Is it just me, or do other people tear their hair out too setting
accent stones ? I was setting a beautiful deep African amethyst with
four 3mm accents this afternoon (in 14K yellow gold). Went looking
through my stash for some compatible accent stones. Hmmm…some nice
fancy spinel of just the right color, 3mm !. Four of them - crack
went the first one. Uh-oh - nothing else that would work as an
accent. Put the amethyst aside for the next ring order. Well, I had
a beautiful aquamarine the same size as the amethyst and a big stash
of 3mm aquas, so I decided to do all aquas. But what a time ! Mainly
problems with recalcitrant prongs, all of which I managed to clean up
nicely, with no small effort. Three and a half hours later I finally
had my setting, which my wife immediately wanted to claim when she
came home and saw it. I wanted to throw it against the wall ! But it
did turn out to be a stunner. I just wondered how many other people
go through similar sturm und drang to get a piece together.
Brian Corll
Brian Corll, Inc.
1002 East Simpson Street
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
I just did a ring that had two 2mm accents to go aside a pink
tourmaline oval. It was very annoying. The only items I had on hand
were 2 white sapphire rounds that I used. I need more magnification!
They went in OK and looked nice but it took me awhile to get them
nice and straight, etc. I have another ring that has 8 2mm accents
that I have to do that I’m holding off on to let my blood pressure
go back down! 
Craig
www.creativecutgems.com
Brian…are you kidding? Its a certainty!!
For example, many years ago while posted to Taiwan (where I learned
the trade), I was cutting a lot of opals. I did a beautiful set of
black opals and my wife decided she wanted them set. At the time I
was not yet doing setting so we went to my favorite jeweler and he
set the stones in a 14KYG setting. It was alright but nothing
stunning. Move ahead many years. I decided to reset the stones and
designed a rather nice 18KYG piece with two of the stones and 13
diamonds. For the most part it was straight forward until one of the
opals cracked even before setting it. So I recut it into three stones
and redesigned the piece. Did the setting and then…I noticed a
serious crack along a part of the trouble stone where there was a bit
of an internal problem. By the time it was already in and complete
the crack had gotten much worse. Now…I not only have to take that
stone out but I have to try to match the set and do it all over
again! Meanwhile, my wife wears it anyway.
Ain’t life wonnerful?
Cheers from Don at The Charles Belle Studio in SOFL where simple
elegance IS fine jewelry!
Craig,
Last year I bought a silver setting that has 18 accent stones around
the perimeter. I don’t want to go near that one ! I keep it sitting
around and laugh at my folly for buying the darn thing. Four stones
is my limit, otherwise I’ll buy a semi.
Brian Corll
Brian Corll, Inc.
1002 East Simpson Street
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055