First, decide what type of jewelry you want to make, whether rings, necklaces, bracelets and brooches once past the preliminary design stage, the process is fairly similar. One of the biggest decisions you will have to make is the money you can spend making gemstone jewelry. Your personal budget will determine what type of stones you can afford and from there you can decide on the type of setting you should use for that particular stone.
Some people involved in making gemstone jewelry will buy, or make, the setting for the piece and then hunt for the proper stone for placement. Others will find what they see as the perfect gemstone and then try to either find or make their own setting to fit the stone. While either way will work, it helps to have an idea in mind as to the type and size stone or setting you will want when looking for the other.
Permanence Sought In Stone Fitting
The choices available for setting a gemstone into the setting are varied with many jewelry makers choosing to glue the stone into the setting. With some settings, this may be the only choice while other settings may have bendable edges that can fold around the stone to hold it securely in place. Some of those making gemstone jewelry may want to use both methods in the same piece to assure it is held permanently.
If you are using base metals when making gemstone jewelry, you should be cautious about the stones you use. While many consider gemstones to be those of high value such as diamonds, amethyst, sapphires or rubies, others may look at the variety of quartz available at a lesser cost but with a wider array of colors. Having them cut and polished is a time-consuming process, but many stones are commercially available already processed at a reasonable price.
If you are having the stone cut consider having it customized to fit the setting into which it will be placed. While this may detract from the stone’s value or its ability to be switched to a different setting later, it will help make the setting more secure.
