Stone not completely flat: aesthetic, or durability concern?

Have you tried tapping it with a rawhide mallet? :slight_smile:

If you can, carefully lift the bezel walls and re-set the stone. If the bezel gets damaged, you may need to solder a new bezel.

That’s a possibility. However, I’m concerned now that I will want to reset the stone whether it’s for her or someone else, so I might as well try and reset it for her.

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That’s what I’m gonna try! Unfortunately, with the enamel there, adding a new bezel would require outsourcing to someone with a laser welder. And this is a picky customer, so the fix would have to be seamless.

It is tricky with enamel, and it’s a gamble to solder a new bezel on then. It would be a great excuse to refund the client though LOL!

If I were to re-solder a bezel, I’d probably use the Smith Liitle Torch and submerge the ring to just below the bezel in distilled water. and cool very slowly. It would probably teach you something either way :wink:

True, another customer may appreciate imperfection. You know, the universe is imperfect. Creating imperfection flatters it :wink:

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I assume your ring is made of karat gold from the photo. Is it 14K or 18K? You don’t think you can open up the bezel carefully enough to get the stone out and re-work it? It would take a lot of TLC and the patience of a saint, but it would save you on material costs.

Was this a custom wax or did you 3d print it? I can see where all the NRE (non-reoccurring costs) would start to add up if you are paying the caster for the metal plus the casting expense, shipping, etc.

I would offer to the customer to attempt to remove the stone, but because it is a bezel, it might be impossible to do without cutting the bezel open, ruining the ring. Some customers when they hear that might be okay with the slightly tilted stone. Others may want you to go for it and deal with the results. A select few will take the refund, then re-order the same ring again. :roll_eyes:

Either way you look at it, you are out the time and NRE for this ring and it is something we all do our best to minimize to maximize our profits. :grinning:

Thanks for the thoughtful advice Arkay!

She is sending the ring back to me, and I’m going to see if I can remove the stone without damaging the setting (I’ve been reading around, but any extra tips on that would be appreciated!). I’ll also be assessing whether I’d be comfortable putting the ring back on the market tilted. If I can’t get the stone out, and I’m not comfortable trying to sell it again in its current state, then I might as well recast for the current customer.

This is a time consuming and costly mistake. I’m within my first few years of gold work, so unfortunately things like this will happen time to time. While this customer is detail oriented enough to notice and be bothered by the mistake, I don’t have the extra stress of a timeline, or her being particularly upset. She’s happy that I’m working with her to resolve the situation, and is talking about a commission for another piece. I’d rather never make a mistake at all, but I’m grateful when they do happen in circumstances where they can be happily resolved.

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If you make it perfect, it will be the least costly advertising you ever do. Where you have the low side marked, the casting looks thicker there. If it’s not the lighting perhaps you can bring that side down a little. If you say ‘close enough’ it’s not…

I guess nobody makes mistakes, ever, like you? :wink:

even smiths with dozens of years of experience make mistakes. Except Gerry, apparently lol. You’ve learned from it and your work will only get better from here. Don’t beat yourself up too much. xo

”There are no such things as mistakes, only learning opportunities!”…:wink:

Gerry, on my iPhone

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If you’re curious, here’s the update on the situation: The ring came back to me last Friday. I combed through the Ganoksin forums, as I often do, to find tips on opening a bezel without damaging it. I’m sorry I don’t remember the specifics of who posted this information, but I found a really useful post where someone modified an old half round file to give it a flat, sharp point at the end. I made mine flat on the bottom, and slightly curved on the top. Using “the patience of a Saint” (thanks arkaysilversmiths), I was in fact able to pry it up, get the stone out, rework the setting, and get it set flat.

When I sent pictures to the customer, she decided to return it anyway, doh! It was not that she was unhappy with the work, rather she wanted to save her money for a commission we discussed. I wasn’t thrilled with that news, but once I saw the crooked gem, it was clear to me that I wouldn’t be comfortable putting it back on the market in that state anyway.

Whilst I “plan” on never making this mistake again, I am absolutely thrilled that I now know it’s in the realm of possibility for me to get a stone out of a bezel setting without ruining it. I’m also happy that now I have a ring to put back on the market that I’m satisfied with without having to recast and start over.

Thanks again for all your thoughtful advice! I come to this website so often to learn from you all, it’s an invaluable resource for me.

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Glad to hear that Holly!

There is nothing like the personal satisfaction of getting past a complicated technical hurdle. :smiley:

-Ron

Thank God for the satisfaction! It helps balance all the extra time and frustration :wink:

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Hi everyone & everywhere.

Here is the link to the “92Y, Diamond Setting Class”. This class is starting October 14 and will finish December 2.

Here are some extra notes for you.

=> This Diamond Setting class is equivalent to a university-level of training. There will be many details shown

=> If you feel that some of the tools are not needed, they can be returned (unused) $ N/C.

=> The webcam I will be using will be approximately 6 inches from my bench-pin.

https://www.92y.org.SOA.jewelry/visiting-artists-workshops.aspx?&keyword=lewy&200 c jewelry=%20artist&200 c jewelry=workshops

If you have any questions prior to the beginning of the class, feel free in writing to me at “gerrylewy18@gmail.com”

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