First ever claw setting (help!)

[Faith]

Thanks Chris,

Yeah I know you couldn't possibly cover all the variation Here's one of the garnets:



Not an awesome photo I'm afraid but you can hopefully see a definite flat edge to the girdle. The stone is 4mm and the flat girdle "band" is maybe about 0.3mm high.

What would you do with him?

Thanks Faith

Actually: here's an attempt in a bit of wire:



I used the tiny heart burr and gradually widened the cut trying to keep the depth the same. It's too deep for a seat, so I need to start shallower. But is that a decent method? It matches the profile of the stone much better than my previous attempts.

Faith

[Gemsetterchris]

You seem to have grasped the idea nicely..now keep practicing.

[Faith]

Thanks Chris,

The most recent one was awful in the end, but I know why so that's something More to come.

Faith

[Gemsetterchris]

Learn by your mistakes, it's the only way!
There is a very fine line between success & failure with all settings & lots of other jobs.
Take your time first & speed will follow..even then be careful.

[Faith]

Hi all,

So I've been persisting with the claw setting practice (I'm wearing new stud earrings a lot at the moment!), and I have a question...

How do professional setters mark or otherwise keep track of the orientation of a round stone in relation to the setting, so as to cut each claw individually for an irregularly shaped girdle.

After realising that "hope for the best" was not a great strategy, I've taken to using a fine waterproof marker to put a black spot on one claw, and a black spot on the edge of the table of the stone. Then every time I try the stone against a cut claw I can line up the dots.

It works and it cleans off, but I'm wondering if professionals have a better method than my "stone graffiti"?

Many thanks

Faith

PS I'm basically out of practice time now, the next ones will be gold

[Dennis]

I swear by the marker and the methsy smelling rag, but then I'm a dedicated amateur. Why stop at black though? Dennis.

[Faith]

Lol you're clearly used to the endless stationary based delights of London Dennis, out here in the sticks, the marker pens are black. What's electricity again? :p

Faith

[josef1]

You can use dividers measure from the girdle to the table then flatten of the claws and measure down off each one and scribe a line on the inside of the claw its still a bit of a guess but they are all equally wrong then

[Faith]

Hi Josef,

Thanks - that's a much better method than ive been using for that part actually.

But what I meant tho was, suppose you measure the stone at 12,3,6,9 o'clock, how do you know where 12 o'clock is all the way through the setting process? I've been drawing a mark on the stone in marker pen to deliniate 12, and marking my "12" claw, but I was wondering if others did differently?

It's not that my way doesn't work, I was just interested what others do,

Faith

[josef1]

Ah I see sorry I misunderstood, Tippex or a marker pen is good. the tricks to buy nicely cut stones so you dont need to