After cutting the seat, clean the burs off the prongs before placing
the stone into the crown. Use a graver to cut the burs away, or
scrape them off with your tweezers. Then, polish the inside of the
crown before continuing the setting process. It’s the little “extra”
that makes the ordinary into extraordinary. Brad Simon CMBJ
www.BWSimon.com
Use bent chain nose pliers to set stones with, instead of regular
chain nose pliers. Then, your hand and the body of the pliers will
be out of your line of sight, allowing you a better view of the work
you are doing. Brad Simon CMBJ www.BWSimon.com
Before setting stones, line the bottom of your lap tray with a piece
of leather, mat board, or cloth. This will protect stones from the
metal bottom if dropped into the tray. Brad Simon CMBJ www.BWSimon.com
Do not use highly polished tools to push prongs over stones. They
will have a tendency to slip off the prong and possibly damage the
stone.
Brad Simon CMBJ
www.BWSimon.com
Sometimes it is difficult to see where the stone’s pavilion is
hitting the inside of the crown. To help in determining where the
stone touches the crown, dust the inside of the crown with powder.
Then, carefully place the stone in the crown and press down gently.
Carefully lift the stone from the crown and examine the pavilion.
Powder will remain on the stone at the points of contact with the
crown, allowing you to know where extra metal needs to be removed
before setting the stone. Brad Simon CMBJ www.BWSimon.com
I was taught to use lipstick on the bottom of the stone, when you
place the stone in position and it will leave a mark where the metal
needs to be removed.
Terri Collier
Dallas, TX
@Terri_Collier