Silversmithing: how I bezel set opal. 

Don't be ashamed or excuse your working hands...it's a tell sign of a hard working man!

No worries on the hands. It's nice when you can sit at home, prop up the phone, press play on a free video that someone has put a lot of time into, get out the nail file and clippers and finally throw their own insecurities out at you. You do an amazing informative and entertaining job. One day we all meet up to get our mani's and pedi's done. Cheers

Your hands look much better than mine and I’m a gal. No worries about it. Fellow silversmiths shouldn’t even notice it!

Hiya, hey if anyone complains about your hands and fingers, it's because they themselves have never worked on cutting any stones 😉, where you have a cut on your finger, I have a big chalice on my finger from cutting stones on my flat lap. 😀 Thanks for showing us how to set a stone for a ring 💍, awesome video. I hope you have a awesome blessed day. Cheers! Cya! 😸🐟out!

Very informative video, I think I will give this a go!! Above all don't worry about your hands and fingers!! Shows you are a man that works hard!!😁😁 Otherwise you would be a Sheila!!😂😂 Great job!!

Nice work 👍

Love listening

I'm no hand model either m8. You can tell a working man by how his hands look. The only negative remarks I've had were from my grandmother. She always told me to get the dirt out from under my nails. 😆 🤣 😂 😹 As far as being banged up and cut up, who cares 👍 😎

so glad i found a jeweller who knows his opal this well...subscribed!!!!!

Bloody nice, they look awesome !

Great to have a skill hand rather than a beautiful hand. Mate your hands are master cutters that is enough for me. Keep cutting stones and entertain us.

Hard working hands thats what you have! You have nothing to apologise for 😅! it’s just idiotic trolling! You be you & sod the haters ✌️😌

Im so close to making rings, been refining silver and gold for a while now and have quite a bit accumulated. I cannot wait to make my first one. You do great work.

Lovely stones and rings and and very informative. I had no idea what went into creating a bezel on a ring! I'm looking forward to releasing my creative side. I appreciate the explanation as to why one needs to keep all these things in mind when cutting, and also the exercise of creative responsibility ,if I can put it that way. The responsibility to the setter and wearer of the piece, and also the responsibility to oneself to enjoy the process and outcome. 😄 Beautiful stones and rings, BTW! 👌

Good job Phil they look awsome

this is a perfect video and really wanted to get some tips from some experienced, your channel is 10/10, going to level up from calibrated doublets :)

An excellent insight as to 'how its done' Thanks for sharing your time and knowledge with us. I think I prefer the bezel over the claw but I guess some stones are better suited to certain settings. Cheers Phil

Cool, first ! Your fingers are fine !

the hands of an artist

Good times! I learned a lot from watching Soham Harrison back 8/9 years ago! I like making big rings with stones! Dig the Boulder Opal & Labradorite as well! I use 2 gauge 1/2 round with the 1/2 round on the inside! Smooth as butter putting it on!!! Great job my dude! Wah la means there it is!

G'day from Georgia, USA! 😊 I thought I'd check out your video and learn a little bit about opals. BTW, don't worry about your hands. Anybody who works with their hands are bound to get them buggered up. If someone doesn't like the looks of them maybe they should move on to another video.😄 I personally appreciate people like you who take the time to teach others... especially for FREE!👍 Thanks for sharing!😊

That was Great

What an awesome jodxxxxxx

Man skip those whiners. I'm here for the opal and your workmanship.

Did exactly what you do here except on a pendant. Pushing the bezel over with a bamboo chop stick end, and right before I finished it cracked in half…. Have no idea why, it is unsettling now to ever touch another opal again.

Sorry Phil, now all I can see is how clean your fingers are......😂😂😂😂

Phil, those are workers hands, be proud of them. To be honest I’m looking at the shiny stuff and don’t see your fingers 🧐. Besides seems those gross fingers got you 30 subs in the past few days

Don't be sorry mate

No need to say your sorry bud your a working man that's it guy that sit at a desk will never know

Love your videos man. Is it better for a new cutter to try to sell loose stones or try to set them? Is it possable for a new cutter to have stones actually sell?

Beautiful work and beautiful multi-color stone. ❤❤❤ Your camera zooms in very well. What gauge thickness is your bezel wall and back and what gauge is the half round wire? I've only ever bezel set ruby cabs for pairs of earrings but I'll soon be making a bezel setting for an opal cab on a ring I'm making for a friend. Opals are much softer than Rubies so I only hope I can manage it without damaging her stone. This is very helpful thanks.👍😊

I would do all my grinding and filing over a plastic tub, save all the powder, and put it in nitric acid, but add the nitric in small amounts about 3ml incriments untill its all disolved then you put copper in and the silver in solution comes out on the copper and copper goes into solution. From there you filter until clear, and melt it in a crucible and you got close to 997 pure silver you can inquart with the copper recovered from sloution to make 925 silver for jewelry.

Good stone cutting 👍🏻 Are you going to clean up the rings before sending off? I've found that fine pumice won't harm opal. Those bezel top edges can look good after a clean up and polish. Do you sell cabochons you cut?

whats a good beginner setup you recommend to get started? Like what tools and materials do I need to start and make a ring?

Thanks for the video! Quick question! Do you use sterling silver for your bezel or was this fine silver bezel strip?

Beautiful work , questions: what gauge is the plate and the shank?

Any particular places you purchase your silver from? What would you call the wooden ring clamp? Holding stick, keep on watching.....

Awesome. I have an opal pendant I was given as a kid. The gold plating rubbed off when I was 12 😂. I wish I could have it fixed like it was. I checked out your site too. How can I get my opal pendant fixed? Maybe you could do it for me 😂. I don’t like gold. I prefer silver ❤

What gauge did you use for bezel wire?

I've read you should "glue in" stones into the bevels, but I didnt see you do that when you wrapped the opals - is it necessary? Or does the bevel hold it in well enough? I'd rather not put glue on my opals when I make necklaces, if i can not :) I'm totally new to this also - what is the silver wrap/bevel material called- what do I look up to buy it? I'm going to go REALLY slow when I start, that's for sure!

Dirty hands = CLEAN MONEY

Where do you buy the tools from which your using

Yeh but I use s dremel

Is that ring holder a baseball batt?

Wow why are you apologising? Your alright 👌. Gee some people will complain about anything

Haha need a hand model for the channel? 🤣

Try using white gloves.

Should not have to pologpize for your hands. I cut and polish stones and my hands often get strained or scuffed and I'm a woman. Can't always have perfect womanlyp or clean hands due to stairs and scars from carving, shaping, and cutting stones. All that possibly should be said is that such hands show hard0p working hands and love of the art. Just mpy thoughts.

Your Hands look fine,theyre Workers Hands..

People seriously complain a out your hands??? Wow.

Anybody who is bothered by seeing hands that work, is at the wrong place. They wont ever be a metalsmith.

Men should have working hands. If they look all nice kept up then you're a delicate male.

a working man needs not listen too keyboard jockeys...their hands are soft as their brains.

Fyi. Your accent does make up nicely for the dirty nails. Lol.

No worries mate. The world full of Karen's

Who really cares what your hands look like? It's what you create with them that matters 🤷🏼‍♀️

lol clean your hands you grub-joking!

Not bad for an old leeper.