During the past few days, I’ve been in contact with a few people…(no names here) They both said I am using too many photographs and showing too many errors in setting in my essays. My side of the story is that nothing will be free of problems for the beginner while executing the most difficult or even the basic setting steps. There are many jewellers who explain setting techniques, I’m sure that they are good or even great.
(When I was learning my apprenticeship over 60 years ago. I spent 6 months to just learn how to fashion a graver and polish it on 6 grades of polishing paper. Stone-setting took me another 8 years more to learn.) I didn’t have essays to read or view the techniques.
I want the reader to see just how a stone can be mounted…“step by step”. Many times, in one essay I took well over 50 photographs and edited them down to only 35 pictures. I don’t want anyone to just ‘guess’ how the stone will eventually sit in the metal.
Another point of interest is my showing my own “demo-pieces”. YES, They do look horrid, but that is not what I’m concerned about, I’m showing and explaining the setting techniques, If I wanted to show pristine rings or pendants, so be it (I don’t have any of the regular polishing machines at my home-office).
As of today, ** there have been 24,037 viewers and a total of 112 essays.** My point is that these essays are there not to have my name in print, but to explain some of the difficulties that can be associated with diamond and gemstone setting.
I use photographs also as a tool in showing how a stone will sit, why so many? Many of my readers are not only from North America as they come from many countries where English is not their main language. I am gearing my essays to them and photographs are an easier method to teach!
I am constantly using the program named “Grammarly.inc” as my punctuation and grammar guide while writing.
My latest essays on “Gypsy-Setting a Pear shape Amethyst stone” was the most tedious and problematic essay that I’ve written in a while. In it, are 36 pictures, how in blazes can I show all of the problems with only 10 photo’s…:>? As one person wrote to me “Fewer pictures are better”, not in my books!!!
Why am I writing so many essays? It’s because I can and I hope to write many, many more! Call this my obsession in helping the next generation, what’s wrong with that?
I was in a class and one student told me that her teacher left out one important setting manoeuvre, she asked him, “how do I do this?”…his reply “***I’m not telling you, now ***go and research it on the internet”. OMG & good grief!!!
****Enjoy your reading. Trust me, **I am doing this on my own time & at my own expense and only for YOU! **
Fondest regards to everyone and I now ‘rest my case’!
***Gerry Lewy ***