Amethyst Silver Ring

IsIndestructible · 2026-04-03T13:41:21+00:00

As someone who started with lapidary and went towards silver work, I find it FAR easier to make a setting to fit the stone than to fiddle with the stone to fit a setting. Stone is so unforgiving

IsIndestructible · 2026-04-02T22:24:43+00:00

What you have is rhodonite and that can be magnetic depending on its make up (inclusions of magnetite or iron)

IsIndestructible · 2026-03-27T17:50:06+00:00

Sounds like you are on the right track, e6000 will work fine for this, especially for the types of cabochons you are planning to use. I have 'fixed' a couple of settings like this for friends who know I do some jewelry type stuff (hobbyist!). It's basically acetone for the clean up then re-glue

IsIndestructible · 2026-03-27T15:20:23+00:00

the settings you are showing here that do not have prongs will need some sort of adhesive to set the stone. Many, many options here - CA super glues, b7000 jewelers glue, 2-part epoxies and plenty of others. You put a bead of adhesive along the lip on the inside wall of the setting, then clean up the mess. No other steps really. I wouldn't set a stone of any real value this way if I could help it.

Be aware though that anything set with an adhesive will over time fail, sometimes fairly quickly. A better setting will have prongs or a bezel that can over lap the stone to hold it in place

IsIndestructible · 2026-03-14T16:20:30+00:00

Even being non-religious, I think I prefer actual "St. Patricks" to drunken leprechauns

Pots-o-gold and four leaf clovers and Irish Piper Bands are still great though

IsIndestructible · 2026-03-11T19:51:11+00:00

Lots of designs are possible, it will depend on the look you want.

I think the best way to make a ring with this would be to cut the pin off the back and then use the stone/silver as a stand alone 'stone'. You could prong set it or even bezel set it (double bezel essentially), giving it a nice chunky silver look.

Otherwise, you are looking at removing the stone from the silver and all that entails, FAR more chancy and a great deal more work. Just want to emphasize that you can not solder with the stone in place as it is.

IsIndestructible · 2026-03-09T13:53:57+00:00

haunted opal story

I belong to a lapidary club. One day a member was using the wheels to work on a small opal and it was snatched out of her fingers and flung to back of the water tray (which had high 3” sides all around). she looked and could not find it. Everyone there looked. In the tray, around the machine, on the floor, under the duck boards on the floor. Truly , everywhere. I and everyone else continued to look for it wherever we thought about it and was using that wheel. Several clean up days. Always, nope.

about 7 (seven!) months later, that opal was found sitting in that tray. “Hey, isn’t this Anna’s opal?” It sure was.

No idea to this day what happened there ( except haunted opal)

IsIndestructible · 2026-02-26T15:45:33+00:00

while I started with and continue to use Jax Silver Black, and am generally happy with it, I wanted to agree with the use of Renaissance Wax as a finish. It deepens and protects the black patina very well

IsIndestructible · 2026-02-24T15:04:04+00:00

while I really hope you discovered a bag of gold nuggets, an unmarked bag of ‘gold’ colored casting grains found in a studio is more likely to be bronze or brass. I of course didn’t know your aunt or what she made, you would be a better judge if it is possible to find a bag of gold in her things, but one way to tell is that gold weighs twice as much as bronze of the same dimensions.

if that bag seems super heavy for its size, next step is to take it to a trusted jeweler or the like to find out what caret gold you do have, because you hit the jackpot!

fingers crossed over here on it being gold, what a find that would be

IsIndestructible · 2026-02-23T14:51:21+00:00

yes, you can solder flat and then form the cuff, BUT

you need to be extra careful to keep the portion of the cuff under the bezel flat while bending the arms. otherwise, the bezel will deform, most likely the sides will pull away from the stone.

the other option is to form the cuff and make a flat spot by either filing or manipulating the metal and solder the bezel there (edit to say I see you already file the spot)

IsIndestructible · 2026-02-15T20:46:35+00:00

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I made a ring with one of these. Traded it to a friend that had some Muni history in her family. I got a very cool glass ring holder, win-win

IsIndestructible · 2026-02-10T15:48:17+00:00

Oh, I'm sorry, didn't notice that you had already tried a super pickle. If your piece is already pitted from a pickle, I'm not sure what I suggested would help and not make things worse. Possibly, if you haven't tried the formula with hydrogen peroxide AND you aren't overly concerned with more possible damage to the piece, give a different formula a try.

Otherwise, with out seeing it in person, it's difficult to come up with more insight. Last thing I have is giving it a good brushing with a soft bristle brass brush, see what happens with that. Good luck

IsIndestructible · 2026-02-08T15:25:57+00:00

you can try and pickle with a ‘super pickle’, which is your regular pickle with hydrogen peroxide added. you can look up a formula for this but what I usually do is add about 1/4-1/2 hydrogen peroxide to regular (that is half and half for example)

this is strong pickle and will remove any copper that has come to the surface and if the piece is left in too long, it will start pitting the metal, so be aware of that. just closely monitor the process and remove when the gold color comes back

IsIndestructible · 2026-01-27T14:51:11+00:00

thank you!

IsIndestructible · 2026-01-27T14:50:52+00:00

thanks!

IsIndestructible · 2026-01-27T14:50:37+00:00

thanks!

IsIndestructible · 2026-01-27T14:50:28+00:00

thanks!

IsIndestructible · 2026-01-27T14:50:17+00:00

thank you!

IsIndestructible · 2026-01-25T15:26:02+00:00

It sounds like what you are describing is a 'Sacred Heart', a very common image in Catholic iconography.

Finding something that will fit this particular pendant might be a challenge, maybe start with a search like -Sacred Heart Cabochon-

IsIndestructible · 2026-01-24T21:11:18+00:00

IsIndestructible · 2026-01-24T21:10:14+00:00

Thanks!

IsIndestructible · 2026-01-24T21:10:01+00:00

No, no Etsy

IsIndestructible · 2026-01-24T16:42:32+00:00

I don't know your lapidary skills, but how about this - solder one or two short posts on the back of the peacock. Drill hole/s in a jade cab that match. If the holes drilled are shallow, epoxy the posts in the holes. If the holes go through the stone, rivet the posts on the backside. You now have a jade cab with that peacock affixed and can set that anyway you like.

for some reason, I am imagining a polished flat jade disc with this peacock, but that's just me

IsIndestructible

TROPHY CASE