[Jewelry making - Article 00585] - Re: [Orchid] Tension settings

[David D. Arens]

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Hi Gang,

    There's one practical consideration I've never seen openly
    mentioned in the discussion of  tension settings. Until you
    really know what you're doing & how your metal will perform in
    the the long run be careful what type of stone you set. 

    The ring doesn't have to open very far for the stone to become
    loose & possibly fall out. We've all seen rings that have been
    severely deformed through ordinary wear & tear. And this
    deformity is to a piece of metal that is a complete circle that
    has a certain amount of structural integrity. 

    A tension setting is basically a 'U' shape & doesn't have the
    intrinsic structural integrity of a circular shape (as far as
    pulling apart is concerned).  A tension setting requires the
    metal to be hard, but not brittle & resist even small changes in
    shape. It can't be 'springy' either, because a shape blow in the
    correct place, usually opposite the opening in the 'U' could
    cause the 'U' to open enough for the stone to fall out. 

    My hat's off to Steve Kretchmer for the metallurgical research
    he had to do to invent the 'Tension Setting'. 

    Until you've got the metallurgy & fabrication techniques down
    pat, I don't think I'd be setting any 1 ct VVS1's. 

Dave







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