Emerald cut emerald halo split shank Pavé ring

[Aurarius]

It looks an impressive feat.

Have all the seats for the white stones been drilled out with ball burrs, or did you use hart/setting burrs as well?
I can see you've used cylinder burrs to cut between the holes to create "prongs". Can you tell us what tool/s you used to push the "prongs" over on to the white stones?

Go easy on that emerald when pushing down on the prongs.

[josef1]

I used just ball burrs the stones were 1,5mm ish I used a 1,5mm burr and a 0.8mm burr just to take the bottoms out of the 'craters' to give the culet a bit more clearance and bylindrical burrs to cut the rest up



then a tool I ground myself from a broken burr shaft it looks like a tiny flat screw driver with the end sharpend this is to split the prongs, thats the bit I struggle with I do it by hand and its difficult to feel how deep you go and sometimes I end up cutting bits of the prong off.



Then a rounding tool to make the prongs nice over the stones I also struggled with this at first my prongs looked like little fried eggs I wasnt taking enough metal away because I was scared of going to thin. but It turns out you dont actually need that much metal over the stones. As I said Im trying to teach myself so I'm far from an expert Its just the way I have decided to do things but on the bright side I am finding it quite therapeutic well up until it goes wrong that is

[Aurarius]

Thanks for the further info.

I've only recently started practising bead setting. I've found graver preparation fairly straightforward, and also raising grains and rounding them with beading tools, though choosing the right size of beading tool can be a bit hit and miss, as you say.

The really difficult bits for me at the moment are accurately laying things out and drilling/burring exactly in the right spot and then trimming and bright cutting round the beads to leave a neat background.

Getting close enough to see what I'm doing is a bit of a problem as I don't have a microscope, and my eyes aren't young any more. After a while my eyes seem to lose their ability to distinguish one surface from another as all the different facets of shiny metal just blur together. That's usually the time to take a break. I've told myself I'll get a scope when I can do competent bead work with just optivisors. I might have a bit of a wait at the present rate.

[ps_bond]

I've only recently started practising bead setting. I've found graver preparation fairly straightforward, and also raising grains and rounding them with beading tools, though choosing the right size of beading tool can be a bit hit and miss, as you say.

This style is fractionally easier than the traditional grain raising in many ways due to the removal of surrounding metal (and bright cutting) prior to the stone going in. My usage is only fractionally different - I'd use 1.3, 1.4, 1.5mm burrs for the seat (stepped to give culet clearance) along with a very fine tapered cylinder for most of the metal removal. Carbide gravers for all the bright cutting and the bead splitter is carbide too (mostly for the polish it'll take and keep).

The really difficult bits for me at the moment are accurately laying things out and drilling/burring exactly in the right spot and then trimming and bright cutting round the beads to leave a neat background.

For layout, I don't place the centres of the stones, but the edges - so for 1.5mm stones I'd set the calipers at say 1.65mm and mark out each bay. Then when drilling & burring seats, instead of doing them in order I drill 1, 3, 2, 5, 4 etc. etc. - that way you can eyeball the separation between each stone more readily & balance it.

Getting close enough to see what I'm doing is a bit of a problem as I don't have a microscope, and my eyes aren't young any more. After a while my eyes seem to lose their ability to distinguish one surface from another as all the different facets of shiny metal just blur together. That's usually the time to take a break. I've told myself I'll get a scope when I can do competent bead work with just optivisors. I might have a bit of a wait at the present rate.

About all I can usefully suggest is to see if dulling the surface with a pounce bag helps? Occasionally you see decent (older) stereo scopes come up on EBay for more reasonable prices, but not all that often.

[enigma]

Ive never been brave enough to give it a go, the whole idea of setting out neatly enough sends me into convulsions lol

[Aurarius]

My usage is only fractionally different - I'd use 1.3, 1.4, 1.5mm burrs for the seat (stepped to give culet clearance)

Thanks for the tips.

I've not met that technique and wouldn't have considered using it until you and Josef mentioned it. Presumably it's a technique usually reserved for small stones, though I suppose it would work on bigger ones too as long as the stepping is gradual enough.

About all I can usefully suggest is to see if dulling the surface with a pounce bag helps?

I've read about that in Leibold's book but not tried it yet. I will do. Maybe slightly oxidising the metal before drilling/cutting would help, but then you'd have to polish everything again after setting, by which time some places might be impossible to reach.

Occasionally you see decent (older) stereo scopes come up on EBay for more reasonable prices, but not all that often.

Yes, I've followed a few in the past. What the quality of the optics and the condition would be like were a slight concern, as well as the available depth of field and working distance. Among new ones, the Leica A60-F looks inviting, though not from the obvious UK sources (i.e. Walsh's), who mark it up massively. Buying from the States seemed like a possible option before Sterling took a nosedive.

If you, or others, have any firm recommendations when it comes to new scopes (whether in the modest budget or dream budget categories) I'd be very interested to hear them.

[josef1]

I started with this one http://www.gtvision.co.uk/epages/es1...ngle_Mag_Range it has a long working distance 200+mm from memory but I could be mistaken but its got enough room to get my pendant drill / tools under I think I bolted it to the bench with the base reversed in the end ,it does not have a zoom which I find really helpful but it did serve me well and opened up a new world where I can see small things again I couldnt work without one now been honest must of been true what my Dad said should of listened and stopped. Also the chap I spoke to there was very helpful as I didnt have a clue what I needed when I bought it. I have changed 'up' to a Chinese copy (Meiji I think) with zoom now. If you can I would go for zoom.I did make up a different stand because it came with an acrobat copy type one and I couldnt get on with it. If I was working full time with one I would go for better quality but for now for what Im doing mainly to get out of house work hidden in the workshop its fine for me.But I suppose you get what you pay for

[Aurarius]

Thanks for the information, Josef.
I'll look into the options and have careful think about it before taking the plunge. I know just from my experience of loupes that there are big differences in the quality of the optics among the various choices on offer. And my eyes need all the help they can get really.

[josef1]

I got everything finished this evening, was a bit scary setting the main stone. I think i cuta claw slightly to short and had to cut the others back to match but got away with it just in the end ! Im thinking something purple and maybe rose gold for the next project.

[Dennis]

Congratulations Joseph. Beautiful result. Dennis.