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channel set cross being curvy instead of straight line normal

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whotheyare

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 25, 2006
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is it normal for a channel set cross the channel to be a little curvy instead of perfectly straight? when inspecting close up u can clearly see curves in the channel i guess this to make the diamonds secure but is it normal? like it is not like something that can only be seen with a microscope, it can clearly be seen to the naked eye within 4 inches of the piece, (from afar u probably cant see the curvyness looks relatively straight)
 
Hmmm...all the channel sets that I have had have been straight...I would think that it should be straight. Just so I am clear on what you are asking, are you able to post a picture?
 
My guess would be that it should be straight (I''ve never seen curvy). The channel set bands don''t have any curves where the diamonds so I wouldn''t think something with such straight lines like a cross should have a curve. Maybe one of the experts will chime in and help you out.
 
jeweler said that the seats needed to be recut and thats the reasoning for it not being really straight, should i accept that?
 
You''ve had a lot of threads on this piece. I checked to be sure, some times my memory fails me, but not in this case. I think it might be a good idea to have another benchman take a look at it. Usually in channel set stones, you don''t see a curvy line. If done well, it should be a straight line. Forgive me, but was this a custom piece? If so a lot of time has passed. I hope things work out for you.
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Do you have a picture? This would help. It''s possible to make channel set bands, but if it''s a straight band the stones are supposed to be perfectly straight...if that makes any sense.
 
i have pics but they are more than 700 kb per pic to show the curvy line, how can i show them here since its 100kb limit?
 
Date: 2/28/2008 10:50:28 PM
Author: Kaleigh
You''ve had a lot of threads on this piece. I checked to be sure, some times my memory fails me, but not in this case. I think it might be a good idea to have another benchman take a look at it. Usually in channel set stones, you don''t see a curvy line. If done well, it should be a straight line. Forgive me, but was this a custom piece? If so a lot of time has passed. I hope things work out for you.
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Hi, I''ve gotta go with Kaleigh on this one - not that you''re not allowed or anything, but u seem to have had a number of threads on problems with this piece??
Will the benchman fix it? Do u really want him to, seeing as there seems to be some average workmanship thats gone on?
I too hope that you get it resolved soon
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hi there, what do you mean by deep seats? does that affect sparkle?
 
Date: 3/1/2008 6:43:50 AM
Author: whotheyare
hi there, what do you mean by deep seats? does that affect sparkle?
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yes because too much of the stone is covered.
 
I think by deep seats he means that more of the stones are covered up than necessary. But I don''t particularly see anything wrong with the cross. It is so highly magnified, so I can''t imagine seeing much of a problem in normal size. I don''t even see the curves in the channel that you are talking about.
 
it doesn''t look perfect to me, but it also doesn''t look awful. super magnified pics can be misleading so i guess you just really have to trust your own eyes and what is acceptable to you. You may not want to say, but cost would be a huge factor in deciding acceptablility for me personally. If you paid several thousand dollars for it, then I''d have a higher level of expectation than a piece I paid a few hundred for. So, not sure what the cost was but most of the time, you do get what you pay for. So, if you paid a lot of $ and are obviously unhappy and the work isn''t satisfactory, I''d get a refund and start over if possible. If you only paid a few hundred..well then the workmanship may warrant the price.
 
Hello Whotheyare,
If i''m not mistaken, haven''t you posted about this same issue previously? on this thread https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/diamond-set-too-deep-in-bead-setting-lose-sparkle.76522/
and here https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/channel-set-diamond-cross.71355/.
The reason I point this out is you have had a large nbr of threads on this same cross that seems like you''ve had nothing but trouble from the start - I only ask out of interest, as looking back it seems once ur questions were answered by professionals such as Neil Beatty and other PS''s, but there wasn''t any update/response from urself??
Specifically, about the diamonds being chipped in the cross, the workmanship on the setting being unsatisfactory, and the grading you had done to be less than you expected/paid for it? Also, unless I am mistken, it seems like you were concerned at some point that you could''ve been given clarity enhanced diamonds?(without expecting it?) https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/birks-appraisal-in-canada-b-c-what-lab-does-it.71484/. Is that correct or am I misunderstanding?

