Question

I’m getting a handle on the standard cuts from “Faceting The Easy Way.” I think I’m ready to move on to a Barion cut. I’d really like to try a Barion emerald cut. Before I do this, I need some advice. I’ve noticed something that might be a problem. What type of ring mountings do you use for these gems? For most of my faceted stones, I use mounts from Tripps. These have worked just fine. However, the Barions look a bit too deep or “full cut” to fit these ring mountings.

Thanks in advance,

David

Answer

Your observation is spot on. Most Barions are too deep for standard ring mountings. The two simplest solutions are:

  1. Go ahead and buy the mount you like best. Have a backup gem ready in case your Barion doesn’t fit. Since the mounts take calibrated stones, gems that fit are easy to come by.
  2. Tripps also makes special ring mountings for deep-cut gems. The selections are limited. However, you can buy the deep settings as heads and solder them to an appropriate ring shank, pendant bail, etc.

If you don’t know how to do this, don’t worry. Soldering is an…