Hello, I'm Lady Man.
By taking the GIA Home Study Counter-Sketching course, you are preparing to become a member
of a special part of the fine jewelry industry.
You're training to be one of the select group of fine jewelry salespeople who have a very
great advantage.
If they can't make a sale from their inventory, they can demonstrate how simple it really
is to make up a unique, one-of-a-kind, customized piece of jewelry.
The kind of piece their customers might have dreamed about, but probably didn't think they'd
ever find.
And they can do that because they can sketch.
Right there, in the store, on the spot, at the counter while they're selling, just like
I'm doing right now.
And that means they have a skill that can greatly increase their chances of achieving
sales success.
And you'll have it, too.
In this course, we're going to focus on sketching rings.
But the sketching techniques you'll learn can be applied to pendants, earrings, bracelets,
cufflinks, and every other kind of jewelry you can think of.
When you use those techniques, you'll be working in a tradition that dates back thousands of
years to a time when the world was a lot different than it is today, and jewelry was different,
too.
In the early days, craftsmen created pieces one at a time.
Each piece was unique, and much of it was quite sophisticated.
This tradition has continued, and custom-made jewelry is now recognized as an art form.
But designing and making jewelry from scratch for just one customer is usually impractical.
That's why most jewelry is prefabricated.
It arrives in the store in its final form, ready to sell.
But customized jewelry provides a middle ground between prefabricated jewelry and jewelry
designed and made from scratch.
The metal components that are assembled into jewelry are called bindings.
The two kinds that are used in customized rings are mountings, which are simply rings
that haven't been set with stones yet, and settings, the pieces which actually hold the
stone in place.
If a customer has stones from an old ring and wants to reset them in a new ring, or
if they want new stones set in an old ring, or if they've imagined a ring that isn't
available from a manufacturer, that's when you can put your creativity into action.
When you can make a sale, a less well-prepared competitor would have lost.
And in doing that, you're not alone.
Your bench jeweler is your partner, your collaborator.
They're the one who actually does the hands-on work, who brings to life the jewelry that
you and your customer imagined.
The one who takes your two-dimensional sketches and uses them as the blueprints to create
pieces of three-dimensional jewelry.
You'll learn more about what bench jewelers do and see how they do it as the course and
the videos progress.
But the most important thing of all is your skill at sketching.
Everything starts right there when you're with your customer and your pencil touches
the paper.
And the way to master sketching is to sketch.
The first thing you have to do is to set up a proper work area to do your sketching in.
You'll need a desk or a table with plenty of room to spread out your supplies.
You'll need a comfortable chair, and you'll probably need a lamp on your table to supplement
the overhead lights in the room.
You can't sketch if you can't see what you're doing.
All the sketching supplies you'll need, except for drafting tape, are packed in your shipment.
In it you'll find your introductory assignment, a welcome letter from the manager of home
study education, and your packing list missing materials form.
Make sure that you've received all of the materials listed.
The tools you'll use to sketch are packed in the plastic organizer.
First, here's the mechanical pencil you'll sketch with.
You also have a tube of 12 sphere leads.
When you buy more, ask for 2H hardness.
You'll also find a pencil sharpener, and a kneadable eraser.
It does everything an ordinary eraser does, and more, as you'll see later in the course.
There's a 6 inch ruler divided into both inches and millimeters.
This assortment of colored pencils has been specially chosen by GIA to include 12 colors
that are best for sketching jams and jewelry.
You can get replacements at most art supply or stationary stores.
Be sure to take the stuff of the old pencil with you.
As you can see, the different colors are identified by a number.
This GIA innovation is called a sketching manual.
It will help you learn to sketch from a mountain.
You have two 50 sheet pads of bond paper for sketching, and a 100 sheet pad of tracing
paper.
You can get drafting tape at any art supply, drafting supply, or stationary store.
You'll find more materials in your 3 ring binder.
The two video tapes, and the audio tape which covers the introductory assignment.
This is your 8 by 10 inch drawing board.
You'll be using it every time you sketch.
There's a personal record sheet to keep track of your progress in the course.
Parts of a sketch card is a quick reference to the terminology we use to describe sketches.
There are 7 tracing masters like these.
And for each project, there's a check your work list to make sure you haven't missed
anything.
