Unsetting stones--favorite tip

My own favorite tool for opening bezels is a dental tool with two
ends, each a tiny, flat spatula with a profile like a golf club. The
tip is very thin, and very hard steel, but not sharp. I have had
good success with this tool, plus care and attention. I have bent
one end to a right angle, maybe 1/2mm fom the end. This provides a
tiny tiny “hook” that I can use to grab the edge of the stone to
lift it, once the bezel is loose enough. HTH! --Noel

I was cutting a custom opal doublet for a jeweler’s repair the other
day and discovered a great way to lift a stone out of its bezel, if
it is willing to leave. I ended up with some water from the cutting
process on the stone as I was fitting it to the existing mounting.
The stone was difficult to get out by the design of the setting. I
blew off the water, and the stone launched out onto my bench. I
found that by blowing on the stone, you could create enough air
pressure under the stone to lift it out of the setting, and then
some. This will not overcome a tight bezel, or the adhesion of the
build up of crud under a stone, but it is a way to lift the stone
out without damaging it with a tool. A high pressure air gun would
give you additional “lift”, but if you are not careful, you might
have a hard time finding the stone afterwards

Don Rogers