105 - How to make a silver bezel for a cabochon
The title pretty much explains this class: We'll be making a solid sterling (or fine) silver bezel with a full backing, for a cabochon. I'll be using alrger 30 x 40mm oval cab, but I suggest starting with something smaller and round, to start with.
Quick tip: If you are using a round cab: you can use your ring mandrel to hep you get the bezel wire perfectly round after soldering it.
Cheat sheet for backing plate thicknesses general guidelines:
For stones 4-8mm: 28 gauge is acceptable
For stones 8-15mm: 24-26 gauge
For stones 15mm to 25mm: 20-22 gauge
For stones larger than 25mm: 18-20 gauge
Bezel wire:
24 - 30 gauge is suitable for most stones.
"Fine Silver" is silver that is 99.9% (.999) pure silver. This makes the wire softer, and thus, easier to press around the stone. But it also makes it a tad more prone to melting or deforming during soldering.
In future classes, I'll be showing how to create settings using extra thick bezels (1mm thick or more).
This is the first tutorial in this series. If you're new here, consider starting back at the 101 video.