Greetings I’ve been asked to make a set of earrings using eight
princess cut diamonds set in squares to make it look like two large
princess cut diamonds. The question is how do you set these in such a
way that the centre of the diamond square looks like it has no metal
between the stones. I’ve been told that there is a small amount of
white gold between the stones and that the bezel around the four
diamonds in each earring is yellow gold. Does anyone use this
technique in setting diamonds? And if so can you help me do like wise.
I have seen this style of earrings, but they are invisable set
stones. The stones have a small cut around the girdle and the
mountings have metal between the stones in the small groove. my bet
is that this piece of jewelery would be better off ordered.
ringdoc
How does one do invisible set princess cuts…??..What I do know
is there are horrible invisible settings and I cringe when they come
into the shop for repair. Beautiful settings are percise, square and
true…not an easy task to acomplish…but none of our staff can do
that level of work and we send out what we must, so I’ve never seen
the work done…any thoughts out there???
gianna…where the surf is always 3 to 4 feet.
William, sounds like you have been asked to make a designer’s dream
come true. That isn’t unusual in the real world of diamond setting.
It is imperative, as you hinted, that the metal between the diamonds
is at least rhodium plated. Seems that your most tedious task is to
make the setting with zero tolerance. That part is beyond my
expertise, but setting the diamonds is done by burnishing the metal
onto the the girdles with a polished pointed tool. You can make the
tool from a worn cup bur shaft. Just break the cup bur off. Then
round the point by drawing in repeatly over No. 2 then No. 4/0
polishing paper 5-10 times while twisting the shaft to make the point
evenly rounded. To use the point burnisher first place a drop of
cooling oil (or a similiar lubricating fluid) onto the areas to be
burnished. Then draw the tool point repeatedly in one direction
between the metal and diamond. The diamonds must be snuggly seated
for this to work. The metal will be displaced, and if done properly
will option to press onto the diamonds. Be careful, don’t overdo it,
you do not want to flatten the metal! Afterwards, use a sharp flat
graver to straighten the securing metal, and to shave the excess
metal. Let us know how it goes. Good luck. Robert Wooding
Then draw the tool point repeatedly in one direction between the
metal and diamond.
Could you please clarify “draw the tool point repeatedly in one
direction between the metal and diamond”? By between, do you mean
burnishing over the metal toward the center of the diamond, or
something else? Thanks, Brian Charles
I have been setting diamonds for over 32 years and find that trying
to use a burnisher to bring the metal over the edge of the diamond
can be very difficult. Usually the burnisher slips from the pressure
being applied and makes a deep mark on the bezel that is usually
too thin to begin with, and then difficult to polish out. I have
found that thinning the bezel with a file and then using a square
steel hand pusher that has been trimmed to about 2 mm x 1.75 mm and
cut across the face of it with lines in the form of “X”'s, so it will
not slip, will allow you to push the bezel about half way down over
the edge of the stones. Then I use an “allen wrench” with the "L"
portion cut off, so I have a straight hex tool, about 2.5mm in
diameter and about 3/4 of an inch long. Put this into your flex shaft
and pull this across the bezel. This has the same effect as the
burnisher only with more control and you can see the bezel being
forced down on the stone. I have used this method for setting all
types of stones in bezel settings. The only precaution is if setting
a soft stone, keep the tool from touching the stone or it may scratch
the surface of the stone.
Jimmy Eriksson
J. Eriksson’s Gallery
Scottsdale, Arizona
If the bezel was made via the wax casting method, you can make it
0.5mm or even 1.0mm thick and still find it easy to compress either
the punch and hammer method or the by using a hammer handpiece on a
flexshaft. Guess, here the advantage is that a casting is
"spongy"(no, you can’t see the holes even with a loupe), that makes
compressing it a lot easier than working with sheet or wire that has
already been compressed. Making the seats for the princess cuts are
easy the wax method. Take a graph paper a little larger than the 4
diamonds tape it down to prevent it from moving and buckling, tape a
two-way (double sided) tape on to it and place the 4 diamonds table
down, using the graph to correctly align it, leaving space the
thickness of a paper between them (to compensate for the casting
shrinkage). Then pour melted wax directly onto the stones and with
one stroke, four seats are made. Flip it over and construct the
bezel. Another advantage with a casted bezel is that the corners can
be hammered over; no need to cut it. Have been making rings,
pendants, and ear rings without inner metal for over 25 years and
have never had a single complaint. When you hammer the bezel over,
the diamonds “bite” into each other and are locked in position. Min
Azama in Tokyo