Are Diamonds Still Set By Hand?

[craighnt]

I was doing some x-mas shopping and I drifted into a jewelery store (just to sharpen my eyes) and half way through the discussion, the sales person said "all diamonds are set by machine. People have not set diamonds by hand for over a decade." Is this true? I thought most were still by hand except for things like micro-pave and invisible set. We were looking at a typical channel set ring with an average size of about .3 carats per stone.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Not true that all diamonds are set by machine. Many are but many aren't.

Most of my rings were made by hand and the melee and stone set by hand. Heck, I watched and saw it done in person.

 

[chrono]

I would think that almost all solitaires are hand-set. Even my CAD/cast rings' diamond melees from Whiteflash and ERD are hand-set.

 

[Jim Summa]

If I had to generalize I would guess most diamonds (meaning numbers of stones set) nowadays are wax set. Take the big box stores out of the picture and maybe not.
Jewelry sales people say the darndest things.

 

[WinkHPD]

If I had to generalize I would guess most diamonds (meaning numbers of stones set) nowadays are wax set. Take the big box stores out of the picture and maybe not.
Jewelry sales people say the darndest things.

Jim,

Just guessing, but since you sell quality jewelry, are you not at or at least pretty darn close to 100% hand setting?

The whole concept of machine setting leaves me feeling somewhat dirty...

Wink

 

[Tekate]

My ring was set by hand here in Austin.

 

[Jim Summa]

Hiya Wink! Happy Holidays!

How stuff is made is pretty important in this job. So is the language used to describe it. Machine made does conger up negative images the same way Die Stuck can be dismissed as stamped out.

What I am getting at is there is some very well made jewelry that involves....machinists...jewelers...and machines... to help them repeat the process in a precise way. This in no way resembles the automation one sees when wrapping a ba-jillion candy bars an hour. Think of a fine gold watch case, the result of the jewelers and machinists finest hour. Better yet for this topic think of the machines that strike the shapes for a ring that is then polished, inside and out, then assembled by a "mechanic", who then passes it on to a "setter" who doubles as an "engraver" when "bright cutting" the stones in the plates that make up the ring. It then returns to the "finisher" who polishes it first with Tripoli, cleans it in an ultrasonic, then then repeats the process using rouge.

Now wax setting diamonds? That leaves a dirty taste to me. The advantage to this type of setting is price. This still takes skill in wax and skill in casting but the majority of it that I come across has neither.

And yes....I set diamonds by hand. I use different shaped burs to remove metal (much like a dentist) small files, saw blades of different widths, or what ever I have to come up with to secure a stone. I then "collapse" the metal around the stone in a predictable manner so that I take into account that it needs to remain intact when under the rigors of a night out with the girls...or boys.
Designing a machine to take into account all the variables, such as simply setting a wonky stone to appear straight, would take some doing.....

 

[Karl_K]

According to my local bench the biggest problem with wax set is if you ever have to have them repaired.
They can turn a simple job into one that costs more than to replace it.
He has taken to refusing to work on many of them.

 

[kathley]

Hiya Wink! Happy Holidays!

How stuff is made is pretty important in this job. So is the language used to describe it. Machine made does conger up negative images the same way Die Stuck can be dismissed as stamped out.

What I am getting at is there is some very well made jewelry that involves....machinists...jewelers...and machines... to help them repeat the process in a precise way. This in no way resembles the automation one sees when wrapping a ba-jillion candy bars an hour. Think of a fine gold watch case, the result of the jewelers and machinists finest hour. Better yet for this topic think of the machines that strike the shapes for a ring that is then polished, inside and out, then assembled by a "mechanic", who then passes it on to a "setter" who doubles as an "engraver" when "bright cutting" the stones in the plates that make up the ring. It then returns to the "finisher" who polishes it first with Tripoli, cleans it in an ultrasonic, then then repeats the process using rouge.

Now wax setting diamonds? That leaves a dirty taste to me. The advantage to this type of setting is price. This still takes skill in wax and skill in casting but the majority of it that I come across has neither.

