01.25.16 Fabrication (part 2)

Honestly, now that I have learned the basics of stone setting, I could spend all my time thinking up new things to make, and working in the studio…but I’m getting ahead of myself.  You will recall that I started thinking about this part of the class months ago – and started looking at cabochons for the two pendants I would make in class.

I had a very clear mental image of how I wanted my Fordite pendant to turn out – and I couldn’t be more pleased with the final result.  It helps that I had really great instruction, and that because of its composition, Fordite turned out to be an excellent material for my first bezel set piece.

Once again -we started with just a couple of pieces of plain silver.  A square of 20 gauge sheet for the backing and bail, and bezel wire. The first steps were to size and shape the bezel and solder it to the silver sheet.  Because I wanted my piece to have a hammered texture, I did that first, before attaching the bezel to the backing.


At the suggestion of my instructor, I added a cut out heart to the back of the bezel - a little something extra.  I really liked this idea because it helps tell the story of each piece of jewelry.

After finishing the opening on the reverse, I cut my bezel backing to the shape I wanted, created a bail and a jump ring, and was ready to solder all my pieces together and polish them.


Setting the stone is the very last thing - so once my setting was clean, shiny and finished on the edges, I put my fordite into the bezel and tightened it to hold the cabochon in.  The result is a beautiful pendant that I am really, really enjoying.

Our final week was also devoted to stone setting - this time with tabs rather than bezels.  A somewhat simpler technique (although I confess I prefer the bezels) - and good for irregular stones, it just what it sounds like - creating tabs that hold a stone in place against a backing.

For this project I chose a triangular labradorite cabochon, and decided to put an Erlenmeyer flask cut out on the back - a nod to my daughter, I'm calling this piece "chem lab".

The first steps included sawing out the reverse opening, and space in the tabs so that they could be folded over the stone.  After getting the backing filed down to the proper size, I realized I hadn't fully thought through how to attach the bail...of course...this is why we have instructors, and Shalena came to my aid.

She helped me bend up the top tab so that I could position and solder on a jump ring, then it was time to think about a bail.  I decided I wanted the bail to follow the open triangle design I had for the tabs, so I formed one using square wire.  The result was a split bail, that looked great on the finished pendant.

I learned SO much in this class - and I am so pleased with how the pieces turned out.  I'm looking forward to spending time in open studio working on my metal skills between now and my next class (probably Fabrication 201 in the spring).

Until next time.

09.28.15 Hail a cab

Smithsonian Institution - Star of Bombay
Photo credit: Tim Evanson (flickr)

...not a taxi, a cabochon.

What, you ask, is a cabochon?  It is a stone that is polished and shaped (usually in a dome) rather than being faceted.  Frequently, but not always, this cut is reserved for stones that are opaque, or of a lower quality - cloudy or included - but with good color.  Star or cats eye stones are also cabochons - because if the pieces were faceted, the star would not show.

I have a couple of favorites in my collection - each from a different great aunt.  The first is a single piece from a squash blossom necklace.  My mother's Aunt Hattie took pieces from one of the many in her collection and had them made into pendants for her nieces.  I've had this one since I was a teenager.

The other is a an Armenian brooch with a carnelian cab, that my father's Aunt Bea (yes, I had an Aunt Bea) acquired when she was traveling in Israel in the 1980s. I love dark red stone and the hand-worked silver that looks like lace close up.

I'm thinking about cabs because I have signed up for Creative Side Jewelry Academy's eight session 101 Jewelry Fabrication Class later this month.  To say I am excited is an understatement!  After taking weekend classes in lost wax casting and precious metal clay (PMC) - I'm going to be able to spend 32 hours over four weeks learning bench jewelry skills.  The result - according to the course description will be "6-7 projects: rings, bracelets, pendants or earrings in sterling silver, copper and brass."

Photo credit: Creative Side Jewelry Academy

One of the things we will do is work with setting stones using two techniques - bezel and tab - setting.  This photo shows examples of each - and is a clue as to why I am thinking about cabochons.

For these types of projects, opaque stones are far better because there is no light coming through the back of the piece.  Clear, faceted stones benefit from open settings that allow light to pass through and bounce among the facets to create sparkle.  Opaque cabochon stones can be set against metal and not lose any of their beauty.

Photo credit: Cecile Raley Designs

I've been trolling jewelry sites looking at cabs - and the range of ideas, stones, sizes - and prices - is almost endless.  One of my favorite jewelers, Cecile Raley Designs, sells gorgeous gems as well as finished items.  She's got two listings on her site for 4mm cabs - one for a pair of moonstones ($40) and one for a pair of emerald cats eyes (almost $400) - just as an example.

Photo credit: Cecile Raley Designs

I'll definitely be working in the $20 per stone range for these projects, but it's fun to look at gorgeous gems like these emeralds.

I'll certainly be writing a blog post, or two, about the classes - but if you want to follow along in real time, keep an eye on my instagram where I'll post pictures along the way.

Until next time.

3.5.15 A diamond is forever (or at least a really, really long time).

Frances Gerety, the advertising agent who spent her entire career working on the DeBeers account, coined the phrase "a diamond is forever" in 1947; it was kind of a throw away line, but it stuck...and I confess to buying into it.  I've spent a fair amount of time, money and creative energy giving family heirloom diamonds new life.  Finally, I have found homes for the last of the stragglers.  

Two dozen tiny diamonds

These were the last few, tiny old European cut stones, most no more than a millimeter or two, taken from my great grandmother's wedding ring.  I had more than one jeweler tell me they had virtually no monetary value, but I kept thinking they're diamonds, I must be able to do SOMETHING with them.  Well, now I have.

This week I went back to Creative Side Jewelry Academy, where I made my crescent moon pendant, and with the assistance of Wynn Bradford, set three of the diamonds in the "crater".

Inspecting the diamonds

The first step in the process was to examine all the diamonds, and choose the best ones for setting.  After putting them in an ultrasonic cleaner, Wynn lined them all up, balanced on their culets (the point on the back of the stone), to determine their symmetry and how well they were cut.

We chose the five stones with the best color and shape.  Next it was time to determine the placement for three of them in the pendant and mark them with a sharpie.

Marking the positions for the stones

Flush setting, which is the technique we used, is the simplest form of stone setting.  It involves drilling into the metal with a burr, to create a cone-shaped void in which to place the diamond.  After the stone is set into the metal, a sharp tool, called a burnisher, is used to push the metal down over the top edge of the stone to hold it in place.

The process sounds pretty straightforward, but nothing is ever as easy as it looks (especially when a professional is demonstrating).  Before attempting to set the stones in the pendant, I tried a couple of practice runs with some CZs on a piece of scrap.

Practicing a flush setting

Even with stones that were twice the size of my diamonds, it was a real challenge to get it right.  Especially the burnishing, which requires running a very sharp point around the edge of the stone - I ended up putting some pretty good scratches in what would be the piece of jewelry (good thing it was scrap).

Sensing my hesitation, Wynn offered to set the diamonds into the pendant for me.  I'm glad he did - I learned a lot just by watching, and the result is beautiful.

"Floating" diamond pendant

After finishing my pendant, I still had twenty or so tiny diamonds left over, and didn't want to just put them back in the little ziploc bag to continue languishing.  My friend Jonathan (of the sapphire earrings) had suggested getting a small crystal locket, and putting the loose stones to make a "floating diamond" pendant.  So that's exactly what I did.

Now, all the diamonds have a place, and I have two wonderful pieces of new jewelry with my old stones.  Lucky me.

My finished Moon and Stars pendant

Until next time.