Faceted gemstones come in all different shapes and sizes and all of them need a setting to keep them safe. In this class you learn to create bezel settings for a variety of different shaped stones and different ways of finishing them.
This class is perfect if you want to give the outside of your settings some shape. You start by learning how to make a straight walled setting and then move on to tapered and curved outsides. It’s quick in wax to give the outside a little shape and it brings some personality to your settings.
This class doesn’t cover how to set stones, only how to make the settings. A basic knowledge on stone setting is helpful to make the most out of this class.
Techniques covered
- Deciding on wax thickness based on your stone
- Draw the outline of the stone on the wax
- Cut a seat for the stone with ball burrs
- Cut a seat for the stone with a saw
- Cut a seat for curves
- Cut a seat for corners
- Cleaning up the inside walls of the setting
- Check setting wall height
- Finish setting straight walled
- Finish setting with a rounded back
- Finish setting with a taper
- Cut a daylight at the back of the setting
- Remove wax weight
- Incorporate stone in a 3D shape: fish and bunny
- Multiple stone layout
Tools and materials
Essential
- Wax slices or wax block
- Faceted gemstones
- Benchpeg
- Jewellers saw and saw blades (regular saw blades work, but skip a tooth or waxblades make piercing easier)
- Hand files 0 and 2 cut (0 cut to do the major work and 2 cut to give it a clean finish). If you have different cuts in your hand files, they’ll do the job just as well. It just takes a bit longer or shorter depending on the cut you have.
- Callipers/vernier gauge (dixieme gauge works as well)
- Dividers
- Ruler
- Scribe
- Needle files
- Dentist scalpel
- Micro motor/foredom and ball burrs (different sizes, use what you have on hand)
- Superglue/beeswax
- Permanent marker
Optional
- Wax file (you still need your cut 2 hand file to give your wax a clean finish)
- Wax carving tools
- Small unit scales
What’s included
- 65 page PDF with photos and written instructions. You can download the PDF for easier access
- 8 instructional videos, around 2.5 hours total
- Opportunity to ask questions
- Client brief: 1 Page outline for a ring stack project
- Lifetime access to all the material
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And
Tutor
Hi I’m Sandy. I make all the waxes you see in the videos and photos. But I also write the handout, make the videos and edit them into the tutorial videos. Out of all these, wax carving is definitely my strong point.
I trained at the school of jewellery in Dublin, where I learned wax carving. After finishing my degree, I taught at the school for a year and worked at a jewellery shop as a bench jeweller/sales person.
While travelling through Asia for the past two years (pre pandemic), I took some short courses to expand my skills and rented bench space to keep making jewellery (need a recommendation of jewellery classes in Asia/bench rental? Ask me!) Personal highlight was teaching a wax carving workshop at Lucy Walker in Kuala Lumpur.
Besides my training, I’ve practiced A LOT. Add a healthy dose of stubbornness (I won’t let wax breaking defeat me!) to keep trying until I can make what I set out to make. There’s broken waxes and first attempts in my scrap wax box. I’m proud of those, because practice is the only way to get better.
This class is made with love. I love wax carving and I’m excited to teach you.