And yes....I set diamonds by hand. I use different shaped burs to remove metal (much like a dentist) small files, saw blades of different widths, or what ever I have to come up with to secure a stone. I then "collapse" the metal around the stone in a predictable manner so that I take into account that it needs to remain intact when under the rigors of a night out with the girls...or boys.
Designing a machine to take into account all the variables, such as simply setting a wonky stone to appear straight, would take some doing.....

As always, thank you for your explanations, Jim. I am still blown away when I was viewing your gorgeous hand-forged pieces of jewelry yesterday. It stands to reason why you hand set your diamonds as well, and it shows!

 

[Jim Summa]

Karl,
Your bench is making a good point. Another problem with this type of construction is if you decide to work on it your married to it.

I have run across wax setting that was acceptable from a manufacturer in New York. Acceptable in that I don't see how it could be done any better. There isn't any crispness to the metal work but the stones were secure.

Recently I was writing a description on a Platinum ring...very nice work... diamonds channel set with a closed back (or no holes inside the ring where the diamonds are set). The ring contained 1/4 pointers set very tight, so its really impossible for me to see the tell-tale signs of this kind of process. Got me thinking that this could be wax set. I wouldn't think it possible because I assumed the heat required to cast Platinum would burn the stones....and that all the wax set stuff I am used to seeing looks awful making it an easy ID.
Hmmm

Hi kathley,
Thanks for the kind words...I had to chuckle after you left about the questions I asked you, "do you know what an ASET is?" and "wanna see something that's forged?" which tells me that PS is doing what jewelers should be.
Have you ever, when visiting a jeweler that is having problems with a question, mentioned that PS is a pretty good place to read up on the stuff they are selling?

 

[Karl_K]

Karl,
Another problem with this type of construction is if you decide to work on it your married to it.

If I got him started on that subject I would be there all day ... lol

 

[WinkHPD]

Karl,
Your bench is making a good point. Another problem with this type of construction is if you decide to work on it your married to it.

I have run across wax setting that was acceptable from a manufacturer in New York. Acceptable in that I don't see how it could be done any better. There isn't any crispness to the metal work but the stones were secure.

Recently I was writing a description on a Platinum ring...very nice work... diamonds channel set with a closed back (or no holes inside the ring where the diamonds are set). The ring contained 1/4 pointers set very tight, so its really impossible for me to see the tell-tale signs of this kind of process. Got me thinking that this could be wax set. I wouldn't think it possible because I assumed the heat required to cast Platinum would burn the stones....and that all the wax set stuff I am used to seeing looks awful making it an easy ID.
Hmmm

Hi kathley,
Thanks for the kind words...I had to chuckle after you left about the questions I asked you, "do you know what an ASET is?" and "wanna see something that's forged?" which tells me that PS is doing what jewelers should be.
Have you ever, when visiting a jeweler that is having problems with a question, mentioned that PS is a pretty good place to read up on the stuff they are selling?

That is really relevant! So few have a clue. Which makes me REALLY sad for my industry.

Wink

 

[Karl_K]

Recently I was writing a description on a Platinum ring...very nice work... diamonds channel set with a closed back (or no holes inside the ring where the diamonds are set). The ring contained 1/4 pointers set very tight, so its really impossible for me to see the tell-tale signs of this kind of process. Got me thinking that this could be wax set. I wouldn't think it possible because I assumed the heat required to cast Platinum would burn the stones....and that all the wax set stuff I am used to seeing looks awful making it an easy ID.
Hmmm

I had to look it up because I thought it could not be done in Plat. also.
I was wrong. This is from 2005
"Some time ago - Jurgen Maerz, of the Platinum Guild - documented to the jewellery trades at large, how he set a diamond in a Platinum ring. Using this "set-in-wax" approach. This was explained in the "AJM" magazine. It is revolutionary and letting all of us now know nothing is impossible!

After many trials and errors he succeeded with correct temperature ratio melt using a correct Platinum mixture. Using many various combinations his experimentation finally worked"

http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/wax-set-gems.htm

 

[Ashleigh]

I saw an eBay seller claiming wax polish is better than machine buffering, then I see this thread about wax set. I'm wondering if wax set and wax polish by cotton thread are the same?

