Lapidary_Journal_Jewelry_Artist_-_November_-_December_2019

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 7

Michael Anthony

Cheatham’s

Pendant in

“Dragonfl y Cross”

Karen J. Lauseng’s

Earrings in

“Western

Romance”

Holly Gage’s

Brooch in

“Hawaiian Lei”

Riff on the design of any of these or

other pieces within this issue, using a

design feature such as color, texture,

form, value, line, space, repetition,

balance, contrast, unity, or variety for

your sketch. Please indicate which piece

Letters your entry is based on.

Re: Cool Tools & Hip Tips,

July/August 2019

I love these recent issues' tools

section (Cool Tools and Hip Tips);

thanks so much for your continued

snooping into all things tools

and fun!

I am hoping you can

help me with some

clarifi cation and

understanding of a

couple of items. The

"bezel hold down"

from Eugenia Chan,

what does "position

the base to span the

bezel walls, and hold

them down...." mean in

function? And, are the the

breathe safe fi ltration masks only

for particulates, or do they help with

fumes or other invaders? And for how

long do they do their thing? I've gone

to the site to fi nd more info, too.

Thank you again.

P.S. Do you ever run across a not-so-

good product and tell us about it?

Gabriele Dunn

Makawao, Hawaii

Helen Driggs responds:

Hi there, Gabriele!

Here is a photo of a soon-to-be

soldered bezel being held down by

Eugenia’s awesome hold down

tool. As you can see, the

wire oval spans the

bezel and holds

down the outside

walls with the

help of the

weight of the

third hand tool,

and since there

are three in

the set, you can

choose the very

best one for your

bezel.

Those RZ masks work best

for dust, and I haven’t really tested

them with smellies, so I can’t honestly

answer that question yet... but I will,

eventually!

And yes, I do fi nd not-so-great

tools many times! I just prefer using

my column to let you all know about

the ones I like — mom always taught

me rather than saying something

nasty, it’s better to say nothing at all.

These days, that is sage advice, no?

Next Time

WRITE TO US ANYTIME:

What do you think about what you’ve

seen and read in Lapidary Journal

Jewelry Artist? SEND SKETCHES

& LETTERS for possible print or

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peakmediaproperties.com. Please

include your name, city, and state, and

indicate “Your Turn” on the subject line.

You r S et t i n g s

DEADLINES: DECEMBER 31, 2019

Email digital scans at 300 DPI or send

photocopies of no more than three

sketches per challenge, indicating the

design factor that is your starting point.

Sketches will not be returned.

Sketch a setting

for this rhodolite

garnet. From

Smokin’ Stones,

page 20.

For a Texas Star cut topaz, cut by Jim Perkins, May/June 2019

Valorie J. BowenRichford, Vermont

For a synthetic ruby trillion, cut by Jim Perkins,

July/August 2019

Missoula, MontanaMerle Summers

Boiling Springs, PennsylvaniaJoan Rhodes