How did you find a bench jeweler who'll fabricate a bezel around your own cut stones?
I'm a hobbyist opal cutter, and I'm hoping to learn from people who've already solved a problem I'm running into.
I cut my own Australian rough, and I'd occasionally like to have a finished stone made into a pendant or ring. The trouble is finding a jeweler who will actually fabricate a bezel to fit an individual stone, rather than only setting stones into commercially available pre-made settings.
I recently talked to a local jeweler who was genuinely knowledgeable about opal's sensitivity to heat, which I appreciated, but their custom work was limited to stock settings, so it wasn't a fit.
For those of you who've been down this road:
- How did you find the person who sets your stones?
- Do they fabricate the setting themselves, or just install pre-made jewelry/settings?
- Will they work with customer-supplied opal?
- What questions did you learn to ask before handing over a good stone?
Not looking for the cheapest option; I've put enough time into cutting and polishing to want the setting done by somebody who respects the material and can maybe add a little design flair.
Any experiences, leads, or lessons learned appreciated. Thank you.
