Live and Learn

At first glance this may not look so bad. I didn't bother to do any finishing so it all looks pretty rough (oh and please ignore the Rudi hair on the stone in the pic...). I certainly didn't bother making the chain (yet) which would have brought balance to such a large piece. Sad to say but this is one of those live and learn constructions.

Heart wrenching, but I will probably have to start over. 

The problem, the janky bezel at the top of the stone. Executing the design -which incorporates two silver balls sandwiched between the bezel and the bail- prevented me from properly pushing the bezel toward the stone. I did not anticipate this in my original sketches or even during construction. I was distracted by the challenge of the design overall (soldering the balls into place, positioning them...it wasn't easy). If the stone had not been so thinly cut (and thus the bezel would have larger surface area) this might not have been a problem, but there just wasn't much room for positioning the silver balls. 

Part of me wishes I wouldn't have tried to push the bezel into the stone near the balls, which would have left a slight gap but at least a smooth transition. Instead I tired to go for it and the result was disappointing. In the end, I probably would have been disappointed if I left the gap anyway...so I'm glad I went as far as trying to make it work...even though it means starting over.

I COULD try and remove the balls, push the bezel properly over the stone, and try and re-solder the balls and bail into place. BUT all this risks breaking the stone under heat or discoloring it. There are some materials I have (Heat Shield) that is supposed to protect stones and used for repair. But at least right now I'm not feeling that adventurous. So I am proposing to use my second favorite design for this stone...you will have to tune in later for the finished piece. However, at the moment I'm feeling a little defeated and need to take a bit of a break from this one.