I like your “do it” attitude. As a mostly self-taught jeweler, I
recognize your spirit. I did, however, seek a teacher for diamond-
setting techniques.
I suggest that you use a drill for your initial hole, then widen it
with a pear shaped bur. Then go to a setting bur. This saves wear
and tear on the setting burs. Perhaps a Hart bur is better than a
straight- sided setting bur in this instance. More expert setters
than I could suggest which to use.
It is customary to practice on a flat setting plate to learn bead
setting. You can get some brass or copper sheet and do a number of
experiments on it to learn how to cut the beads and push them in
place. Be sure to have a tight fit. I suggest getting the books on
setting by Wooding, which have very clear drawings of how to cut. If
you can set CZ’s, then you can set diamonds, because CZ’s are more
fragile.
After you can set on a flat plate, with isolated settings, then move
to closely-spaced work, then make a curved surface and try it there.
It is a bit more difficult. If you study and learn your ABC’s of
setting, nothing will be impossible for you! Have a great time! M’lou
Brubaker Minnesota, USA
Take it from me, another beginner - follow wise Alberic’s advise,
get local help. There’s no substitute. I can’t tell you the number
of times I failed and wasted money & time on an operation that was
easily and quickly shown to me in person by someone who knew what
they were actually doing.
My periods of greatest frustration and several of my favoriate scars
were almost always predicated by the words “That doesn’t look so
hard!” (second only to the words “I Do” as a potential harbringer of
cataclysmic misfortune).
That’s not to say I didn’t succeed in some things with trial
(travail) and error, but if I had it todo over again, that’s not the
way I’d go. Paying for the knowledge is almost always the cheapest
and most direct route.
Only thing I might add is some burr wax to help prevent the small
drill bitsfrom getting clogged and breaking off when he drills his
holes. also when used in the stone seat burs will make them last
longer.
you post and ask questions but do not listen. You will soon learn at
considerable expense of time and money that this is not a skill set
easily attained by autodidacts. Just preparing a graver can take
hours and then learning to use it can take days or even weeks. You
are not in the trade so you will pay retail for your diamonds and
that will cost plenty.
To get through the door of my gem dealer you need trade references.
There are however projects that at your elementary skill level you
could make. Why not make a ring? You can carve a design in wax and
have it cast.