Bead, Shell, and Rock Cabochons
Here are some simple ideas for using beads, shells, and rocks as cabochons in your designs.
Idea 1
Sometimes a small accent cabochon is needed but not available. A bead can be perfect for this.
Any bead used should be opaque enough to hide the drilled hole. The bezel's height must extend above the hole on both sides.
Very few bezel cups on the market fit this need, so the setting often must be hand fabricated, as with the pendant shown.
Sometimes a bead fits into a cut-to-length tube or tube setting.
When ready to set, place a small amount of E-6000 glue in the bezel bottom. Carefully insert the bead, ensuring the holes remain below the bezel's top.
Let the glue set for several days to keep the bead from moving when you push the bezel sides in.
Any bead used should be opaque enough to hide the drilled hole. The bezel's height must extend above the hole on both sides.
Very few bezel cups on the market fit this need, so the setting often must be hand fabricated, as with the pendant shown.
Sometimes a bead fits into a cut-to-length tube or tube setting.
When ready to set, place a small amount of E-6000 glue in the bezel bottom. Carefully insert the bead, ensuring the holes remain below the bezel's top.
Let the glue set for several days to keep the bead from moving when you push the bezel sides in.
Idea 2
Many inexpensive beads are so pretty, you wish they were cabochons that could be bezel set.
Years ago, I bought a beautiful green mosaic turquoise and silver necklace and bracelet but didn't get the earrings. After years of searching, I looked for cabochons but never found the right color.
Then I found inexpensive mosaic magnesite bead strands that were almost a perfect match. The puffed beads were a bit too thick, but the backs were easily ground down using coarse and medium silicone polishing wheels with the ECO 450 Micro Motor System, one of my favorite tools.
The backs don't need to be perfectly flat. Once ready, put a little E-6000 glue in the bezel cup, push the new cabochon in, and level it.
Allow the glue to set for several days to keep the bead cabochon from shifting during setting.
Hint: Inexpensive, soft beads often lose their shine due to tiny surface scratches from handling and storage.
Using a bit of wax and a muslin buffing wheel can reduce scratches and restore some polish.
Years ago, I bought a beautiful green mosaic turquoise and silver necklace and bracelet but didn't get the earrings. After years of searching, I looked for cabochons but never found the right color.
Then I found inexpensive mosaic magnesite bead strands that were almost a perfect match. The puffed beads were a bit too thick, but the backs were easily ground down using coarse and medium silicone polishing wheels with the ECO 450 Micro Motor System, one of my favorite tools.
The backs don't need to be perfectly flat. Once ready, put a little E-6000 glue in the bezel cup, push the new cabochon in, and level it.
Allow the glue to set for several days to keep the bead cabochon from shifting during setting.
Hint: Inexpensive, soft beads often lose their shine due to tiny surface scratches from handling and storage.
Using a bit of wax and a muslin buffing wheel can reduce scratches and restore some polish.
What if a bead would be perfect for a project but would work better as half a bead? Grinding it down is the best option since cutting beads requires specialized equipment.
This is a "live and learn" project. Some beads can be split, but most do not split well. Check the Mohs hardness scale for the bead. The lower the number, the better the chances.
Avoid beads with a Mohs rating above 5. The magnesite beads used here rate 3.5 to 4. Consider the cost of lost beads since many may not split successfully.
Using a sewing awl with a turquoise handle didn't work well; the awl was too thick. A thinner awl might work better.
Place the awl tip in the bead hole, hold it upright, and lightly tap with a hammer. This method produced mostly good results with a few failures on 8mm green mosaic magnesite beads, though the backs were not sanded flat.
Trying the same with larger 16mm beads resulted in multiple failures, so it was abandoned.
The small green cabochons were used in the earrings above and set like the teardrop cabochons.
This is a "live and learn" project. Some beads can be split, but most do not split well. Check the Mohs hardness scale for the bead. The lower the number, the better the chances.
Avoid beads with a Mohs rating above 5. The magnesite beads used here rate 3.5 to 4. Consider the cost of lost beads since many may not split successfully.
Using a sewing awl with a turquoise handle didn't work well; the awl was too thick. A thinner awl might work better.