There's a job card for each project.
The job card contains all of the step by step instructions for the project.
Your 7 assignments are there, and your glossary and index.
There are also GIA return envelopes to use when you send in your answer sheets and sketches.
You'll use this area of the answer sheets to request the mountains you'll sketch from.
Starting now, you're going to be sketching on a daily basis.
And while you're doing that, you're going to be learning a lot about jewelry, about
how it's made, and what it's made out of.
You can approach the 3 parts of each assignment.
The how to section, the video tape, and the information section in any order you want.
The how to sections in each assignment give you detailed instructions for each project.
The videos demonstrate each of the basic techniques, the fundamentals.
And the information section, called taking care of business, gives you the tools to develop
the kind of dynamite sales presentations that are the hallmark of the professional.
The study tips in the introductory assignment will help you master the material efficiently
and effectively.
And remember, you have a mini dictionary of words and phrases you'll be learning.
And don't forget that the questionnaire in each assignment is a study aid as well.
You can look up the answers if you need to, and double check them before you send it into
your homesteading instructor.
Of course, most of the time you spend on each assignment will be devoted to sketching.
And you should never forget that sketching is something that everybody does, even if
they just call it doodling.
And if you can write your name, you have the ability to learn how to counter sketch.
You can work at your own pace.
Remember that you're just starting out.
And as with all things, speed will come with practice.
Be sure to write your name and student number on every sketch.
When you're done with your sketches and the questionnaire for each assignment, you'll
send both of them and the mountings if the assignment calls for them to your instructor.
Then they'll send you their comments and suggestions, which will pinpoint the areas that show room
for improvement and help you focus your study sessions.
Your instructor can always be reached Mondays through Fridays from 8 in the morning until
4.40 in the afternoon, West Coast time.
Our toll free number is 800-421-7250.
When you complete the course, you'll receive the GIA counter sketching certificate.
It tells the world, it tells your customers and your employers that you know how to do
something that most fine jewelry salespeople, no matter how experienced, cannot do.
It means you can sketch quickly and effectively as part of your sales presentation.
It means you've mastered a skill that places you in the first rank of fine jewelry professionals.
This video segment covers drawing a flat band.
You'll do a better job and make faster progress if you go through the how-to sections of assignment
one on drawing and shading flat bands before you do the exercises.
The materials you'll need for this segment include your 8 by 10 inch drawing board, a
roll of tape, your kneadable eraser, your automatic pencil and lead, some tracing paper
and bond paper, and your tracing masters.
This is also a good time to take out your job card with your how-to information on it
and set it in front of you.
Now we're ready to begin.
Take the pad of tracing paper, which is included in your course materials, and tear off a piece.
Now take your tracing master for oval and position it so that you'll be comfortable
tracing over the oval.
Lay the tracing paper on top, but don't tape it for now.
Hold it in place with your other hand and try tracing over the outline of the oval with
your automatic pencil.
Now move the paper slightly so that your oval is out of the way of the one on the tracing
master and trace the second one.
Don't try to trace too quickly.
The purpose of this exercise is to learn to memorize the shape of the oval.
Try to memorize the outline as well as this area on the inside, which we call negative
space.
Try to see the oval on the paper before you trace it.
Again, don't worry about working quickly.
Speed will come with practice.
After you've practiced several of these tracings, I want you to remove the tracing master and
make the ovals freehand.
Do your best to maintain the same width of oval as you proceed.
Try not to vary.
Practice drawing until it starts to feel natural to make an oval freehand.
When you've reached that point, you've completed this exercise and you're ready to sketch your
first ring.
To begin, lay a second sheet of tracing paper over the same tracing master and anchor the
paper with a small piece of tape.
Turn the paper to a comfortable position and trace over the oval.
You've practiced this and can probably do it freehand, but we'll trace it for now.
Step two is to align the sides of the band with a center guide on the tracing master.
Now you have your oval and the right and left side of that ring.
At this point, you can remove the master and complete the ring.
Turn your paper to a comfortable angle.
Now you're going to draw what we call the width of the ring.
Place a small mark to indicate how wide the actual band will be.
Then, this needn't be in one stroke, sketch a line that parallels the top of the oval.
