Originally Posted by
Dennis
Please forgive me if you know this already, Katrina but first things first:
1. Bought bezel strip is flimsy and difficult to use. It is also too wide for most cabochons, so you will find it better to cut your own strip from 0.4mm fine silver sheet.
2. It is also easier to create your collet around a standard sized former, rather than around the stone itself. For this you can use the stems of a set of twist drills. It does not need to be expensive, but the bigger the set, the more useful it will be in future.
3. Next you need to learn to solder your collet onto a backing, which is generally done by heating from below, to bring both components up to soldering temperature together.
After that, provided your collet fits snugly, but not tightly and is only just tall enough to hold the stone, the rest is a doddle. When trying the stone into your piece after soldering, lay some dental floss across first, so that you can yank it out again. When setting, protect your piece with lots of masking tape to avoid damaging the surround. Dennis.
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