Greetings, Orchid!
I am developing a line of pendants and brooches with multiple
bezel-set mostly cabochons. I am producing these in
silver, but I would also like to have a gold-plated version for
those customesrs who prefer gold but are in the silver price
category. The big question: Should I have these settings gold-plated
before or after I set the stones? Would pushing a bezel over crack
the plating? If I plate afterward, the solution might not get into
(or back out of) the bottom of the settings, which will show because
of the transparency of the stones. Nobody wants to look through a
topaz and see corrosion. My archive search turned up lots of info on
rhodium- plating prong-set stones, with one helpful posting
indicating that peridot is sensitive to acids and would be damaged
by plating. How about other common stones like garnet, topaz,
iolite, amethyst and citrine?
Thank you, Orchid. You folks rock!
Laurel Cavanaugh