Can anyone help me find some silver or basemetal findings for
students in a stone setting course? I am looking for some 4 prong
rings with places for baguttes on the side, also some princess
heads and maybe a pearshape. Rio is pretty limited and stuller and
hoover have very little other than gold. I guess I could always
have them fabricate the heads frome base metal, there is nothing
like spending 5 hour on 5 cents worth of metal.
Last time I tought a class needing such, I purchased some "live"
settings in gold, or made up a couple samples myself. rubber molded
these, then spent an afternoon injecting waxes and cast up a whole big
batch in bronze and silver for the class. All in all, I spent a day at
it, but that provided all the parts needed for the whole class. The
models I made were deliberately crude, so the kids would also get some
training in things like cleaning up a casting, filing things straight
and to specified dimensions, etc, in addition to just setting work.
Also recall one cool model I saw used like this in one class.
Consisted of a sort of cube shaped frame work, with each face
presenting a different type of setting problem. Flat plate for single
stone bead set plate, drilled in a single row for a bead set row,
marked but not drilled for multirow pave work, four prongs on one
side, channels to be set on another, etc. The things were perhaps 3/8
or 1/4 inch across, and were cast in bronze or something. Just an
idea. Do it once, make two or three rubber molds for speedy
injecting, and let the students help with injecting and spruing,
etc...
cheers
Peter
