Hi there, Is there any resource with on casting inplace
with heat treated natural multi-color sapphire? I’m assuming that
high temperature beryllium treatment is a likelihood, it’s almost
unavoidable any more in the small multicolor mix sapphires.
What I’m wondering is are there any special considerations as far as
the chance of color change after the burnout process or the
possibility of flux/glass fillings dissolving or melting out? I will
be doing my best to avoid glass filled stones but I realize it is a
possibility. Thanks for everything, Dugoutski
Nooooo! Don’t do it!
I watched a former bone headed boss of mine, against my advice, take
heat to a 13 plus carat golden sapphire. It turned clear and white
as glass. Most saphs today are heat treated and or filled and will
not survive a burn out and casting. The only stones I’d recommend for
this are synthetic saphs and untreated diamonds.
My former boss boss had to buy a 14 carat golden sapphire and have
it recut to fit the customer’s mounting. A very expensive fix.
Have fun and make lots of jewelry.
Jo Haemer
timothywgreen.com
Thanks Jo, I was certainly not thinking of trying this with anything
beyond half a carat, mostly .25-.4, about 6-15 stones per piece but
it would still be a loss in terms of time and effort. I have done it
before with heat treated rubies and had good success, but that was
before the glass filling got so out of hand. I’ll be buying at the
Bangkok show this year. I know some vendors I can generally trust
but I may have to spend a bit more to get unfilled stones.
Unfortunately I don’t do synthetics, and diamonds aren’t my thing.
If it’s not possible I may have to find another way of setting the
stones. I’m not a pave person but I could make tiny beads with wax
around the holes where the stones would sit and use setting burs
after casting to cut a proper seat and then push the little beads
down over the stones with a beading tool. I know that bead setting
is normally done by raising a bead with a graver but why not make
the beads in wax? Of coursethen I would need very well calibrated
stones which would cost yet more. but is that an acceptable way of
setting? It’s maybe a silly question but being mostly self taught
sometimes there’s no way around the dumb questions. Thanks again,
it’s so great to have this resource. I’ve beentrying to answer a
question for every one I ask. 
Dug- We pre cut and drill out our bead set areas when making a wax.
We still raise the beads in the metal though.
You do not use a beading tool to raise the beads. A beading tool is
only to shape them after they have been raised up and over the stone.
It would do you good to learn how to bead set in metal. It’s not
rocket science. Mostly it’s all about the gravers and having them
perfectly shaped, sharpened and polished. Practice on silver with
czs.
-Jo Haemer
Dug. There are videos on Yutube describing in detail the creation of
wax beads for stones. Google, Google “wax beads for stones.” there
are several sites, some for large stones and a couple for tiny
stones. In each, the seat forthe stones are cut first, then the tiny
wax beads applied to the wax model. Alma