I can't play around with the Opal very much because the layer of Opal is very thin and I am...

What about a prong mount? I've made a few of those for odd shaped stones (meteorite for a male friend)

..or if she has a favourite ring she could send it to you and you could work out the size by placing it on your ring mandrel.

Is the book in English? I looked it up and it's only available from Germany

Thank you Jules, I really appreciate that. I'm sending them to be hallmarked, so hopefully they will be on sale soon.

Betts Metals are offering free refining for February, but you need to get your skates on. Give them a ring, you get the best price if they credit it to your a/c to be used against future purchases.

Thanks Dennis. I have decided to do them that way in future. Proper mitres are much too fiddly. I love making boxes. Only problem is, will they sell? I'm using 1mm sterling so they feel really nice...

That photo is before they were soldered, so 2 pieces to be soldered at the mitre. Needed to keep them close, no gaps. That was the problem I had. Anyway, I have now joined everything together and...

This is what I have made so far. Square ones are proving to be challenging, they call for absolute accuracy.....12890

Actually, I just thought of bending a titanium strip which would hold them...

Yes Caroline, I did consider wiring them. I go to bed and my brain is going through all sorts of ways to achieve my goal, and then you get that Eureka moment!

Thanks Dennis, but I am ok with cutting the mitres and also the scoring method. It's supporting the loose pieces for the first L shape that I found tricky. It always seems to take ages setting...

Hi - does anyone have experience of soldering mitres for a box? I have cut out 4 pieces and managed to solder 2 together but found it incredibly difficult to hold the mitres in place accurately. I...

Why not buy the discs ready cut? Cooksons have a good range as well as Bellore Rashbel. It may be more cost effective for you that way.

If you use Argentium or Fine Silver, you will get nice smooth ones. But snipping off regular size pieces makes them more even. I've even weighed out scrap and melted that into small balls.

...me too. :dance:

Peter Keep, a master jeweller, has a jewellery school in Perth and he & Soham are also friends going back donkeys years. Soham also used to teach at the school.

If you weigh out small amounts you can easily melt them on a charcoal block into 'blobs' and hammer them on a steel block to make simple earrings. I find it very therapeutic watching silver melt!...

Personally, I think the best online training is Jewellery Training Solutions. The lessons are beautifully photographed and easy to follow with lots of close-ups. They are also offering a substantial...

You could also look at lessons by Soham Harrison on YouTube. His very early ones are extremely helpful and I learnt a lot from watching them. I also made a load of jump rings in different sizes which...