[Jewelry making - Article 00003] - Re: [Orchid] Invisible setting question

[David L. Huffman]

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>         The set stones you are referring to are "invisible set".
>     Someone correct me if I am wrong in this but I read the stones are
>     held flush together by hooking the edges together (like tongue and
>     groove hardwood flooring 


Hello Anna, and Mary of the original post;

    You are partly correct.  The stones have grooves cut along the
    edges.  The groove follows the edge of the stones, sometimes on one
    side only, usually on two.  This notch is slightly below the girdle
    of the stone.  When you look down at these settings, you don't see
    the "rails" that run between the stones.  Running the length of these
    rails are thin flanges on either side near the top.  The stones are
    set down between the rails and the flanges, which start out tipped
    upwards slightly, bend downward and into the grooves in the stones,
    locking them in place.  The degree of precision required for this
    technique is daunting.  And it is best accomplished in shops where
    there is a set up for making little "adjustments" to the diamonds,
    trimming them slightly to fit, as any pressure of one stone against
    another will cause damage to the stones.  These grooved diamonds are
    rather fragile along the notch.  I seem to remember an article with
    excellent diagrams and explanations of the process in AJM magazine a
    while back.  If not that, it was JCK or Professional Jeweler.  But
    this is not a technique you'll be able to easily add to your
    repertoire.  I don't think there is any likelihood you'd have success
    picking it up unless you were an accomplished setter to begin with
    and you happened to find a shop producing those settings and could
    spend some time there.  This method of setting was at one time only
    occasionally done in the fine old houses like Van Cleef and Arpels,
    etc. The look is popular, so naturally, there are a lot of poorly
    made versions available that are far less expensive.  If one of the
    now prevalent mass produced versions of this technique come in to
    your shop for repair, or even cleaning, I recommend you send the
    customer back to where they bought it. Just putting it in your
    ultrasonic can open the proverbial can of worms as the cheap versions
    of this style of setting are lucky to get out of the store where
    they're sold without missing a stone or two.  To steam them is to
    weep as it is then your problem. 

David L. Huffman



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