Golden south seas pearl ring wax model

I am new (this is my 2nd ring wax model) and am having some limited
success with making rings starting with wax models. If this works, I
have attached three pictures (front, side, and top) of my current
project. Iam almost finised with the wax model. This is done using
an 11.5mm steel ball bearing,which should fit after sending off and
having cast in 14ct yellow gold a nice goldensouth seas 10.5mm pearl
I have.

I have had problem with castings in that the prongs are breaking
when I bend them onto the stones. I then have to pay a good jeweler
to finish setting my stones. It is OK, but costs more money than I
want to spend for his services. He tells me that the gold in the
prong where I am bending is porous. He says that sometimes this
happens when casting due to cooling variations in areas where
thicker wax meets thinner wax.

Then leaves a big question for the future. Should I add the wax pin
to stick the pearl on, or should I leave this till after cast in
gold and havea good jeweler add the prong after casting? Any and all
comments on this and the photosare all welcome.

Thanks

Matt- Cast crowns make for porous prongs. They should be fabricated
or die struck. The same for the pearl peg.

Sounds like it’s time for you to become that “good jeweler”. If you
can carve a wax, you can learn to set and solder. It’ll save you a
bunch of money in setting and soldering charges and it’s fun to do.
I’m not so sure about your “good jeweler’s” theory about the prongs
and the wax cooling variations. There are some real smarty pants
metallurgist folks who post here who can 'splain things to you.

Have fun and make lots of jewelry.
Jo Haemer
timothywgreen.com

Without a doubt, have a post added to the casting. Worked metal, in
this case the gold wire, is always tougher than a casting. I’ve made
up a wire rope to give a better hold rather than a smooth wire. If
your jeweler has the taps and dies, threading the wire will also
serve to create a better hold.

I've made up a wire rope to give a better hold rather than a smooth
wire. If your jeweler has the taps and dies, threading the wire
will also serve to create a better hold. 

Even easier than threading, or making true two-wire twisted “rope”
is to draw the wire square (or for beads with a larger diameter hole,
just the square shape from a wire rolling mill works) so the corner
to corner dimension of the square wire is the right size for the
drill holes. Then anneal, chuck one end in your flex shaft handpiece,
hold the other end in pliers, pull taut, and hit the food pedal.
You’ll end up with a nice tight twisted square wire that looks much
like a threaded wire, and works just the same for nicely holding a
pearl. Stronger than a two-wire twisted rope, and faster to make that
either that or a threaded wire.

If you don’t have a square draw plate, you can even roll or hammer a
flat into round wire, or hammer it roughly square, and twist that. It
doesn’t give as much of a distinct groove to the twist, but it can be
workable.

Peter