That completes the width of the band.
The next step is to sketch what will be the thickness of the band.
You don't have to do this in one long stroke.
If you use a very light touch, you can complete it in several light overlapping strokes.
Finally, you have to figure out whether or not you will see the inside shank of the band.
Refer to the illustration in your text which shows two bands, one a narrow band and one
a rather wide band.
If you can see that the shank will be visible on your sketch, draw it.
Turn your paper to a comfortable angle and sketch it in.
That completes any lips view of a ring.
The next step is to add some shading.
You want to practice shading before you begin on your actual sample.
Use the bond paper which is included in your course or tracing paper if you prefer.
To vary the intensity of your shading gradually, all you need to do is to slowly relax the
grip on your pencil.
Try this yourself.
Begin with a tight grip, not so much as to squeeze the pencil and make it uncomfortable,
but just a firmer grip than usual.
As you can see, the pencil is moving back and forth creating a solid area of color.
Now, keep the back and forth movement the same, but gradually lighten your grip on the
pencil.
You'll see the area you're shading gradually getting lighter.
Practice this a few times.
It's a very quick application, but it takes a little practice to master.
Tighter grip, gradually loosen the grip.
Now let's apply this shading technique to the ring.
Refer to the illustrations in your text and you'll see that the shading actually just
covers a third of the ring from the right and a third of the ring from the left.
The center third is blank.
That means you have from the side of the ring to approximately this point to apply that
shading.
Dark to light.
Turn the paper to a comfortable angle and begin at the side of the band.
Your grip should be tight and loosen gradually as you reach that center third.
By the time you reach the center third, the strokes should be so light they're barely
visible.
Now, do the same thing on the opposite side.
Tighter grip here, gradually lightening or loosening the grip as you reach the center
third.
Remember, by the time you reach the center part of the band, your strokes should be so
light that you won't actually see them.
The center third remains blank.
That completes the shading for your flat band.
Isn't it remarkable how such a simple technique can add depth to your drawing?
With practice, you'll be able to sketch a shaded band very quickly.
As you try bands of different widths, you'll become better at shading and you'll know instantly
whether or not to sketch in the back of the shank.
If you like, we can try the whole band with shading freehand like this.
Begin with your ovals.
Sketch in the left and right sides.
Make sure they're parallel.
Sketch the width of the band using smooth strokes, sketch the finger hole, and the back
of the band if you'll see it.
Add shading starting with a tighter grip on the side.
Gradually loosen your grip as you reach the center third.
Do the same thing on the other side, leaving the center third blank.
You should stop the video at this point.
You can practice these first techniques if you like.
Then, before you start the tape again, read the how-to information in your assignment
on sketching stones and prawn settings.
Then I'm sure you'll be eager to move on to the next segment.
So go right ahead.
Now that you've drawn and shaded a flat band, you're ready to start sketching some stones.
Although you'll work with stones of various shapes, most of the stones you'll see are
going to be round brilliance, so we'll start with those.
Take out your stone tracing master and another clean sheet of tracing paper from your pad.
Just as we did with the ovals, we're going to practice tracing one of these stone shapes.
Again, the objective is to get comfortable enough with these shapes so that you can sketch
them freehand with no problem.
Just as with the oval, the first step for drawing this shape is memorization.
You begin by tracing over this round shape, memorizing the shape inside of the form as
well as the outline.
Always turn your tracing master and paper so that it's comfortable.
You should never have to strain to make a line.
It should be a fluid movement.
Try to hold the pencil with a medium grip.
Strain it too tightly may cause you to lose control of the line.
As I said earlier, consistency will come with practice and the self-assurance that you know
the shape and understand it.
Only then will you be able to draw easily and accurately.
When you're comfortable with the shape, remove the tracing master as we did with the ovals
and try the same shape, same size, freehand.
Try to see the round or circle on the paper before you draw it, letting the pencil hover
over the paper so that you can visualize it.
Actually see the shape and then bring the point down and draw it.
Continue practicing this shape until you feel fairly comfortable with it.
Remember, it's not going to be perfect now, but it will come with practice.
When you feel comfortable with that, we'll do an entire stone.
Take your tracing master for stones out again and a fresh sheet of tracing paper, this time
anchoring it to the master with tape.
