Flush settings!

hello all! today I did tunz of flush setting a.k.a. gypsy settings!
including setting two 1/2 carat Emeralds with 8 diamonds around each
one, on a pair of earrings. The use of a recipricating hammer must be
turned to the “lightest of pressure”! this way, the gold is lightly
hammered over the stone, not to cause any gold suppression, but to
just move the metal over the stone and on to it! always remember to
counter-sink the holes on the reverse side! when the stone is being
set, the initial hole must be only 80% of the diameter of the
diamond/stone. the balance 20% is made of the bearing/groove. the
reason is that the diamond must almost “snap” into the hole, if the
diamond is loose, no fear. the hammering will tighten up stone. but to
hammer over the metal onto an Emerald, now that takes a delicate and
experienced hand! after the stone is tight and laying flat with the
outside metal, I use a pumice wheel and run the wheel carefully around
the hammered metal, this way the gold is brought to a stage for the
polishing. what I do is to clean up the inner groove with a flat
graver or onglette and make sure that the metal is cleaned from the
hammering process. nothing as incomplete as to see metal that is not
cleaned and not in a round shape around the stone. I will not set
these stones in metal if the metal is less than .75 mm . I must have
thickness for the bearing/groove and have enough metal to let the
stone fall down and still be able to hammered and pumice wheeled. So a
full 1 mm. is sufficient! I really hope that you all get a better
understanding of this technique…gerry, the cyber-setter,eh?

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