G’day; whilst I have never set ‘bullets’ (I think they’re ugly!) I
have set gemstones with parallel sides. I don’t despise the use of
some adhesive, but use it only as a backup - ‘belt and braces’,
(suspenders? In NZ they are what ladies used to wear with stockings!)
Anyway I haven’t noticed a post using exactly the method that I use.
I take a piece of fine silver strip 0.5mm thick by about 2 or 3mm wide
and solder a piece of 0.3mm dia round wire of fine silver very close
to the edge. I use it to make a bezel cup to provide what engineers
call a push fit on the stone. I then take a very thin diamond edged
cut-off wheel and make a narrow cut all round the stone, slightly
below the top of the bezel and use a coarse paper to rough the end of
the stone a little. Next I find a piece of tube with an internal
diameter a little smaller than the bezel (I have even drilled down the
end of a brass rod) and cut a chamfer on the inside using a tapered
reamer. When all is ready I place a dab of high quality epoxy on the
roughed end of the stone, push the stone into the bezel and put the
tube over the bezel cup, tapping it gently and tilting it around a
little. This will set the stone very firmly as the thin wire of the
bezel will fill the cut in the stone and expand to hide the cut when
finally tapped gently with the tube removed. I believe this setting
will last a lifetime, at least. But I’m really no expert; this is
just a simple idea I find useful. Cheers, – John Burgess
@John_Burgess2
Your idea about the notched stone and the special bezel is truly
unique. I’m saving that message. Some day I’ll try it. I’m not
sure I can acurately picture how it is done, but if it works, it’s
got to be brilliant.