Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
August 15, 2010

Question:

Can you use kiln-fired glass pieces you make yourself in snapsets?

-Diane in Nuevo, California

Answer:

I see no reason you couldn’t use snapsets on your handcrafted glass. You would just have to make the glass the approximate correct shape and size, making sure that it has both a table and a girdle and after firing, grind it to fit the snapset. (Note: a defined girdle and table are necessary for the prong to have something to hook on to.) Sounds like a neat idea!

P.S.: If you’re curious about how to use a snapset, stay tuned for tomorrow’s Tip!

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip

Question:

I recently bought three Yellow Mexican Labradorite 1.5mm faceted gemstones (they’re beautiful!) I saw on TV, but they looked much larger than what I ended up with. I was hoping to make either ring and earrings or pendant and earrings. But I am not sure if I should use snap-set mountings or wire wrap them. What would you do?

-Mary in Santa Rosa, California

Answer:

This is a classic case of purchasing gemstones either because the close-up on television looked awesome or purchasing by the carat weight, rather than by the actual stone size. Although I am sure they are lovely, melees are very difficult to use in wire jewelry designs. (Personally, I have never used anything smaller than a snapset 3mm round, as smaller sizes can hardly be seen in my wire designs, even when used as accent stones.) As you have asked what I would do, I would either try to find 1mm snapsets somewhere and cluster all 3 stones together so they could actually be seen in a pendant design, or I would take them to a goldsmith with a few other loose stones and have him or her design something special.

When purchasing wire wrapping gemstones from a television source in the future, you may wish to choose stones for their size, rather than their carat weight, as some stones are very heavy meaning their size can be very small. For example, sapphire (corundum) has a density of 3.95-4.03 and quartz (amethyst, citrine, smoky, ametrine, etc) has a density of 2.6; therefore if you were to put an amethyst and a sapphire, each a 10ct brilliant cut stone, side-by-side, the sapphire would be smaller in size.

These facts are why Wire-Sculpture sells their natural gemstones by their size. When a wire jewelry artist sells a design that incorporates a gemstone, we use a scale to weigh it before wrapping, so we can sell the finished piece with the carat weight.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
June 24, 2010

Question:

I would like to make a bracelet with my Indian Head nickel, but I cannot find a snapset that will fit. I was told it measures 21–but I don’t know what 21 means. Do you know where I could purchase a snap set to fit this nickel, or what I can do with it?

-Nancy in Idaho Falls, Idaho

Answer:

The number 21 refers to the distance across the center of the coin, 21mm in diameter. As you desire to make this into a bracelet, you could make a side-to-side frame wrap and attach the bail ends onto a Chevron Bracelet base (as seen on the cover of Wirework, where you will also find detailed directions). As for a snapset, sorry, I do not know where you might find a snapset 21mm round, as that is an uncommon size. You may have better luck searching for a coin bezel.

Folks with larger coins interested in making a pendant can watch Disc 3 of the Intermediate Series to learn the Reversible Framed Pendant. And the reason I mention this DVD is it’s part of today’s Daily Deals: it’s 50% off for today only!

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
December 24, 2009

Question:

I bought a small bag of gems in assorted sizes. I measured each gem and ordered the setting in the same size but they were either too big or too small. Where did I go wrong? How do I get the right fit?

Answer:

OK, how did you measure the stones? Did you use a simple brass or plastic caliper or a digital/electronic one? The reason I ask is because when a person purchases a ‘lot’ of gemstones you get ‘the good, the bad, and sometimes the ugly’, many of which have been ‘mine-cut’.

(Mine-cut means cut by the locals where the stone was mined. These folks are usually paid by the carat weight, therefore these stones often have deeper pavilions with thin or thick girdles and as they are cut under mostly primitive conditions, not well calibrated either, so the stones are not expensive to purchase.)

When a gemstone is not calibrated and a simple caliper is used to measure one, it is easy to read and think the stone measures, for example 5mm round, when if the same stone were measured using an electronic caliper it might measure 5.2mm and not really be round at all!

Now when using round snapsets, a smaller or larger setting can often be used with no problem, IF the pavilion is not too deep or wide. When using another shaped snapset such as a marquise, the stone really needs to be the same size as the setting due to the cut (points on marquise stones chip off very easily). A square or rectangular cut stone might fit into a setting a little smaller or larger, depending on the cut. If the stone has cushion cut corners, a slightly smaller setting would work better, and for full corners, using the exact sized stone is almost a must, again due to the pointy corners that can easily chip.

In my early years, I used a brass caliper however when I got serious about gemstones I invested in a digital/electronic one. When not in use I remove the battery to save its’ life and have no problem measuring stones of any cut.

Advice; if you are going to invest in gemstones, invest in the necessary equipment so you can use them to your, and their, best advantage.

For a digital caliper, WS offers them for sale here: http://www.wire-sculpture.com/jewelry-gauge-1.html

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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