Hold the paper in a comfortable position and again trace the outline of the round brilliant
stone.
Once you've done that, you're ready to add the facet line.
The facets are basically two overlapping squares, except the sides are slightly curved.
The first one is drawn in on the master.
You'll complete the second one by connecting the dots that you see on the master.
Let's start by tracing.
Take the first box, turning the paper or your hand so you'll be completely comfortable.
Connect the dots with slightly curved lines, just as you did for the first box.
Finish by sketching in two short parallel lines, showing the reflective highlight on
the stone.
That completes your stone.
Next, you'll need to add prongs, the little metal bars or claws that hold the stone in
place in a mountain.
Remember that your stone is going to be tilted slightly so the prongs will not all look the
same from the top view.
Check your text or your job card for your guide and then draw two half circles right
at the points of these two facets, here and here.
On the lower half of the stone, we're going to draw a half circle here.
Continue that half circle outside the stone outline so it looks like a backwards comma.
The one on the opposite side will look like a comma.
That completes a round brilliant stone in a setting.
Practice this some more if you like and try a few freehand too, like this.
Draw your circle.
Sketch the first square of your facet line.
Remember to curve the line slightly.
Make sure your hand is comfortable.
You can make guide marks if you like and sketch the remaining facets.
Again, use curved lines.
Finally, sketch two short lines for the highlight and add a prong setting.
Now that you've sketched a flat band and a round brilliant in prongs, let's put them
together.
Begin by tracing another round brilliant.
Using your stone master, add facets, a highlight, and a prong setting.
Then using your tracing master for ovals, draw a band on another sheet of paper.
Make it about three millimeters wide.
Our next step is to take the sketch of the stone and position it over the band so that
it's slightly above center.
You want the stone in the middle of the band and slightly above center.
When you've positioned it, tape it in place.
Now trace only the part of the band that you will see around the stone, nothing over the
area of the stone here.
Again, turn the paper to a position that's comfortable for you and trace your band.
Don't draw through the stone.
Trace only the part of the band that you'll see.
Remember, you can use either long, smooth strokes or short overlapping strokes, whichever
works the best for you.
Add the metal thickness and the back of the band if you'll see it.
Now you're ready to add the shading.
Remove the paper with the stone and the band and begin your shading.
Remember, the center third of the band remains unshaded.
Gently loosen your grip as you reach the center third.
Tighter grip, looser grip.
And that completes your sketch of a round, brilliant stone over a flat band.
I know you'll want to practice this some more.
Then if you're feeling ambitious, you can try sketching the same ring freehand on a
single sheet of paper like this.
Get your stone first.
Begin with your circle.
Then add your facet lines.
Remember the lines should be curved slightly.
It might be helpful to make guide marks for your second set of facets.
Make your highlight and add a prong setting.
Now sketch in the oval for your band.
Start in the bottom third of the stone since we want the stone to end up slightly above
center.
Sketch the sides and the width of the band.
Add metal thickness and sketch the back of the shank if you'll see it.
Repeat your sketch by adding shading.
Remember to leave the center third unshaded.
Now stop the tape, go back to your assignment and read about how to sketch an emerald cut.
Then start the tape again and let's do our next stone shape.
Now we're going to sketch the emerald cut.
The shape is different but the sketching techniques are very similar.
So with your tracing master out and a fresh sheet of tracing paper, let's sketch the guidelines
for the emerald cut.
Remember that an emerald cut has parallel sides.
Trace one pair of sides and then change the position of your hand or the paper and trace
the opposite sides.
Now trace the corners.
So what you're really doing is tracing opposing parallel lines.
Remember you're not drawing a plain rectangle but a rectangle minus the corners.
So we have to adjust for that.
Try that again.
Move it over.
Sketch one side then the other.
Change the position of your hand or the paper and sketch opposite parallels.
Sketch the corners here and the corners here.
Now let's try it freehand.
Sketch the sides and the lines that indicate length.
Draw them outside these two lines.
Now you're ready to join the corners, completing the outline of the emerald cut.
Again, side, side.
Go beyond the ends of these sides to draw the length of the stone.
Turn your paper or your hand so you can draw parallel lines indicating the corners here
and the corners here.
