Quick Story….. then a tip.

I have always had goals….. In my head. I work towards them, I get new goals, I change my goals, I accomplish some goals, but to be honest, I forget most of them, because I am off running after other shiny goals. I tried something new in the past couple of months, I WROTE DOWN some goals. Long term (Someday), Short Terms (5 and 1 Year), Monthly, Weekly, Daily……. Then, I review it, EVERY DAY. (takes 2 minutes)Ya know what…… These Goals are slowly, and not so slowly becoming reality. I am getting ready to “Kick-Off” something New and Exciting at JewelryMonk.com, that I always had as a goal…. a someday goal…. a dream really more than a goal, that I have had for years and years. But you know what? Just by writing it down and reviewing it every day, It is FAST becoming REALITY.I am still going to hold “This Cat” in the bag so to say, for a little bit, but Stay Tuned here and see What is Coming Next. I really am so excited I can hardly sit here and type.

Now, on with the tip:

How to Bezel Set a Square Stone

Today I will demonstrate how I set a square shaped stone in a bezel. It is a little harder that you would think and special attention must be taken when laying out your design, and if the stone has too much room between the edge of the stone and the bezel, the corners will give you “fits”.

First, I am not a HUGE fan of Magnetic Tumbler, but I did tumble this piece in a Magnetic Tumbler to polish underneath the stone and in the hard to get to places, then I place the stone into the setting. I hold the ring in a Ring Clamp and squeeze the bezels together just a bit to hold the stone in place. (which I forgot to take a picture of) Then I place the ring on my Ring Mandrel to support the ring as I press the bezels into the stone, starting at the corners. The corners are the most important part, because if you don’t get the corners tight, there will be a gap. Start tightening the corners, then work towards the center of the bezel.

Next, after the bezel walls are pushed over the stone to hold the stone firmly in place, I tap lightly on the top of the bezel to force the top of the bezel walls tight around the stone. I use my Chasing Hammer and an old bur to do this, but you can use a Hammer Hand Piece to do this as well. I have cut down the bur to a flat surface with just the slightest dap to it. I also sand the end with 600 Grit Sandpaper to give it a little “grip” and so it won’t slip off the bezel as easy. Be careful not to touch the stone, especially soft stones.

After the stone is tight and the top of the bezel wall is uniformly up to the stone, take a Snap on Sanding Disc and clean the scratches up. If the scratches are deeper, use a #4 Barrette Needle File first. After the sanding, I use a Knife Edge Rubber Wheel to dress it up and take out the scratches from the sanding.

Lastly, I take the piece to the polishing machine and final polish it with Red Rouge.

There you have it, a tight stone, and I now have a finished piece. The grid work under the stone isn’t really necessary under a cab stone where no light can get through, it just adds a nice touch, but if you have a faceted stone, the extra light it allows will really make it “Pop”.

Bonus: If you want a FREE VIDEO on how to tighten a Bezel Set Stone:

CLICK HERE

As Always, Thanks again for stopping by. If you don’t want to miss out on any FREE CONTENT coming up, Make sure to SUBSCRIBE, like so many others have done, if you haven’t already.

Now, go make someone’s day brilliant!

Doug