Stone setting in wax can be tricky to get the hang of, but once you master it, you gain total creative freedom to bring your craziest design ideas to life!
Learning how to bezel set, claw set, and prong set in jeweller's wax opens up a huge world of design possibilities for your handmade jewellery. Read on to find out my favourite and most used stone settings in lost wax.
Bezel setting in wax
Bezel setting in wax
Bezel setting is the easiest stone setting to build in wax and to set in metal. In wax, you'll need to make sure your bezel wall isn't super thick. You also don't want it to be too tall, because it'll cover too much surface area of your stone. Getting a nice clean bezel takes patience and practice.
In my online jewellery making course, we go through multiple bezel wax building and stone setting tutorials to ensure you have a solid foundation. We address problems like how to get your stone to stay in the bezel seat whilst setting, how to use a hammer handpiece to bezel set, how to use a hammer and punch to bezel set, and how to properly build a neat, workable bezel in jeweller's wax.
Claw setting in wax
Claw setting in wax
I found claw setting the most difficult stone setting to learn in wax. Pro tip: the more claws you have, the more difficult it will be to set. Typically, you will need at least 3 claws to properly secure a stone. Sometimes you can get away with just 2 claws for small stones, but I don't do this often.
Many people struggle with how to remove the stone from their wax model after building the claws. Check this video tutorial for the solution. There is a trick to building and stone setting claws. We cover this in detailed video tutorials in my lost wax jewellery course to get you claw setting in wax like a pro (without wanting to rip your hair out).
Prong setting in wax
Prong setting is a versatile stone setting in wax! I typically like to use this for smaller accent stones, but you can use it for any stones in any shape. I find prong setting quite easy because you don't really need to lift or close any metal. You're simply using pressure and correctly placed divots to set the stone. I like to use my Max Wax pen to build prong settings in wax. This wax pen has a more delicate tip that allows for fine detail.
You'll need to build your settings so they not only look good, but are fully functional in metal. You'll need to lift and close claws, open bezels, hammer down metal, and squeezeOnce you master the basics, you can start building crazier settings like the ones you see on my Instagram and Pinterest.Building stone settings can be one of the more intricate parts of the wax jewellery making process. To be truthful, it took me 1 whole year of trial, error, and many tears to learn how to stone set in wax. My online jewellery course is 8.5 hours of video, which feels like a lot, but compare that to 365 days of learning… I know what I'd choose!
Prong setting is a versatile stone setting in wax! I typically like to use this for smaller accent stones, but you can use it for any stones in any shape. I find prong setting quite easy because you don't really need to lift or close any metal. You're simply using pressure and correctly placed divots to set the stone. I like to use my Max Wax pen to build prong settings in wax. This wax pen has a more delicate tip that allows for fine detail.
You'll need to build your settings so they not only look good, but are fully functional in metal. You'll need to lift and close claws, open bezels, hammer down metal, and squeezeOnce you master the basics, you can start building crazier settings like the ones you see on my Instagram and Pinterest.Building stone settings can be one of the more intricate parts of the wax jewellery making process. To be truthful, it took me 1 whole year of trial, error, and many tears to learn how to stone set in wax. My online jewellery course is 8.5 hours of video, which feels like a lot, but compare that to 365 days of learning… I know what I'd choose!
Learn once, learn properly, and unlock total creative freedom.
