Advice on stoneset pendant modification

[Faith]

Hi all,

A friend of mine has asked for help / advice re this pendant:



It's British mined fluorite, not assayed but stamped "silver" on the back, and its old, it was inherited.
The top of the bezel wall is flush with the top of the stone, and most of the bezel wall slopes outwards (out from the base), which struck me as odd, maybe the stone is just held in by tension but I worried if there could be adhesive in there.

It's owner likes the stone but not the setting, specially the beaded edging. They asked if I could reset it, which I do not feel confident enough to do, but I did wonder about simply filing the edging away and re polishing, and smoothing the tiny bit of edging that would be left connecting the jump ring.

I'm mainly after advice as to whether the best option is:

• To recommend taking it to a professional jeweller, who might be able to reset it
• Or to offer to file the edging away and repolish, and whether there are any potential pitfalls to that, like the whole setting falling appart!

Many thanks for the help,

Faith

[metalsmith]

It appears to be Blue John fluorite mined in Derbyshire. It can still be found but is reasonably rare and quite pricey; the point being that care should be taken with the stone. Fluorite can chip quite easily tho' it appears to have a good thickness. If simply flattening the detailing is what the friend wants then go for that. If it is to be reset, then care should be taken with the extraction.

I can't really comment on whether or not glue has been used. It only takes a few degrees of slope for a bezel to hold a stone quite securely. This doesn't prevent the use of glue, particularly where the setter does not have full confidence in the setting.

[Dennis]

It would not be difficult to release the stone with saw cuts Faith and make a plain modern setting. However if you are not confident, then listen to your inner voice.

Filing, or grinding it will produce a dogs dinner, particularly in relation to the area around the jump ring and if it overheats in the process it could crumble in places.

There is no shame in declining it in a friendly way, but there is in making a mess of it. Dennis.

[Aurarius]

There is no shame in declining it in a friendly way, but there is in making a mess of it. Dennis.

That's a great answer, Dennis.

Very often people who give you things like this to do have already taken the item to a high-street jeweller and been deterred by the price for what is probably an a*se of a job. They come to you because they want professional skills at amateur prices. They won't be slow to express shock horror if things go wrong.

[Faith]

Thanks for the advice everyone, much appreciated
Faith