Now we're ready to complete the stone and add facets.
Use your master as a guide again.
Hold it in place at an angle comfortable for your hand and sketch the sides.
Using the paper or the pencil, sketch the other set of parallels and sketch the corners.
Now we'll draw the facet line.
The outline of the table, the largest facet on the stone, will be exactly the same as
the first outline and you'll sketch it in the same way.
Line the table to the outline of the stone by short angled lines.
Finally, add a highlight.
Now for the prongs.
The prongs on an emerald cut are not rounded like those on the round brilliant.
They're actually little bars that extend to each side of the corners.
Extend short lines outward and a long bar across the width of the corner facets.
Again, here, and here.
And that's our emerald cut set in prongs.
When you're comfortable making it by tracing, go ahead and try a few freehand, like this.
Sketch the sides and the bottom and top, keeping the lines parallel.
Now the corners.
Sketch the table using the same strokes.
Try to keep the facets the same width all the way around the stone.
Connect the table to the outline with two short lines at each corner.
Add the highlight and the prong setting.
Now that you've practiced the emerald cut, you can go ahead and sketch in on a flat band
too.
The steps are the same as with the round brilliant.
First, you trace your flat band, then you trace your emerald cut on tracing paper, adding
facets, highlight, and prongs.
Then take the stone sketch over the band sketch, positioning the stone in the middle and just
above center.
That's about right.
And trace in only the part of the band that will show.
Then trace through the stone.
Use long, smooth strokes or short overlapping strokes, whichever is more comfortable.
Since we're sketching, remember it doesn't have to be perfect.
It's the overall effect we're looking for.
And finally, add the shading.
Gradually loosen your grip as you reach the center third.
When you're comfortable tracing this ring, try it freehand on a single sheet of paper
like this.
Again, start with the stone.
To get a symmetrical outline, you'll find it's more important to make all the sides
parallel than to try to make all the lines join exactly.
Now, use the outline as a guide to sketch in the table.
Then join the table to the outline.
Add the highlight and prongs.
Cut the oval from the bottom third of the stone.
We want the stone to end up slightly above center.
And sketch in the width of the band.
Add metal thickness.
Sketch the back of the shank if you'll see it.
Now add some shading to give your sketch dimension.
And there's an emerald cut on a flat band.
Once you've learned your first counter-sketching techniques, you'll be ready to try a few things
on your own.
You can have fun drawing bands of different widths and seeing how they look with emerald
cut stones or round brilliance.
Although you're probably not ready to do this in front of a customer yet, you should be
soon.
I don't expect you'll be satisfied with your first efforts, and you certainly shouldn't
try to sketch as quickly as you sometimes saw me doing, not yet.
But there's no big secret to improving your work.
All it takes is practice.
And as sketching becomes more natural for you, you'll enjoy it even more and discover
what an advantage it gives you.
This is the first of five video segments in which we're going to demonstrate the basics
of how bench jewelers work and what they do.
There's one for each assignment up through assignment five.
We're not going to teach you how to make jewelry, but we will show you what you need to know
about the way jewelry is made to design effectively and to communicate with your jeweler.
Also, you'll find that while your jeweler may work differently than our bench jeweler
Mark, the techniques are basically the same.
In this segment, Mark will set a round brilliance on a flat band, just like the one in assignment
one.
Then, he'll set an emerald cut on a half round band.
You'll draw a half round band in assignment two.
First, Mark is going to make this ring.
It's a flat band with the round brilliance stone in a four-pronged setting.
I'll begin by sketching the outline of the round brilliance stone.
Then, I'll add the contours of the flat band.
The band tapers to the point where the stone sits.
I add facets to the stone and the four prongs.
And of course, I'll add some shading.
The four-pronged head is ready-made, as is the band itself.
The post on the bottom of the head fits in the hole Mark will drill in the band.
The post makes it stronger.
The drill is attached to a flex shaft, a flexible shaft that's used to power other tools as
well.
Drills, burrs, grinding and polishing wheels.
Mark holds the band in a wooden ring clamp to steady it as he positions the head on it.
Now he's ready to fasten the head in place.
Holding the ring in special tweezers, he lays a bit of solder over the tip of the post.
Solder is a soft metal that melts at low temperatures.