I hope you don''t think I am trying to be unfair, that is not the case. I am simply interested if you have ever gone back to speak to the creator of this cross - it seems you had it made somewhere mid 2007 or earlier? Obviously it may be too late to return it, but if I had all the concerns you do, I would''ve gone looking for answers a while ago?
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Just a question
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Hello everybody, my name is Klaus this is my first post. I love this forum it is all about info, good info.
If there is a introduction page I have not found it yet.
I am a professional goldsmith so I figured I could give you my opinion on the channel problem.
I would think for the naked eye a channel in a straight cross should not have any waves in it. Under huge magnification there could be a little wave once in a wile.

Uneven channel setting can happen if the used stones are not equal in size, meaning the metal has to be pushed over harder on the smaller stone to hold it in, then on its larger neighbor. Not a good thing!
Other thing to keep in mind most stone setting is done by hand. The quality of the setting starts with the quality of the cross and its channel. Unfortunately I have not seen a picture of the cross to be a judge of that.
Bottom line: If it is a higher end piece, maybe even made to order, it should not have waves in it.

The quality of craftsmanship is often the weak point of a many jeweler. Try to find the company that have highly qualified people on their benches and things like this should not happen. Word of mouth is usually the best way to find these places.

Having said that, if it was handmade to order and it looks crooked, the executing person just does not know better or does not care, very hard to reason with people like that, they get hurt and very defensive.

Could also be a simple oversight that can be corrected with a simple straight cut with a graver and you are a happy camper.
Mistakes happen, a good place is going to take care of you.

This are my five cents, hope it helped.

I do know quite a bit about stones and diamonds however there are experts on this forum superior to my knowledge . My strength and passion is the world that holds those wonders of nature in place and show them of in the most elegant way possible. If you have any questions please let me know.
 
Uneven channel setting can happen if the used stones are not equal in size, meaning the metal has to be pushed over harder on the smaller stone to hold it in, then on its larger neighbor. Not a good thing!


Hello Klaus,
welcome to PS and thankyou for that helpful insight. What you have described above is exactly what the owner said the maker of this cross explained to him when he first asked about this problem last year.
I had suspected the wrong size diamonds had been used, but don''t have any experience to comment on that.
I do wonder if the owner has sought any advice/compensation from the maker...
 
Kind of off topic, but WhoTheyAre did you design that cross yourself? I think the diamonds on the bale was a neat idea! Thanks for sharing your eye candy. If you have more please share!
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thanks sparkles, yes i did design it and i wanted the bail more wider to accomodate a thicker chain but all in all i think its ok, what do you think of the channel setting job and the shape of cross in general from those pics i posted in my last reply?

yes i did custom work on another cross but i didnt really post pics of it here because most people here are into engagement rings and such and my jewelry is more hiphop/pro athlete type stuff, for example my diamond crosses are both near 4 inches in length with bail not your ordinary size cross.

To the other person who asked about the cost, it was pretty expensive many thousands so i do expect a higher quality piece (mostly vs/vvs) hence why im asking about the craftsmanship, there is no refund here as its custom made piece so im asking if people do feel its inferior craftsmanship, can it be fixed (such as the deep seats someone spoke of)

thank you
 
Date: 3/2/2008 1:39:01 AM
Author: whotheyare
thanks sparkles, yes i did design it and i wanted the bail more wider to accomodate a thicker chain but all in all i think its ok, what do you think of the channel setting job and the shape of cross in general from those pics i posted in my last reply?

yes i did custom work on another cross but i didnt really post pics of it here because most people here are into engagement rings and such and my jewelry is more hiphop/pro athlete type stuff, for example my diamond crosses are both near 4 inches in length with bail not your ordinary size cross.

To the other person who asked about the cost, it was pretty expensive many thousands so i do expect a higher quality piece (mostly vs/vvs) hence why im asking about the craftsmanship, there is no refund here as its custom made piece so im asking if people do feel its inferior craftsmanship, can it be fixed (such as the deep seats someone spoke of)

thank you
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I think it looks really nice, (I like the clean line look... the channels seem pretty straight to me). I only see one picture on the end it looks like it tapers in a little, but I don't think it would be something you would notice unless you pointed it out and were very close! I like diamonds! That includes all jewelry. I just don't think many on here have a lot of hiphop stuff or maybe they do but are too shy to post. Which sucks because I think no matter what you are into educating yourself about your work/hobby is important. I think if you were looking to go somewhere else for custom work (if you're unhappy with the person/people you are using now to make it) people on here would be able to guide you with who to work with. That's really cool you were able to do a custom piece I think it has a very masculine presence.

