Gemstone setters
Gem setters is a job title . The short form is Fasser . Outdated names are gem setters or jewel setters.
The gemstone setters (French sertisseur) developed from the goldsmith's profession in the sense of the division of labor. He specializes in “ grasping ”, i.e. H. inserting the gemstones worked by the stone cutter into the metal constructions made by the goldsmith such as chatons = chaton settings, claws = prong settings, frames = frame settings, pave = off-cuts or other shapes and surfaces that are part of the respective piece of jewelry.
Area of responsibility
Since all gemstones have different properties in terms of their hardness Mohs hardness , cleavage and brittleness , it is subject to his ability to insert the stones into the prepared precious metals in such a way that they are not damaged and are permanently fixed in the jewelry in the gemstone setting. The respective stones are not glued, they have to sit tightly in the setting and not rattle or wobble, depending on the high demands of the barrel or the client. To do this, the setter uses what is known as a setter's punch , a square piece of steel that has been trimmed at its front end so that it forms a fine, polished and rounded edge. With a special hammer ( chasing or setting hammer; at the back a kind of ball, at the front a large round surface on the hammer head), the punch is guided by hand over the metal edge or frame edge that protrudes slightly over the gemstone. This is pressed against the stone until it snugly encloses and fastened it. With a modern mechanical setters hammer, the fast striking movement, which is otherwise carried out by hand with the hammer, is controlled by an electric motor, translated into a handpiece into which the steel punch is screwed and which can then also be used to drive the precious metal onto the gemstone. This type of barrel is known as a frame setting.
In addition to driving in gemstones as described above, there is also the option of setting offcuts. When setting waste, single or multiple stones can be set in the area. The gemstones can be arranged in a row or they can be arranged over a larger area, also known as pavé cobblestones ( pavé sectors ) by waste. In this particular arrangement, the pattern of placed gemstones can continue across the surface, in a repeating and endless hexagon (hexagon) arrangement.
With this technique, a metal surface is later milled into which the gemstones are then inserted. Then two, four or more grains are pierced with a graver over each stone and pierced free. The gemstone setter refines almost every gemstone setting with a high-gloss and final cut edge. There is also the option of prong setting and chaton setting: the stone is fixed by several prongs over an eyelet or only by the prongs. Nowadays the setters have a multitude of other specialized modern tools at their disposal, such as microscopes, automatic graver and many different ways of setting precious stones in jewelry and watches.
education
Training to become a setter is offered, among other things, at the goldsmith's school with watchmaking school in Pforzheim .