Just working on this ring for me Im almost done now, just have to set some more stones tomorrow. In the meantime, Im having an issue with getting the heavy silver prongs to sit flush against the center stone, springback is driving me nuts (I hate silver) I have abused the damned thing with everything going including pounding it with the gravermach hammer handpiece but still there is .3mm ish between the tips and the stone. Any suggestions? I am thinking of just filing the prongs back a smidge to where it does meet, but Id rather not if i can figure out some other way.
Hi Lucy, I have been admiring your work in progress, but most suggestions about the prongs would be too late in the day (Cutting a notch inside the prongs before bending, annealing again when partly bent, but the stone not yet trapped, leaving the prongs long until you are sure they are quite down).
My only remaining suggestion other than shortening them, which you don't want, would be to insert a saw blade under each prong and saw in about 1.0 mm. this would give you the relief to lower them a little more. In fact I suspect you could do that more then once.
I do think a hand pusher would be better, as an automatic mallet probably work hardens the prongs and makes them resist more. Dennis.
I have got them down a fraction further, but Im sure its me being a perfectionist.... anyway this one is for me, so if its not quite perfect its ok. Next time I will definitely do as much pushing by hand as I can and only resort to the air power at the last minute, I think you are right that they got work hardened too quickly, and I would anneal the prongs again for sure, at the last possible moment. Anyway, its finished now and sitting happily on my finger
As Dennis says - if you can notch in about the girdle with a fine sawblade, that would have helped (weakened the claws a fraction though) - with the caveats on the hardness of the stone though. I wouldn't have grabbed the hammer handpiece for that either; I'd have used pliers if they were big enough, followed by a hand pusher.
It looks a nice piece of work - were the back & surround domed with a doming block? And any chance of a close-up of the settings around the amethyst?
As an aside, other than Jewellery Manufacture and Repair, are there any books that detail the construction of more traditional jewellery? That's the only one I can think of that describes a basket-back cluster setting thoroughly, for example.
Last edited by ps_bond; 05-09-2011 at 10:05 AM.
Reason: typo
I started out with pliers, and got the prongs to a good location, then used a hammer and punch to do it manually, then hit it with the hammer handpiece - so the springback definitely occured with the use of the hammer handpiece.... I will use it sparingly with silver prongs going forwards. I could put a sawblade underthere, but I think I would end up with a worse situation and no contact because of the spring back. I would not use pliers at this stage though for fear of marking the metal on the ring, they remove chunks very easily out of silver.
The bottom was domed and pierced, but the top was made from 2.5mm sq wire originially and then formed, domed and filed to fit the stone then holes drilled and azures cut.
Unfortunately there are no books that I have found on making real jewellery, it all tends to be more arty stuff.
THese are the only pics I have as now, but I'll get the camera out later and hopefully get some better shots!
Process pics of a ring Im working on
Im almost done now, just have to set some more stones tomorrow. In the meantime, Im having an issue with getting the heavy silver prongs to sit flush against the center stone, springback is driving me nuts (I hate silver) I have abused the damned thing with everything going including pounding it with the gravermach hammer handpiece but still there is .3mm ish between the tips and the stone. Any suggestions? I am thinking of just filing the prongs back a smidge to where it does meet, but Id rather not if i can figure out some other way.
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