Hello to everyone; Just wanted to add my first two cents. I have been
observing this forum for a few months now and decided I had enough
time to respond. I wanted to agree with Tony on that if you size
silver rings with the stone in place you are taking a chance. I will
never forget the time I first observed this from my teacher. He tried
the shallow pan of water and the stone submerged, sizing up, and WHAM,
fried the stone. Not expensive, but the time to replace it and do the
repair was lost money. That was back in 1986, I have to say, a metal
smith matures and evolves. I won’t take in something I feel is a
problem, lost money, lost time or pure insanity. I felt this way for
years, and decided a way around it for me was to buy a laser welder.
I think this tool has offered a new dimension on repair and
manufacture. I design differently with it, I do repairs I would have
never touched before, and can repair items I have made in the past if
need be. I usually set colored stones in a “bomb proof” setting, and
always wondered what I would do if I needed to size a ring or replace
an omega clip. Now, I don’t wonder, or worry. Yes, this is an
expensive option, but one that puts my mind at ease. I hate to break
stones, it simply puts me in a foul mood. So, either pull the stones,
take a chance, or don’t do the repair. The one rule I have learned as
a studio goldsmith, is that I cannot do everything, although I do many
things well, I know when to say NO. It is ok to do so, I don’t
believe it makes you a lesser goldsmith, just a cautious goldsmith.
So, on that note I will exit, nice meeting you all and I plan on
participating a bit more. We had our first snow here in central
Washington, I love the first snow. Cyn of BobnCyn
Hello All,
I agree that you never should give advise until you really sure in
what you are talking about. However I always repair silver rings with
even sensitive stones under water, You only have to be sure that the
stone is really under and stays under. Also adding a drop of soap will
help improving the contact. I think water with sand is more risky, it
lowers the water contact and you can not see if the water is
evaporated. I never had a stone cracked. Removing a stone is also a
risk and is very time taking. Just try to find with trial and error
what will the best for you. And never be afraid of trying new ways. I
you don’t take any risk, you will never be good in repairs.
Martin Niemeijer.