The Standout Stonesetting Blog

How to Hold Your Work When Setting Stones Apr 15, 2023

There’s an old adage that “if you can’t hold it, you can’t set it”, and if you’ve done much stonesetting before you’ll understand just how frustrating an ineffective workholding method can be, and how much it could be hurting your profitability. 

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Choosing a Vise for Stonesetting Feb 25, 2023

The ball vise is the most popular choice for setters who work under a microscope full time.

It's possible to use handheld clamps or a Benchmate instead, and each has its strengths and weaknesses, but if you're looking to upgrade your setup and need a workholding method that's versatile and...

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How to learn professional stone setting - Part 3: The 3 Essential Ingredients Jan 11, 2023

The rule of the 3 Ts is the most important concept of learning to set. This post explores the all-important 3 Ts in detail, including how to use this concept at a very practical level.

If you want to be doing professional setting that matches the standard of your fabrication, you need to get...

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How to learn professional stonesetting - Part 2: Define your goals Jan 04, 2023

If you’re like most of the jewellers reading this, your goal is probably to do great setting. That’s an excellent goal to have, and there’s plenty of opportunity out there for those who achieve it. But to actually make it happen, we need to pick it apart and work out what that...

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How to learn professional stonesetting - Part 1: Jump the gap Dec 28, 2022

Professional jewellers know the value of good stone setting work. When your stone setting is good, everything about your jewellery is better - it looks better in photos and Instagram, it's more profitable because you can set it efficiently, and it can be more distinctive because you can adapt...

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Choosing a Microscope for Stonesetting Nov 27, 2022

Choosing the right microscope for stone setting can be confusing, and there are many models available. This post is in response to common student questions. Rather than being a comprehensive guide to all possible options, the focus is on the models and configurations most popular and...

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How to mark out a full circle wedder Aug 02, 2022

Setting stones around a full band is simple and enjoyable work for most setters. While there are different ways to plot the stone positions, this is a quick method I use to get it exactly right the first time - very helpful when the girdles are close!

Firstly, if your stones are to be spaced...

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