T3 Week 2 - Cast Setting

This week is all about the bling, and I love bling!

This week we were tasked to make a ring and a pendant using cast settings. Cast settings are the little baskets that hold the Cubic zirconias or high end gemstones. This style of jewellery is classed as ‘fine jewellery’ .

Cast settings are primarily used to set faceted stones. This style of setting is also called a claw setting and mosty used in engagement, eternity and ‘special’ ring styles. You can also make your own claw setting rather than using cast settings, I learn this technique in week 4. Using cast stone settings can be a quicker method of stting stones (as long as you don’t melt the tiny cast baskets). I stupidly thought this would be relatively easy to do.

This week fell on the bank holiday weekend so I didn’t get my usual monday to start the project and as the week went on and I was seeing and hearing all about the issues the other diploma students were having, come friday I was absolutely dreading the task, especially due to the lack of time I had left to complete it. Admittedly some of that pressure is what I create and put on myself, no one else. I don’t like to be behind with the diploma and like to complete each week in that weekly timescale in order for there not to be a massive panic at the end of term.

Anyway, back to setting stones from cast settings. I was going to be adventurous and make up my own style but after hearing all the trouble the others were having I decided to play it safe again and went with the design that the mentors showed us in the tutorial videos.

After getting over my nerves and anxiety about this project I have actually really enjoyed it.

I started with the pendant and the cirteria stated that it has to have at least 3 stones set, one being a pear shaped stone. Before starting the project I laid out the settings and looked at the cz’s I had been sent in the kit to see where I was going to place all the stones and how my OCD would allow them to be placed. I ended up placing 4 smaller stones on and one pear shaped. ( I like to make things harder for myself apparently).

All went swimmingly until it came to polishing and setting the stones. I had set one of the tiny stones in the pendant first and then whilst pushing over one of the last prongs on the stone I must have pressed again one of the other baskets and it snapped off!!!! Oh no, what do I do? I couldn’t solder it back on because I had set a stone, do I try and unset the stone? Well i tried to unset the stone and that one also snapped off, so at least now I didn’t have any baskets with stones in them so I could resolder the other two back on.

I put the pendant to one side and decided to start on the ring, well that was a pesky little sucker. They tend to melt a lot easier. I ended up having to purchase more baskets because as I was setting one of the smaller stones in the ring one of the tiny prongs broke off. Again I put it to one side and If I had time I would remake the ring I would as I don’t like to submit imperfect work. Luckily I was able to remake the ring and all stone settings had all prongs still attached. The second time round I also found a way that worked better for me to solder the baskets onto the ring shank and to each other. Every tutor will teach it a different way and it is all about finding out which way works best for me.

melanie chatfield22 December 2022Comment