Sorry not an expert, so can't answer the technical stuff for you
 
hi there thanks for opinion, were you looking at the two tinypic links that I posted above? on the first pic u can see it gets wavy near the center diamond if you look

anyways klaus if you can see the pics and give opinion its appreciated

yeah i only got another white gold cross like this and diamond chain is coming
 
Hi there,
I saw the pictures. It is a nice cross (the photo is not 100% crisp though, can't make out all the single diamond outlines). The "curve problem" is not that bad at all. There is enough material there to execute straight lines.
Crosses are notorious for problems like that. Because it is a very simple shape the smallest mistake is visible. I often use crosses as test jobs for future bench help. It is all about right angles, symetry and proportions. The setting work in this cross is not bad really and I am sure if you tell the maker or the piece what you don't like he or her will be able to straighten it out in no time.

The other thing to remember is we are not looking at the original size here it, is blown up considerably.
So the imperfection is blown up to.
Bottom line: Tell your jeweler what see and I am sure he'll gladly help you with it. Looks like a typical oversight to me, can be taken care of in two minutes.
 
thanks for the opinion klaus, but you do see the wavy line near the center diamond right? also on the second pic you can see that bottom diamond is set much deeper than the rest right? can these things be fixed in your opinion?

Also note that its not really a blown up pic, just a pic taken at an upclose distance, the pendant is 4 inches tall so thats why it seems blown up but thats really its size so its more obvious to see little errors
 
whotheyare,

You cannot post links to photo hosting sites. Please refer to the emails that have been sent to the address you signed up with and upload your pictures directly to Pricescope.
 
hey klaus, did you already see these two pics attatched? do you see the wavy line near the center diamond right? also on the second pic you can see that bottom diamond is set much deeper than the rest right? can these things be fixed in your opinion?

Also note that its not really a blown up pic, just a pic taken at an upclose distance, the pendant is 4 inches tall so thats why it seems blown up but thats really its size so its more obvious to see little errors

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here is the other pic klauss, hope you can see both pics now, thanks

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That’s pretty typical commercial work, perhaps even a bit better than average. I agree that they could do better and a bit of cleanup work would probably help but my recollection from your prior discussion of this item is that you had the work done by a discount craftsman and then were annoyed when you didn''t get masterpiece workmanship. Am I misremembering? Did you ever talk to the jeweler about it?

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
 
Date: 3/3/2008 9:15:09 AM
Author: denverappraiser
That’s pretty typical commercial work, perhaps even a bit better than average. I agree that they could do better and a bit of cleanup work would probably help but my recollection from your prior discussion of this item is that you had the work done by a discount craftsman and then were annoyed when you didn''t get masterpiece workmanship. Am I misremembering? Did you ever talk to the jeweler about it?

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
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Neil, This is the same question that I asked, but OP doesn''t really seem keen to respond!
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Hi whotheyare,
I can see what you mean much better now. Again the waves can be taken care of. If stones sit lower then others (hard to see on a picture) that is a bigger job to take care of.

Neil Beaty's post brings out a very very valuable point. There are no miracles, you will not get a Porsche for the price of a Hyundai, just not going to happen. The rule is: you get what you pay for.
 
hey guys, i paid near 10k with the chain, so i dont think that would be considered discount craftsman, i asked him about it and he says the line might be able to be straightened but cant know forsure, i think it would be worth looking into straightening the lines because that would also bring out more of the diamond therefore increasing the sprakle/fire right?

Also for the diamond being set too low, it is one diamond in particular i am talking about, its the bottom diamond in the first pic, you can see its set lower and that more gold is covering it if you can tell in that first pic thanks
 
I’m not trying to make an excuse for poor craftsmanship. I’ve not seen the piece, I don’t know what was negotiated and I don’t know what materials were used. On a piece like that, I would expect the labor component to range from perhaps as low as $2k to as much as $7k or more depending on who was making it and how much effort they put into the details. As Klaus pointed out, this isn't nearly as easy a job as it looks at first glance. The best craftsmen are rarely the cheapest. You’ve mentioned that several carats of high quality melee were used and there’s obviously quite a bit of metal involved so a $10k total budget is actually squeezing the labor rather tightly. That’s ok, squeeze all you want, they agreed to do it and they should be doing it correctly but it looks to me like you’re significantly under budget for a store that puts a high value on their talent and this is not a deal that I would expect a master jeweler to agree to be involved in. Hence the comment about a ‘discount craftsman’. Craftsmen (and women) who put a low value on their skills aren't necessarily worse than those who think they're worth a lot, but it's a bad sign.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Jewelry Appraisals in Denver
 
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