[Jewelry making - Article 01207] - Re: [Orchid] How to Tighten Princess Cut Diamonds?

[Peter W . Rowe]

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>     In said video, you will find overwhelming evidence to counter your
>     claim that setting a Princess cut into straight prongs is
>     incorrect. 

    It's not the straight shape of the prong that's the problem. It's
    the way the seat is cut. The OP described just a tiny drill hole.
    That means a round hole, at least to me. So the hole, though it traps
    the point, and would also prevent a stone from falling out in the
    manner you describe in the rest of your post, does not equate to a
    proper setting. There's more to a secure setting than whether the
    stone will fall out if you cut off two prongs. That's actually easy.
    More of a test is whether the seat not only holds the stone secure,
    but is also holding it in a manner that protects if from damage in
    the event of a blow. Usually that requires a greater width to the
    prong than a narrow round wire, so the stone is supported by the
    girdle to each side of the point, not the point itself. If the stone
    is tight in an improper prong, just cutting off two prongs, or
    pushing the stone, should be no more likely to loosen or remove the
    prong than in a more traditional correct setting. But the incorrect
    setting is more likely to result in stone breakage in the even that
    one or more prongs is actually pulled back or loosened, which is more
    likely to happen with straight or narrow or less strong prongs. And
    as the OP observed, such a prong, once pulled out of position back
    away from the stone, is much harder to tighten again correctly and
    with safety because of the spring of the wire. A narrow straight
    prong simply gives the stone less security, and is harder to
    service. That doesn't mean you can't make a video showing it doing
    wonderful things. I for one, have no trouble setting princess cuts in
    plain simple straight up and down simple round wire prongs. Not that
    hard. But I try to avoid doing so simply because the result doesn't
    look as good to me, and I know it's not as strong and doesn't protect
    the stone as well. And when I DO set a stone in such a setting, you
    can bet the seat for the corners is not just a tiny little drill
    hole. That, as the OP has observed, is not likely to do the job very
    well. It's certainly quick, though, and you see a lot of that sort of
    shoddy setting, especially coming from china and similar mass
    production situations. 

    By the way, just because someone is a talented jeweler and teacher,
    and makes wonderful instructional videos, does not automatically mean
    that all their tricks and techniques are always the best way to do
    things, or always correct. It means they are the means that
    individual has found to work best for them, nothing more. Some of
    what's In Mr. Lewis's videos is wonderful and cool and great
    thinking, etc. Some other of what I've seen in some of them are
    methods I have a significant argument with and which give results I
    don't like at all. To each his own. Just remember that just because
    you see it in a video (Anyone's video) or book (anyone's book) or an
    Orchid posting (Anyones...) does not automatically guarantee that
    it's always correct or the best answer. But you might keep in mind
    that traditional methods and preferences, while not always up to
    date and sometimes limited in imagination, etc, ARE traditional
    methods simply because they've worked well over time, and for a lot
    of people. That doesn't mean they have no room for improvement of
    course, but it does lend a certain authority to a method simply
    through the time proven experience or many people. 

Peter
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