Setting a marquise on a tube

[Julian]

I have a design which calls for a marquis to be set on a silver tube. I am just not sure how to approach it. Is the a procedure for cutting a marquise baring ?



Julian

[Kwant]

Marquise are probably my favourite stones to set, most usually bezel set, though I have prong set them too. I use a quite long winded process of taking a photo of the stone and creating a template for the seat on the computer then pierce it out.

How are you intending to set it?

[Dennis]

To make the collet, turn the stone upside down, saw and file the centre of the strip so that it can be bent to fit one end. Form around the stone and pinch together at the other end with self closing tweezers or artery forceps and solder. This is quite easy if you cut your strip from 0.4 or 0.5 mm fine silver.

To make a bearer you would normally make a second smaller collet to fit inside the first one, but probably not solder it in, or just tack it. A more skilled person might use a scorper to cut a bearer.

For the tube you show, I would shape the base of the collet to fit and solder it on. For shaping I would wrap some coarse sandpaper around a small rod or drill shank to create a tool of the right diameter. Then run the base of the collet up and down it until it fits the tube.

Once the collet is soldered on I would not make a conventional bearer as described above, but just make a lozenge shaped hole in the tube using small round burrs, to stabilise the culet.

All I haven’t mentioned is the height of the collet. A generous guess will have to do. For rubbing over you need an outside bevel and very little excess metal-a quarter to a third of a millimetre only. Alternatively you can leave it longer and cut U-shaped divisions to make claws.

Lastly you can opt for a tapering collet, which requires curved strip Dennis.

[lopez]

Hey Julian, if you're going to set the marquis stone into a tube using the rub over method stick the stone to the tube and draw around it ( super glue or a sweet works well, super glue will need super glue remover and a sweet just hot water) remove the stone and remove the metal slowly with a suitable burr until the stones girdle sits 'just below the metal', make sure you drill into the points with a round burr then slowly push the metal over the stone, burnish and bright cut. Remember if the tube is thin fill it before setting to avoid it collapsing (I use thermo plastic). Good luck.

[Kwant]

and what is "sweet' would a Werthers Original do?

[lopez]

sounds good or any hard candy- always found bees wax to messy.

[Kwant]

great any excuse to get the toffees in

[Dennis]

Hey Julian, if you're going to set the marquis stone into a tube using the rub over method stick the stone to the tube and draw around it ( super glue or a sweet works well, super glue will need super glue remover and a sweet just hot water) remove the stone and remove the metal slowly with a suitable burr until the stones girdle sits 'just below the metal', make sure you drill into the points with a round burr then slowly push the metal over the stone, burnish and bright cut. Remember if the tube is thin fill it before setting to avoid it collapsing (I use thermo plastic). Good luck.

Lopez, it seems you are describing flush setting, but taking the proportions drawn by Julian, when the sides of the girdle are correctly placed, the top and bottom will be well inside the tube cavity.

Of course one could thicken the tube by placing a second well fitting section of tubing inside, but I think the appearance would be better using a collet. Dennis

[Kwant]

Dennis there is no way you could possibly know what julian was on about from that drawing it is a rectangle with a diamond shape on it, no indication of how he was going to set it, claw, bezel or basket. Julian did not give enough information to know quite what he was up to and given that we know he is dyslexic adds to the confusion!!!!

[Patstone]

I thought thermo plastic went liquid when heated, or is the temperature used to solder not hot enough to melt it.

Hey Julian, if you're going to set the marquis stone into a tube using the rub over method stick the stone to the tube and draw around it ( super glue or a sweet works well, super glue will need super glue remover and a sweet just hot water) remove the stone and remove the metal slowly with a suitable burr until the stones girdle sits 'just below the metal', make sure you drill into the points with a round burr then slowly push the metal over the stone, burnish and bright cut. Remember if the tube is thin fill it before setting to avoid it collapsing (I use thermo plastic). Good luck.