Todays effort, i have found square stones are hard to set.

[ps_bond]

When they're paying appropriately I can forgive a lot

[sam.k]

I think it's time I buy a book on setting rather then just keep trying to figure it out, maybe I'm over reaching with my skill level a bit.

[ps_bond]

In no particular order...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Sto.../dp/140810945X
http://www.amazon.com/Techniques-Mas.../dp/0960789235
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-technolo.../dp/2880120454
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guide-Gemsto.../dp/1408154994

And for completeness, although I'm not so fond of them these days -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Diamond-Sett.../dp/0961354518 & the other titles

There's also http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mounting-Set.../dp/1408109123 but I'm not that keen on it.
I've skim read http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stonesetting.../dp/184448906X and felt it was *very* basic and not worth my getting it.

I don't think there's anything on the market that covers "newer" stone setting methods in detail, but if you can see & understand what's going on then http://www.grstools.com/books/jewelr...g/023-114.html is a good read, if not it's a very entertaining picture book

[Gemsetterchris]

I think it's time I buy a book on setting rather then just keep trying to figure it out, maybe I'm over reaching with my skill level a bit.

A book can help a lot but you are also learning very much by experimenting..also it would help if you slowed down abit, think ahead & visualise while designing/planning.

[sam.k]

I've been eying up the one from Anastasia young, would it be a good place to start?
I think slowing down is just the ticket Chris, I think I'm trying to learn it all at once without really waiting for past lessons to sink in.

[ps_bond]

...visualise while designing/planning.

Absolutely!

I've been eying up the one from Anastasia young, would it be a good place to start?

It's nice eye candy and it'll give some ideas - less dry than e.g. Grether (which is very traditional in style).

[Nick martin]

Brilliant book.. but John Cogswell is even better imo.

NIck

[Gemsetterchris]

Your visualising imagination is quite a powerful tool with abit of practice.
I quite often do jobs in my head by using different methods quite realistically to see how they might pan out & can see pitfalls & get a better idea of what`ll work (or not)..without actually laying a finger on the job.
Most probably you can do that for the actual making of the job too.

Actually I tend to do that for a lot of everyday things & projects which drives my other half nuts she being more of a get on with it & see what happens type.

[sam.k]

If I where to solder a prong onto either side of the current prongs (so there's 8 in total) do we think that would hold things better?
Just thrashing out ideas.

[Aurarius]

If I where to solder a prong onto either side of the current prongs (so there's 8 in total) do we think that would hold things better?
Just thrashing out ideas.

It's certainly possible. You'll need to choose your solder carefully and not go mad with the torch.

One other book on setting not yet mentioned is http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/3...ilpage_o00_s00
It's methodical and very well illustrated, and, bibliographically speaking, a fine piece of publishing.

If you're teaching yourself setting you need as many books as you can get because they all show and tell you slightly different things or at least in a slightly different way. Getting a different angle on a job often helps to clarify things that haven't already been clarified by reading the earlier books you've read. Actually doing the job helps to clarify things even better, of course, as Chris has said.

BTW, I've got the Wooding book Peter has linked to. Can anyone tell me whether his books Channel Setting and Bead Setting cover entirely new ground or repeat quite a bit of the content in the Diamond Setting book? I'll probably end up getting them anyway, but i'd like to know how many pages of new content I'm actually going to be getting for my money.