[Jewelry making - Article 00984] - Re: [Orchid] Setting customer stones

[John Donivan]

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>     A while ago I set an 11 carat emerald cut. Something like
>     $330,000. When I set it, I cleaned off my bench. I laid down a
>     towel in my benchpan. It was a simple four prong setting.
>     None-the-less, I spent a couple of hours prepping the setting. I
>     took my time. I took my bosses time. In my book, by taking the
>     extra time, I reduced the odds of chipping the stone. That extra
>     time is worth some extra money. 

    Bruce sets out what is pretty much the essence of the thread.
    Diamonds in particular don't chip, setters chip them, and with few
    exceptions they do it because the aren't really qualified. I've had a
    couple of colored stones that just cleaved immediately by no fault of
    mine, just ready to snap. The real point and answer to this thread is
    not what to do if you damage a gemstone and how to cover it, the real
    point is don't damage them, and if someone can't do that then they
    should learn how. I remember something similar to Bruce's example
    except it was an emerald. The first thing I did was rehearse the job
    in my mind, and put the stone in the setting over and over again,
    fixing everything in my mind and finding the right angles and tactics
    to use. Then it took about 2 hours to set it - push, loupe, push,
    loupe, push, loupe ----- We are human, sometimes we make mistakes.
    Being trained, having skill, and paying attention when it counts is
    how to not make them at the bench. Imagine if your watchmaker working
    on your Patek charged you double "just in case his hand slipped"
    ---This applies to those at the bench and those in stores looking for
    quality work - if your setters are breaking center stones (everybody
    chips melee now and then) then you need a new setter.. There are
    situational issues, as with everything. Most shops consider fast
    setting of $10 quartz stones to be more important than a breakage
    allowance, things like that. But when you're talking about $10k
    diamonds, that's different. Just don't damage them. 

http://www.donivanandmaggiora.com
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