Ring sizing tricks

Jewelry Discussion
1

Does anyone happen to know any tricks to soldering an amethyst and
silver ring for sizing?

Thanks,
@jesse_carkin

2 
    Does anyone happen to know any tricks to soldering an amethyst
and silver ring for sizing?

Hello Jesse;

I have lots of trick, I’m just flat out tricky. :slight_smile: Really, though,
it depends on how the ring is made. Can the stone easily and safely
be removed? Is the shank particularly massive? Amethyst doesn’t like
excessive heat, and a heavy shank can conduct a lot of heat. You can
submerge the stone in water, but if the heat is conducting down
faster than you can pour it into the solder joint, it’s not going to
get hot enough. I have gone so far as to submerge just the stone in
water, then prop up a piece of refractory material behind the shank
and use a very large torch tip or even two torches at once. Still,
the water boils and hisses and the shank never gets hot enough for
even easy solder to flow. Even if a stone is bezel set, it sometimes
is easier to just cut of the bezel at the line of the stone girdle
(being very careful not to damage the stone with the saw blade), then
remove the stone, size the ring, replace the bezel and re-set the
stone. On the other hand, smaller, light colored amethyst are cheap
enough, if things go haywire. If it’s prong set, I think it would be
silly not to just pull back the prongs and take out the stone. I know
lasers don’t always perform will with sterling, but I believe the
newer ones can handle it. Just make sure you get paid enough for your
time. Only two jewelers ever went to hell. One went for the habit of
dragging his files on the back stroke, the other got burned for
undercharging.

David L. Huffman

3

Hello Jesse:

   Does anyone happen to know any tricks to soldering an amethyst
and silver ring for sizing?

I assume you mean without removing the stone? Holding the ring in a
third hand tweezer with the stone underwater and soldering with a
hot hot hot acetylene oxygen flame. I put together a web page that
shows how at

Also you can find someone with a laser welder to do it. Also you can
remove and reset the stone after the sizing.

Michael R. Mathews, Sr.

4

To size a ring with a stone just place the ring upside down in water
so that the stone is completely immersed. I use a Snapple lid
filled with water and hold the ring with cross action tweezers while
soldering the join. Silver is a heat sink as well as the water, so
you’ll have to crank up the heat more than usual when soldering
with a stone in water.

Marta

5 
Does anyone happen to know any tricks to soldering an amethyst and
silver ring for sizing?

i find the best way to deal with silver that is set with gemstones
is to go in fast and coat the stones.

1st you must clean the joint with the ultrasonic and steamer, dirt
will mess up the flow, then dip in to the boric acid, then i coat
the stones with a product called HEAT SHEILD. it looks like muddy
pancake batter. i usually use the back of my tweezer to force it
under the head and smear it on the stone. most people use to much,
you dont need all lot to protect the stone. MAKE SURE YOU DONT GET
ANY OF THIS ON THE JOINT, IF YOU DO START OVER

then i take two pairs of tweezers and put each one half way down the
shank on each side. these tweezers will acted like heat sinks and
absorb all lot of heat.

then i cut my solder, always use hard silver solder for sizing. it
requires more heat but it will flow better with silver and does not
pit so much.

the last thing i do is the real secret to soldering a sizing joint
properly with silver. silver requires all lot of heat to work right.
i use a big flame, about 3 to 4" flame with a very strong and loud
hissing sound. first pick up your solder with a softer flame (a
normal one otherwise you will burn you solder) then adjust it to the
stronger flame, add your flux, i use the green one, but i think most
use the white. then heat the joint up really fast with the loud
hissing flame, aim the flame up away from the stone (meaning heat the
inside of the ring) make sure the flame is not to bushy that will
spread the heat around the ring, then when the flux goes clear and
the joint is red hot add the solder to the top of the joint and it
will pull throught and flow really nicely to the inside.

i find this is a similar procedure to sizing platinum. except you
dont need the dark goggles.

Good luck,
Matthew
www.mhgjewelry.com

6 
I have gone so far as to submerge just the stone in water, then
prop up a piece of refractory material behind the shank and use a
very large torch tip or even two torches at once. Still, the water
boils and hisses and the shank never gets hot enough for even easy
solder to flow.

I use propane and oxygen, a large rosebud tip, and I can melt hard
solder on a shank with the stone in water in about 3 seconds. My
torch is bigger than yours.

Richard Hart