Diamond setting DVDs

Set the sTone · Dec 15, 2014

Hi there,
I am a gold smith with experience in stone setting. I would like to improve and have recently bought a microscope and ball vise which I love. I've also bought a GRS gravermax and am now looking for some DVDs. I watch the Alexander and Jura videos on youtube but would like DVDs that show measuring and marking out for stones. I contacted both but they don't sell any at the moment. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Basically I'm looking for lots of tips and tricks to help me avoid expensive mistakes!
Thank you,
Helen.

Sam · Dec 15, 2014

Check out Blaine Lewis' dvds. New Approach School.

Set the sTone · Dec 15, 2014

Thanks! I'll have a look.

Gemsetterchris · Dec 15, 2014

Alexander, Jura & Vitalij Kricuk? on youtube is probably enough to get the idea.
As Sam says Blaine Lewis has videos, I`ve no idea what they are like..

Marking out is pretty much common sense, there are no tricks to be honest.

You will see a marked improvement when you get the hang of your new equipment, I`d save your money & go for a short course with the above names if you feel the need, I doubt buying a video will be much better than what you can get for free on youtube anyway.

Set the sTone · Dec 15, 2014

Hi Chris,
I would love to go on the weeks course with Alexander but i'm spent up after buying the kit! I think it would just help with confidence, especially marking out for pave. It would also save me so much time learning from someone else's experience. Do you use the gravermax?

Gemsetterchris · Dec 15, 2014

Set the sTone said:
Hi Chris,
Do you use the gravermax?

I have a lyndsay pc, but also work a lot by hand.
You say you have experience of stone setting..the theory is easy enough, just abit of confidence your lacking by the sound of it.

I'd take a copper practice plate & a few small spinels to practice your pave spacing..
A couple of stones table down & measure the culet distance with dividers once you have the required gap between the stones (depending on the style).

If you get stuck on something just ask, plenty of conflicting advice is available for you to test & try from the forum "setters".

Set the sTone · Dec 16, 2014

Yes, mainly cleaning up cast mounts and setting stones. Also, gypsy set is no problem. I want to improve on pave but you're right, it's confidence in cutting the seats then bright cutting and doing it perfectly....I have the fear!

GTJC460 · Dec 16, 2014

The biggest thing is really knowing how much to actually cut away and using the correct size beading tool. Sloppy work will show in your beads.

Practice on larger stones like 2-2.5mm. It's much easier to see and understand what you're doing than trying it on 1mm stuff.

Gemsetterchris · Dec 16, 2014

GTJC460 said:
The biggest thing is really knowing how much to actually cut away and using the correct size beading tool. Sloppy work will show in your beads.

Practice on larger stones like 2-2.5mm. It's much easier to see and understand what you're doing than trying it on 1mm stuff.

Quite right, you might do everything fantastically, but a worn or wrong size beading tool causes a mess.
Micro pave is only different in size, the principle of how to go about it remains constant with bigger stones (though the spacing has to be a fraction bigger on some curves).
So long as it looks reasonably neat under the scope, it`ll look great in reality..then you can continue to try to improve on that for your own challenge.

Edward Soye · Dec 16, 2014

I watched all the videos on YouTube recently which is why I decided to upgrade to a GRS and NSK with proper holders the power hone and turntable from GRS it was an expensive upgrade, I bought all the DVD's from GRS and was frankly bored with them very basic and beginner stuff and from the 80s, the only cool one was Sam's up close one but I already saw the whole thing on you tube with nothing new.
I would be interested in more advanced techniques and seating difficult odd shaped stones. I do a ring and everything looks great and when I am seating the stone it goes off and I can spend they entire day cutting and checking, cutting and checking repeat and what should take a short time blows away the schedule and at the end still may not look perfect. I try seating in the wax and this helps sometimes but is still troublesome. I just had a crooked tourmaline with two sides of the pavilion parallel and straight down from the girdle and the other two sides were completely different girdle thickness and pavilion angles. Irked a side of the ring and stone with bees wax to keep from turning the stone and cut for what turned out to be 4 hours and finally it looked straight and level in the bezel and then when closing the bezel it started to twist and I lost the square of the table to the rest of the ring and I had a real tough time
Smoothing the white gold and getting a nice crisp finish. I looked good to the eye but not the camera
After spending so much time and then hating the job?!?!?!

Brian Marshall · Dec 16, 2014

Buy or make yourself some silver settings & mountings...

Set 25, 50 or 100 of those.

Mark them. So you know which one was the first one you did, the second, the third and so on.

I guarantee you that you will see a huge difference between #1 and #50.

If you choose the right ones you can actually recoup the money you spent by selling them - after you practice.

At the very least you can save yourself some money - by using them as XMas gifts, birthdays, etc.

Brian

Gemsetterchris · Dec 16, 2014

If your planning on doing that real close pave & drilling through the material, you'll need sufficient thickness.
Otherwise by the time you've removed all the material between holes you'll find It's too weak to push stones in without collapsing.

Set the sTone · Dec 16, 2014

Thanks for the replies. I've got some brass sheet and blank silver rings and have made a start. I'll upload a pic sometime soon! I'm really enjoying the microscope, so true that even when not 100% still looks great to the naked eye!

One more question, when setting on curves such as circles or hearts, how do you get the inner and outer beads to look the same? I look at pics online and they look even but I find I have to make the outer beads bigger to secure the stones.

Gemsetterchris · Dec 16, 2014

Not unusual to end up with more metal & bigger beads on the outside.
To split bigger beads into 2, I grind an old beading tool into a sharp flat screwdiver shape & polish to mirror.
You can make them fatter or thinner to suit the job.
If you only want 1 bead for some reason ( which I wouldn't do personally ), you'll want to bring the bead towards the center of the stones abit & remove any excess.

Hope that makes sense.

Set the sTone · Dec 16, 2014

Perfect sense. Thank you!

Gemsetterchris · Dec 17, 2014

You might find this book inspiring, it`s not exactly cheap & there is no text..but lots of close up photos in various stages of how Alexander goes about things..certainly worth a look & a great coffee table book.

http://alexandreschool.com/cms/header/new-picture-album/

Edward Soye · Dec 17, 2014

I just bought it and it is nice

Set the sTone · Dec 17, 2014

It's on my wish list!

LVVP · Dec 17, 2014

Blaine Lewis, he is the man in this field, please

Aurifex · Dec 20, 2014

I have the 3rd DVD by Vitalij. It is more advanced stuff. No audio instructions. But you can work it out just by watching. Not cheap but I think it was worth it. I am a goldsmith jeweller too.

I also have the book by Alexandre, very nice.

Diamond setting DVDs

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