Diamond setter Berlin DVD advice

[mikethejeweller]

Has any one bought one of the 3 DVDs by Vitalij Kricuk? they are €199 each so quite expensive, im mostly interested in Pave/bead style setting, do you think they are worth the money and if someone has the 3, which one covers pave/bead style setting the most, I have Diamond Setting Bead & Bright cut setting DVD by Don Glaser and the Up-Close dvd by sam alfano which are both good but the clips on you tube of the Vitalij Kricuk look far supperior and also go into tool modification etc, If anyone has any info or thoughts on these DVDs i would be glad to hear them cheers.

jeffsjrc live co uk

[Gemsetterchris]

Apparently there is no vocal speech only background music..so basically it`s a case of watch & copy.
You can do that much with viewing the clips rather than paying out..actually i was looking to buy them myself a while ago for the fun of it..but got no response via email..
I think you can get the idea easy enough anyway, it`s just takes abit
of practice like anything else..there's no magic wand available.
As for tools, you use abit of imagination & change things if you think you can to work better for what you want to achieve.
Old grain tools being one of the best sources of "custom tool" blanks.

[ps_bond]

Just watched the 3 advert clips; there's a lot in them. Is that a Jura ring mandrel he's using?

[Gemsetterchris]

Just watched the 3 advert clips; there's a lot in them. Is that a Jura ring mandrel he's using?

Might be. Like I said, when you boil it all down there is nothing "magic",
It's all theory & practice, practice...
Same with engraving..design/cut ..
Some get the knack better than others, but so long as you know what you are trying to do, that helps.

[Goldsmith]

You might like to check out the Goldsmiths Company Masterclass DVDs, they are only £15 each and there is an introduction to diamond setting one available, this is the description of the craftsman shown on this DVD.
David Basford worked as a setter for English Artworks and is a true master of his craft. In this training film, he explains the key principles and demonstrates the main techniques of this highly skilled profession.

For those who don't know, English Artworks is the London workshop of Cartier.

See;http://www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk/libra...terclass-dvds/

James

[mikethejeweller]

Iv read loads of books and watched DVD but I suppose you can't beat hands on experience, the trouble I find with the books and DVD iv had so far is that there is a few different methods of achieving the same goal. I was just hoping to find someone fairly local where I could go for a day or 2 just to refine my skills

[Wallace]

You could try

http://www.whitneyjewelleryschool.co.uk/diamond.html

[mikethejeweller]

I did look at the website yesterday, not many photographs of his pave/bead setting on there and was wondering how good he is. Has anyone tried his setting course or can vouch for his setting skills, its just that I did a day course with a jeweller before and his skill level was not much better than what I was already capable of.
I have just ordered Alexander Sidorovs picture book and a few new tools from him and I'm going to carry on practising until I can find a good Gem setter who's willing to take me under his wing for a day or 2. I would love to go to Alexander's school of jewellery for his 5 day course but its finding the time off work and I think its around €1800 and times are hard goldsmiths

[Gemsetterchris]

Iv read loads of books and watched DVD but I suppose you can't beat hands on experience, the trouble I find with the books and DVD iv had so far is that there is a few different methods of achieving the same goal. I was just hoping to find someone fairly local where I could go for a day or 2 just to refine my skills

There is a few ways, you just need to figure what works best for you..that means trying to learn the pro`s & con´s of all methods & doing what works for you for a particular job.
Sometimes you can spend all day, sometimes you need to do a budget version.
your picture is abit difficult to see everything..but you have some neat stuff there, plus a few bits i can`t make out.

getting the "grains" lined up symmetrically helps by making marks with a tool or fine pen upfront, or by doing all the cutting /drilling first.
You can do a neat job either way.
I`m sure you`ll get that bit of extra help sooner or later, your well on your way by the look of it which is great.

[ShinyLauren]

Mike, I did three days with Guy Whitney and I think he's a great teacher. Not sure why there's no pics of his pave on the website, he showed me loads of pictures whilst I was there.

Obviously I'm a beginner stone setter so pretty much everything he did looked awesome to me, but he's a really nice guy - I'm sure if you emailed him and asked for some example pics of his pave, or just ask if he thinks he'd be the right tutor for you, I'm sure he'd be able to help.