Micro Pave Considerations

The following pages are a detour from the project so I can share with you the general procedure I use for micro pave. The first realization is the diamonds coming from your diamond dealer will vary in diameter size from .09mm to 1.1mm. So what I do is create the stone diameter at 1.1mm then offset larger by .10mm. I then use the larger diameter circle (1.3mm) as a guide to line up my gemstones. I construct it this way so that any stone of approximate size will fit into the mounting and stay tight.

The prong diameter size is .5mm and now drop a guide line touching the top of the 1.3mm circles. This is the location for the prongs as shown below. After laying out the top row you can mirror to place the bottom prongs in position. 

Raising the Beads
 
I then give the micro pave beads a dome angle between 50 and 80 degrees and a height of .6mm. (In some instances a higher dome angle can be used to shrink the amount of metal showing). The tapered shaped of the bead allows for the small variance between stones. I set these diamonds with a hart bur by the way, by back cutting into the first bead pair and then beading down and over with the second diagonal bead. The common prong is really just an illusion. I then continue in the same direction with the same technique. If I want a shadow box around the beads I create the box first and then subtract that area down .5mm. Now, lets continue with the project at hand...

Project 1 Step 2

In this next step I will begin by creating the center stone vectors. Some of the issues we have to consider have to do with the spacing between the stones. There are many factors required to produce a micro pave or channel ring correctly. I will offset each stone larger by .15mm to assure the stones will set closely but still fit into the space we have designed. Remember, when we channel set the gemstones down into the finished mounting, the diameter of the ring becomes smaller, thereby creating a smaller space in the metal to set the stones in. We need to allow for that difference when designing our pieces. I have created each stone one by one, performed the offset, and moved them into position individually. Lastly I grouped the stones together. I will only build half the ring as I can mirror the sections to complete the model. The following video will demonstrate this process.

The Channel Walls

I am are now going to offset the center stones inward to create the seats for the center stones; and then draw the outline for the channel including the pointed end of the channel. I will move the cross sections upward to keep the viewing area clear. I will use color in this step to allow me to isolate the sections and vectors I want to control; and merge low the seats or underbezels for the gemstones. I will also keep the side wall of the channel  straight. It is better to offset the center and create a thicker seat because we can drill out and enlarge this hole in the metal easily. It is also necessary to reduce the width of the channel by 5%. This will equal a 10% reduction in the channel width because it will happen on both sides. We will begin the next video by drawing and editing the channel. 

Project 1 Gents Ruby and Diamond Ring

In this first project we are going to design a simple gents ruby and diamond ring to get familiar with the tools in ArtCam Jewelsmith. I will be designing in ArtCam 2009. 

Gents Ruby and Diamond Ring

 Step One

In this project I am going to design a gents mounting to hold nine channels set round stones and a total of 34 small round diamonds bead set with common prongs. There are 17 stones on each side of the channel. The specifications are as follows:

Finger size is 10
Round Center Gemstone Sizes are:
3 at 2.5mm
2 at 2.25mm
2 at 2.0mm
2 at 1.75mm

Round Side Diamonds are: 34 at 1.0mm

One of the great things about ArtCam Jewelsmith is the fact many pieces can be completed in a number of different ways. What follows is one technique to produce this piece and not necessarily the only way to achieve this. This piece was completed in 14K white gold and set with diamond cut rubies for the 9 center stones and 34 diamonds in the beaded sides. It was milled in wax, cast, and sold to a purchasing customer. Total design time is about 30 minutes.

Other considerations to note is the ring has a half rounded style and shape to the entire surface. Also a minimum amount of metal is desired for the channel section. Round under bezels are also desired for the channel section.  

Picture of Finished Ring Showing Under Bezels

 The Thinking Process
 
I am first going to create a new project in ArtCam, then select and build the tapered flat shank from the model library. I will then edit that model to fit the specifications desired. I need to figure out the approximate dimensions for the finished ring. To determine the top width of this ring at the widest section it is necessary to add the stone size diameters (plus a tolerance) with the thickness of the desired walls for the channel and the beaded sections. This is as follows:

2.5/2 +.15 for the center stone (half the diameter of the middle stone plus a .15 tolerance). This equals 1.4mm
.7 for the channel wall
.25 for the first inside wall of the beaded section
1.0 + .10 times 2 for the beaded stone; this equals 1.3mm
.25 for the second side wall of the beaded section
.6 for the outside wall
See following picture for better understanding....

This equals 4.5mm for one half of the ring, so times 2 is 9.0mm ring width. I like a 50 % taper from top to bottom so the bottom of the shank will be 4.5mm wide. I already know the bottom thickness needs to be 1.5mm. Lastly, I need the height for the top of the ring. Since, 61% of  largest stone of 2.5mm is 1.525 and the gems will be channel set at least .5mm down from the top. The ring needs to be at least 2.50mm thick to keep the stone off the finger. I will edit the cross sections to also achieve a 1mm flat edge on the side of the ring. The rest of the profile for the ring will be half rounded.

 Making The Blank

Since we have all the required information to create the shank as a blank lets see a video for this first step. The following video is going to start after I have selected "Create New Project" from the ArtCam opening menu. I am using ArtCam 2009. Also, I normally use a resolution of at least 40, but because of the video recording software I have selected only 30 resolution to reduce the load on my computer.