Student of the Week: Christina Hunt

22k gold and Tourmalines

Congratulations to Christina Hunt, our latest Student of the Week. These two 22k gold and Tourmaline bracelets represent no small achievement. This much stone setting isn’t for the easily discouraged. It’s a great project to hone your cabochon setting skills. Cabochons date back to the ancient times before man developed lapidary equipment capable of faceting stones. Although I love faceted stones, cabochons have a plump tactile quality missing from faceted stones.

We at JAI usually set our cabochons with a closed back. I have found that the majority of stones look best with a highly polished fine silver sheet behind them. This bounces the light back through the stone and highlights it. Only looking at it both ways will tell you for sure but in the case of rings, bracelets, and pendants the only thing you are seeing through the stone with an open back is your skin. No offense to anyone’s skin but try it and you will see it does nothing for the stone. Dangling earrings are another case but I still often think it looks best closed. Sometimes I think people confuse the diamond setting theories with other stones. What makes diamonds sizzle is their ability to take in light and refract it within the stone, bouncing around and making it look fabulous. Other stones, especially cabochons do not do the same things with light. The light just leaks out the bottom of open backed stones. Don’t take my word for it, take any cabochon and place it against a polished silver back and then against your skin. What do you think? I guess we will talk about the actual setting process another time but here is to Christina Hunt and a job well done!