Setting diamond slices in stamped gold settings
By Roland Auer
When working with diamond slices, you can create very unique pieces of jewelry. But because diamond slices are very thin and usually not entirely homogenous, you must take care not to break them when working at the bench. Setting diamond slices in faceted gold settings can maximize the light reflecting from them, creating a dynamic look.
1. In this project, I am making a pair of earrings with two diamond slices. Each is about 5 carats and measures about 2 cm in diameter.
2. You can use several metal objects as stamping tools for making the gold settings for these earrings. Here, I used a textured brass ball. Simply file, sand, and polish the stamping tool into the shape you desire.
3. With the stamp formed, place a 0.1 to 0.2 mm thick polished 18k palladium white gold sheet that is slightly larger in diameter than the diamonds (the gold edges should overlap the stone’s edges by about 0.5 mm) on a block of lead. Using a spindle, press the stamp into the sheet of gold.
4. Using 0.5 mm thick 18k white gold sheet, fabricate fitted gold bowls for the diamond slices. (For the bowls, I use a white gold alloy that doesn’t contain palladium so they have a lower melting temperature than the stamped gold components.) These will be used on the backs of the settings to stiffen them.
5. Use flat-nosed pliers to straighten the borders of the stamped gold components and make tabs so you can nest them inside the gold bowls. In preparation for laser welding the two components together, file a lip around the edge of the gold bowl. At this point, the gold film should be about 0.5 mm larger than the bowl on all sides.
6. To laser weld, push the edge of the gold film into the gold bowl with your fingernail and laser weld the edge from the back, repeating around the perimeter. If you weld from the front, you will burn holes into the thin faceted gold component; if you weld from the back, the faceted gold will melt first and connect to the thicker material of the gold bowl.
7. Once you have completed one pass around the perimeter, laser weld the spaces in between your initial contact points. The edges of the stamped gold component will melt into the gold bowl, filling the lip that you filed on the bowl earlier. Ensure that you are always welding from the back to avoid burning the thin stamped gold.
8. Weld four 1 mm diameter prongs to each setting from the back. (Again, I used a non-palladium 18k white gold alloy to keep the melting temperature of the prongs lower than that of the stamped gold component.)
9. In this image of the unset diamond slice beside the slice set into the gold setting, you can see the difference the faceted gold setting makes in the reflection of the diamond slice.
10. With the prongs in place, very carefully set the diamond slices using a special technique. Cut the portions of the prongs that protrude above the gold setting to about two-thirds their original thickness. Carefully bend them over the diamonds. Then fill the gap that you cut away by laser welding additional material to the prongs using 0.2 mm welding wire of the same alloy.
11. Diamonds are not very sensitive to temperature, but you must be experienced with a laser to perform this task. To protect the gems from the laser beam’s reflections, hold a sheet of silver beside the point you are welding. Always shoot away from the gemstone. And beware that even when the prong stands between the laser and the gem, the laser can shoot through the prong and damage the stone.
12. As a final step, laser weld decorative ear wires to the backs of the earrings, final polish, and rhodium plate.