 

[Karl_K]

I saw an eBay seller claiming wax polish is better than machine buffering, then I see this thread about wax set. I'm wondering if wax set and wax polish by cotton thread are the same?

no,
Wax set the diamonds are set in the wax then the wax is used to create a mold and the metal is poured in the mold replacing the wax.

I don't know anyone who would be crazy enough to polish an entire ring using thread.
You buff the large open areas then use the thread for the tight areas.
Many don't bother with the thread because of labor costs which is why the nook and crannies of settings are often rough.

 

[kathley]

Karl,
Your bench is making a good point. Another problem with this type of construction is if you decide to work on it your married to it.

I have run across wax setting that was acceptable from a manufacturer in New York. Acceptable in that I don't see how it could be done any better. There isn't any crispness to the metal work but the stones were secure.

Recently I was writing a description on a Platinum ring...very nice work... diamonds channel set with a closed back (or no holes inside the ring where the diamonds are set). The ring contained 1/4 pointers set very tight, so its really impossible for me to see the tell-tale signs of this kind of process. Got me thinking that this could be wax set. I wouldn't think it possible because I assumed the heat required to cast Platinum would burn the stones....and that all the wax set stuff I am used to seeing looks awful making it an easy ID.
Hmmm

Hi kathley,
Thanks for the kind words...I had to chuckle after you left about the questions I asked you, "do you know what an ASET is?" and "wanna see something that's forged?" which tells me that PS is doing what jewelers should be.
Have you ever, when visiting a jeweler that is having problems with a question, mentioned that PS is a pretty good place to read up on the stuff they are selling?

That is really relevant! So few have a clue. Which makes me REALLY sad for my industry.

Wink

There have been quite a few times that I have mentioned to look up on PS about a subject that the jewelers are having a problem with. And each time I am met with either a blank stare, or else they tell me they know what they are talking about because they are GIA trained. Very frustrating at times!

 

[lovebug1031]

My ring was set by hand here in Austin.

Tekate - OT here - I'm moving to SA next month (from VA!!) and would love a reputable jeweler close by (Austin is close enough for me) Can you recommend a few?

 

[Jim Summa]

Wink,
Remember the speaker at the CBI symposium a few years back. He was describing the perfect employee (used by his rivals) that they nicknamed "Jane"?
She was the recently divorced mother of 2 that REALLY needed a job. She would go that extra mile, as far as selling credit services to a businesses and worked on a commission.
I am bringing this up as an example of whatever happens in a jewelry store is blessed by the owner.

Anyhow Karl....thanks for the article. I wonder what they meant by "finding the right mixture"? Something that won't smoke the stones I guess. I have to admit on a personal level this type of work leaves me a little queasy. On a professional level the ring I was looking at was beautifully cast and finished.

Ashleigh,
What I think they are trying to sell you in is a finishing technique know in my circles as "thrumming" (SP?) I have attached to my bench a tangle of cotton string that I pull apart, charge with polish, and pull thru an area that can't be reached with a rotating cotton wheel, or buff.
Lately (I've been doing this for over 40 years. Lately means 10 years ago) I was tipped to use microfinishing film made by 3M. You slice it into thin strips and it gives you better control. I hung out in a shop in Japan when I was 19. In that shop they polish the points of different shaped steel rods and rubbed or burnished the shine (which also work the metal) onto the piece. This was/is a very attractive look and is surprisingly bright.
You may need to use all these ways to finish an item, or even invent your own....the trick is to understand how to use them.

 

[Jim Summa]

Kathley,
I learned to fly many years ago. When I took my checkride to earn the privilege (training lingo) I gave the examiner a bottle of Scotch (or left it somewhere in the hangar) and asked if I had my license. He replied I had a license to learn.

Its easy to feel threatened in this business when your starting out.
I see the word "transparency" used a lot on pricescope and sometimes think its confused with education/knowledge/experience.
I gotta get to work!

 

[Ashleigh]

Jim, thanks for the description of wax polishing. Sounds like the polisher needs experience to know what techniques to use in different situations.

Karl, thanks for differentiating between wax set and wax polish. I won't be surprised if they wax polish the whole ring since labour is really cheap there. The seller is LOGR.