Hi all,
Does anyone know what the official name for this band-like setting is? I just bought some Herkimer diamonds and would love to try to make it, but I can’t even figure out what the name is to look up how to fabricate it.
Let me know any thoughts you have, thanks so much!
Sara
If you look very closely at the bottom stones you can see that there are bits of epoxy showing. The stones were glued in. They also may have been laser welded. A cool look but gluing stones unless they are inlayed is considered not kosher in the trade.
Jo
It looks very nice unfortunately it is glued
Hi Jo
As it’s only not Kosher, but completely not acceptable, period!!! I hear people say to me “do I glue my stones in?” I literally go out of my way to tell them 'WE DON’T GLUE ANYTHING!!.
I had wondered this myself. These earrings are by Melissa Joy Manning. She is very popular (in Barneys and other fine retailers). I like her stuff. I always knew this setting was glued, as there is no other way to really secure the stones. I wondered what makes it acceptable with her pieces like this. Is it just because there isn’t any other way to do it really? I know she doesn’t do this with all pieces.
If you didn’t want to glue the stones, would you have to cut a slot for the straps? I think that might be a problem with Herkimer “diamonds”. If anyone knows how to do it, I’m curious and would like to know.
Noralie
I was hoping that maybe there was a drilled line down the center of the stone, and a corresponding metal rib that fits inside it. But even if that hair brained idea was true, I wasn’t sure if there was a non-laser way to close the metal seam.
I’m surprised MJM would use epoxy like that, but I think it probably has to do with her client base being willing to overlook pieces not being made the goldsmith-accepted way.
Sara
Glue is totally bogus; eventually it will craze, dry, and the stone will fall out. The simplest way to mechanically set it is to use a diamond burr to grind out a hemispheric depression under where the strap will hold the stone, front and back, then use a very small dap or ground down bezel pusher to push the metal into the declivity. Two points and the stone will wobble; three is more secure, four and it won’t go anywhere. Explain to the customer what those dimples on the piece are doing - make them a virtue of your journeyman’s skill - as opposed to those hacks with their glue guns. DALE
I would call it a pinch setting. You fabricate the band just big enough to go around the object so that it can be pinched to secure it. Unless there is a groove for the band to be pinched into, it will likely have to be glued. I have done this with with a groove and wire that gets twisted to both secure the wire into the groove and then form a jump ring…Rob
Hi everyone !
I thought of drilling over the metal handle and stone passing through and then using a rivet pin forging for the permanent fixture without the use of glue. We can find the stone already drilled in the market to buy, usually these small holes in stones are made with ultrasound machines.
Regards
Carlos .
Forgot to mention…This technique should be done with a FINE silver strap circling the stone - sterling is too springy. Fine bezel wire is too thin; best to roll out fine wire to at least 22G depending on how substantial you want it to look, Depressing metal into the ground out depression will cause a little puckering of the edges of the strap - with the dap pressed in the dimple, use a burnisher to push the metal back down to the stone where it pulled up. Don’t get carried away with pressure on the dap, don’t want to crunch the stone. DALE
It could be done without glue with a laser.
Thanks for all your responses! So great hearing from such a wide variety of experiences.