[Jewelry making - Article 01189] - Re: [Orchid] How to Tighten Princess Cut Diamonds?

[Mark Parkinson]

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Hi Dale,

    Yikes! I would tell the client that her princess cut needs to be
    reset properly, there should not be holes through the prongs.
    Flowing solder around the point of a stone is a risky idea, the
    molten solder expands a bit and can easily break the point. You can
    do it, but it's an unwise risk. 

    There is nothing at all wrong with setting a princess cut in a
    standard 4 prong head, or setting it in a V prong head. Typically if
    you use a standard tiffany style 4 prong head you will want the
    heaviest version available so you have adequate material remaining
    after you cut your seats. 

    If you cut your seat properly you can park the corners of the
    princess cut right into the prongs with an airtight fit, you should
    have no visible gaps. Certainly no actual holes. The point of the
    diamond should be floating in space inside the prong, not touching
    anything. That prevents risk of chipping. So if your diamond had
    been set properly you should have been able to push down the prongs
    slightly and tighten it up. 

    When we set them we start by drilling a hole for the point about
    half way through the prong and about half the width of the prong.
    You can use a twist drill or a ball bur. We then use a small bud bur
    to open up the hole into a cone shape. Then select a 70 degree hart
    bur that isn't much bigger than the corner of the diamond and cut a
    seat for the girdle that is perpendicular to the prong. Use the same
    hart bur to cut a groove that starts 3-4 mm below the hole you've
    made and continues up into the hole (this clears out the prong for
    the keel of the stone). At this point you need to fit the stone and
    adjust your seat for that particular stone. The angle of the seat
    will need to increase to match the angle of the pavilion. The hole
    in the prong will need to be hollowed out a bit more to be sure the
    point is clear and safe. The point at which the groove for the keel
    meets the hole will need to be softened to eliminate a risky
    pressure point. 

    Once you start to set it, if you seem to be meeting resistance, stop
    and pull the stone. Look at the seat and in the hole, if you see a
    shiny spot that's where the prong is hitting the stone. Go in and
    remove the shiny area and proceed to set. 

    This is one of the many things discussed on this forum that is
    really much better to demonstrate than to describe. If you really
    want to lean how to do this I would suggest ordering Blaine Lewis's
    excellent CD. He does a fantastic job of both showing each step and
    explaining the reasons behind the techniques. 

    http://www.newapproachschool.com/homeimages/princesscuts.html 

    I wish it had been available when I was first setting princess cuts
    as centers so many years ago, it would have saved me a ton of time. 

Good luck,
Mark
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