Place the awl tip in the bead hole, hold it upright, and lightly tap with a hammer. This method produced mostly good results with a few failures on 8mm green mosaic magnesite beads, though the backs were not sanded flat.
Trying the same with larger 16mm beads resulted in multiple failures, so it was abandoned.
The small green cabochons were used in the earrings above and set like the teardrop cabochons.
Idea 4
You brought back beautiful shells from your vacation and want to use them in jewelry. Often, the prettiest shells are too fragile to use as cabochons, like this one found in hot sand.
The shell was very fragile, with the top layer flaking around the edges. To stabilize it, turn the shell upside down and fill the cavity in layers with resin. Any resin works, but UV resin cures quickly.
The resin domes as it fills, so once full, it must be sanded flat. After sanding, the shell's outside was sprayed with multiple layers of gloss polyurethane for extra stabilization.
The outer edges were then carefully refined.
Important: Shell sanding dust is toxic, so wearing a respirator is a MUST!
The shell was very fragile, with the top layer flaking around the edges. To stabilize it, turn the shell upside down and fill the cavity in layers with resin. Any resin works, but UV resin cures quickly.
The resin domes as it fills, so once full, it must be sanded flat. After sanding, the shell's outside was sprayed with multiple layers of gloss polyurethane for extra stabilization.
The outer edges were then carefully refined.
Important: Shell sanding dust is toxic, so wearing a respirator is a MUST!
Small flat rocks collected at the beach can make beautiful jewelry and don't need tumbling or polishing.
When choosing a rock to bezel set, it should be flat enough to be securely captured by the bezel wire to prevent popping out.
Many stones are soft enough to be ground down using coarse and medium silicone polishing wheels with the ECO 450 Micro Motor System.
Dust from grinding stones should NEVER be inhaled, so always wear protective gear.
Grinding down thicker areas may be necessary for special stones. For example, the heart-shaped rock here was thick at the pointed end, so that part was ground down.
The upper left of the heart was thin and shifted too much in the bezel, so a silver soldered ball inside the bezel helped keep it level.
Once the stones are ready, put a little E-6000 glue in the bezel cup, press the rock in, and level it.
Allow the glue to set for several days before pressing the bezel wire in to avoid shifting the stone.
These stones are porous and can discolor easily from hand oils and cosmetics. Sealing before setting may be desirable.
Search "Sealing Beach Stones" for various methods. If selling the piece, inform buyers about the sealant used, as not all, like wax, are permanent.
When choosing a rock to bezel set, it should be flat enough to be securely captured by the bezel wire to prevent popping out.
Many stones are soft enough to be ground down using coarse and medium silicone polishing wheels with the ECO 450 Micro Motor System.
Dust from grinding stones should NEVER be inhaled, so always wear protective gear.
Grinding down thicker areas may be necessary for special stones. For example, the heart-shaped rock here was thick at the pointed end, so that part was ground down.
The upper left of the heart was thin and shifted too much in the bezel, so a silver soldered ball inside the bezel helped keep it level.
Once the stones are ready, put a little E-6000 glue in the bezel cup, press the rock in, and level it.
Allow the glue to set for several days before pressing the bezel wire in to avoid shifting the stone.
These stones are porous and can discolor easily from hand oils and cosmetics. Sealing before setting may be desirable.
Search "Sealing Beach Stones" for various methods. If selling the piece, inform buyers about the sealant used, as not all, like wax, are permanent.
Materials
24 Gauge Dead Soft Argentium Silver Sheet - 6 Inches
H19-24SM6
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28 Gauge 3/16" Fine Silver Bezel Wire
H9-28BZL
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Tools
E6000 Adhesive Glue 3.7 oz. - Pack of 1
G16-18
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Basic Soldering Kit
G15-4
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Silver Solder Paste Medium SS70 - 1/4 T.O.
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Silver Solder Paste Hard SS75 - 1/4 T.O.
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Silver Solder Paste Soft SS65- 1/4 T.O.
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Single 3rd Hand with Tweezer and Base
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CHARCOAL BLOCK - HARD
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Pickle Pot, 16 Ounces
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- Category: Design
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Judy Larson
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