Mount Making and Gypsy Setting Techniques with Sonia Cheadle

Award-winning designer and experienced tutor Sonia Cheadle will show you step-by-step how to create the perfect mount for a variety of ‘fancy’ shaped faceted stones as well as offering a simple solution to successfully setting to gypsy technique.

This course offers fast track learning, top bench tips and invaluable tricks of the trade.

Day 1:

• Setting up your bench to improve the quality of your practice and posture
• How to successfully construct ‘settable’ mounts for six fancy shaped cubic zirconia.
• Step-by-step demonstrations followed by a series of practical exercises to build confidence and develop an understanding around perfecting your mount construction.
• Top tips on measuring, marking and soldering

Day 2:

• A quick but accurate solution to the Gypsy style of setting
• How to accurately prepare your metal before setting, including finishing and pre-polishing
• A session on tool making allowing each student to leave the course with their own personal set of tools that can be used to practice this technique in their studio
• Develop technique and hone skills whilst forming a deeper understanding of the relationship between precious gemstones and their mounts.

Our small class size offers you the chance to get group as well as individual guidance and 1:1 time with your tutor, allowing you to receive tailored advice to deepen your knowledge and understanding of the Mount making and Gipsy setting process

Please bring your own basic tool kit to include:

• Set of Needle Files, essentially a ‘well defined’ Square file
• Half Round hand file with handle
• Emery Stick. P600. Elastic Band.
• Small ‘well defined’ Steel Rule and a Sharp Scriber
• Piercing frame and Blades (2/0 or 3/0)
• Small paint brush for Borax application and a Solder probe
• Tin Snips and ring Clamp.
• AA Tweezers and a pair of Diamond tongs
• A Loop
• Snipe Nosed Pliers, Flat/Pillar Pliers, Parallel Pliers
• Pair of Dividers
• ‘Double ended’ Pin Vice
• Protective clothing or clothing you do not mind getting dirty e.g. apron, and closed toe shoes.

Optional:

• Spectacles or head visor (if required) to work on small details
• Notebook and pen

If you would like to prepare yourself ahead of the short course, please do read the following recommended book:

• Mounting & Setting Stones A&C Blacks. By Sonia Cheadle

• All precious metal (silver) needed to make your mount and set stones
• Solder strip as required
• All fancy CZ’s needed to create your mount
• Drill bits and burr as required
• Steel rod to make your own tools
• Binding wire
• Soldering equipment including borax cone and brushes

• Intermediate: Some practical experience and basic understanding of the listed skill required

In order to benefit most from this course, participants should have experience of being in a workshop environment and able to work independently on basic tasks such as piercing, filling and soldering.

We believe that talent should not be held back. Here at the Goldsmiths’ Centre, we are open, accessible and inclusive to all. Our Access Grants help anyone to build thriving creative careers, supporting jewellers, silversmiths and allied industry practitioners to access our training courses for free.

If you need help to cover fees for our business and technical skills short courses, please apply for one of our Access Grants. To find out more and read our application criteria, click here:

The Access Grants are delivered by the Goldsmiths' Centre and funded by the Goldsmiths’ Company Charity.

Sonia Cheadle is a designer-maker and the author of Mounting and Setting Stones (Design and Make). She is an experienced tutor having run several mounting and stone setting courses since 2004. Sonia has also established a reputation for fresh and innovative jewellery, exhibiting at both Made in Clerkenwell and Goldsmiths’ Fair, she is the winner of the GCDC Gold, palladium and platinum award in the senior Precious Jewellery category in 2020. Her contemporary but classic approach creates pieces using the highest quality of materials and finishing which embody simplicity strength and beauty.

Recommended follow up course:

• Claws and rub-over setting techniques with Niall Paisley, this two-day course will show you step by step how to correctly prepare your settings and set different shaped gemstones.