[Jewelry making - Article 01149] - Re: [Orchid] Appropriate gauge for flush setting

[Peter W . Rowe]

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>     i'm just starting to experiment with flush setting faceted
>     stones. i have been working with 18 gauge sterling bands and that
>     doesn't seem to be quite thick enough. i was wondering what a more
>     appropriate gauge would be - i would like to set stones up to 3 mm
>     in size. 

    If you're flush setting stones into rings, the minimum thickness of
    the metal should be slightly more than the total depth of the stone,
    so that after it's set, the culet of the stone is still at least
    slightly recessed relative to the interior surface of the ring.
    Otherwise the rings wearer will find it quite uncomfortabole. Beyond
    that, it depends on the size of the stones, and the girdle
    thickness, as well as your setting technique. I'd have no trouble,
    for example, flush setting.01 carat diamonds (about 1.25 mm across)
    into 18 guage metal, at least in terms of setting them well. But I'd
    want a little thicker for a ring, for the reasons described. 3mm
    stones will need more.... 

    Done accurately, flush setting does not thin the metal around the
    stone, so you can retain the full thickness of the sheet next to the
    stone. And for small stones, it's usually best to end up with the
    table of the stone pretty much level with the metal surface. So the
    total depth of the stone is, at least for me, the defining
    measurement. I usually add about 2 tenths of a millimeter to the
    stones depth to get a guage measurement (in millimeters, not a BS
    guage...) 

    If the item is not a ring, where the back surface of the metal rides
    against skin, then you can go thinner. Small diamonds can get flush
    set into metal as thin as.75 mm without too much trouble, and with
    care, even thinner. The thinner the metal, the more careful you have
    to be not just with setting, but also picking stones with a thin
    enough girdle. 

cheers
Peter
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