[Jewelry making - Article 00546] - Re: [Orchid] Setting rough stone

[Rick]

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>     I bought a piece of garnet called andradite and I'd like to set it
>     into a ring. I could only find it in its raw crystal form however.
>     I'm wondering what to begin with to get this to the point where I
>     can set it. I'm not looking to facet this myself or anything, I'm
>     merely looking to cut off a piece of the crystal to use in place
>     of a traditionally cut and polished stone.

    I've set black andradite in a bezel setting. I started by selecting a
    piece that had nicely formed crystals on a relatively flat plane.
    Then using a flat lap ground the host rock into a flat base. Keep
    grinding until you are down to just enough of the host rock to be
    covered by the bezel. I used 3/16 bezel for the setting. Once you
    have enough host rock ground off shape the sides of the stone. I did
    a free form shape and let the stone dictate the size and shape. Once
    you have it shape grind a slight bevel inwards so that you can set
    it and snug the bezel to hold it. I used cryogenic glue (super glue)
    when setting the stone. You may lose a few crystals during the
    process so start with a larger piece. 

Rick Copeland
Silversmith and Lapidary Artisan
Colorado Springs, Colorado
rockymountainwonders.com
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