STONE SETTING

Stone setting allows to position and secure a gemstone in a piece of jewelry. The setting of gemstones is an art in and of itself that requires a master craftsman able to fully bring out the beauty of the stone. Setting equipment is simple: a workbench with a drawer that stores most of the tools and supplies, a mini drill with micro bits to make holes in the piece of metal, adequate lighting, a system of magnification, small containers that hold the stones, a carat scale, an oil stone to sharpen burins.

It may appears that you need few tools and supplies, but they are actually many although small in size like the drill bits that also come in different shapes: ball-tipped, bowl shaped end mills, etc…, rubber abrasive wheels, sanding paper, files that come in different sizes and with different grits. Other setting tools required: pliers and wire cutters, hacksaws, engraving burins, clamps and mastic adhesives that allow the work to be secured in place, mandrel sets, chasing hammers to pound down the metal for effective setting, a torch flame to warm up the mastic that will hold in place the objects.