[Jewelry making - Article 00109] - Re: [Orchid] Appropriate gauge for flush setting

[Peter W . Rowe]

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>     ...as Peter has somewhat un-knowingly illustrated, is the level of
>     precision that "real" setters... 

    Uh, John, "unknowingly"? ... 'scuse me? :-) 

    If I weren't aware of the precision involved, I wouldn't have used
    quite so many words to detail in quite such exacting detail every
    step of my way... 

    ('nuther grin) 

    But you're right to point it out. Stone setting is the realm of the
    perfectionist. All of the really good stone setters I know are
    totally detail oriented perfectionists. Often, our (or someone elses)
    best work is a target for criticism, since nothing is quite good
    enough unless it's pretty much perfect, and how many of us quite
    manage that every time, especially measured by our own standards.
    Usually, everyone else looks at it and says it's perfect, even while
    we're still worrying about some detail nobody else can seem to see
    that we wish we'd done some tiny bit differently... And heaven help
    our poor egos and self esteem should someone else actually find a
    flaw... 

    By the way, to NeiltheJeweler, you disagree with carbide 'cause it
    can scratch softer stones. If you reread my post, you'll note that I
    did address that, partly agreeing with you. With stones other than
    diamonds, I only start it with carbide, then finish with steel, or
    often just use steel, for the same reason. And you'll note that I
    mention that I do this only under magnification, my 10x loupe or a
    microscope, precisely so that I can be sure of exactly where the tip
    of the burnisher is, as well as how far I've moved the metal. That
    addresses the issues both of being sure stones are fully set and
    tight, and the issues of not damaging the stones. With good
    magnification, a bit of practice, and a burnisher that's NOT a sharp
    point at the end, you CAN do rubies and saphires with a carbide
    burnisher. But you do need to be quite careful to avoid damaging
    them. 

cheers
Peter
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