Mark heats the metal with the torch, melting the solder.
When it cools off and hardens, it will hold the post and the head securely in place.
A grinding wheel is used to smooth off the part of the band that the finger touches.
Then he cleans and polishes the parts of the setting he won't be able to reach once the
stone is set.
Now Mark is using a burr to create a seat for the stone.
He has to cut it so the stone will sit at just the right height, not too high and not
too low.
And the stone must be level.
He works carefully, checking each step of the way to make sure he's not cutting too
much.
Now he's satisfied that the stone is properly aligned.
He bends the prongs over the stone.
They have to be tight enough to hold the stone, but not so tight that they'll tilt it.
He shakes the prongs with file.
Rounding them keeps them from snagging on clothes.
He uses the flex shaft to clean the ring.
And then polishes it with a buffer to remove any remaining final marks and scratches.
And here's the ring.
It started with a sketch.
For this next ring, we have an emerald cut and a prong setting on a half-round band.
Since the corners of an emerald cut stone are easily broken, the prongs will cover them.
Now, I'll sketch the band.
And shade it.
This time, Mark will cut away part of the band.
The head will fit into the empty space instead of on top of the band, so the relatively large
stone doesn't sit too high on the finger and look clumsy.
A jeweler's saw is like a hacksaw.
The blades are small and come in different sizes for different jobs.
He fits the setting into the space in the band.
He positions the solder, and then it's time to heat the metal.
He smooths off the inside of the ring and polishes the areas he won't be able to reach
later.
He uses the burr to carve out a seat for the stone.
He pushes the prongs over the stone.
When he sets the stone, he has to take extra care to ensure that the stone stays level.
And he's ready for the final polish.
So that completes the two rings.
You've seen that there are some differences in the way prongs are attached to flat bands
and half-round bands, and in the way you set rounds and emerald cuts.
But the soldering, filing, and polishing are all pretty much the same for each job.
In the next demonstration segment, we'll look at some different ways to set stones.
Today Mark is going to set some more stones.
Stone mountings must accomplish three things.
Of course, they have to hold the stone securely on a piece of jewelry.
They also have to protect the stone from damage as much as possible.
The point on a pear shape needs to be protected, for example.
And you want the setting to show off the stone to the best advantage.
Faceted stones are usually set in prong settings because they allow most light to enter the
stone so you get the most sparkle.
But sometimes, for design purposes, you will want to use bezel settings.
The first ring we're going to put together today is this mounting, which you will learn
to draw an assignment for.
Would you sketch it for me?
This time, Mark is going to set a cabochon in a bezel setting on a nugget ring.
The
stone will go here.
Mark's first step is to make a bezel for the stone.
He bends a flat strip of gold until it will just fit around the stone.
Then he solders the ends together.
Then he solders the bezel to a flat metal backing.
He files the excess metal away from the backing and polishes it until it blends with the bezel
walls.
The bezel, with the stone in it, will go here.
But he can't just solder it onto the mounting.
It would stick up too high.
He uses a reamer burr to cut a hole for the bezel to fit into.
He solders the bezel into place.
Then he'll pre-polish some of the parts of the mounting so he doesn't risk damaging the
stone after it's set.
He uses a tool called a reciprocating hammer attached to his flex shaft to tap the edge
of the bezel down over the stone.
And a graver to trim and shape the top of the bezel.
He cleans up the ring using his flex shaft.
And he polishes it with a buffer.
What customer wouldn't be pleased with work this fine?
We set a round brilliant and a prong setting in the last segment, but there are other ways
you can mount them.
You can make a bezel setting like the one we just saw, or a variation on the bezel called
a tube setting.
The tube setting is just what it sounds like.
A small tube of metal.
The stone fits into the end.
We're going to set it into a freeform ring.
This
part of the ring has to be enlarged to create a space for the tube setting to fit into.
Mark uses his flex shaft to enlarge the hole.
Now it fits.
He solders the tube into place.
And after pre-polishing, burrs a seat for the stone.
After setting the stone, he once again uses his reciprocating hammer to tap the edges of
the bezel down over the stone.
He trims and shapes the top of the tube setting with his gravers.
After he cleans it up, it's all ready to go.
Now we're going to set a pear shape in a prong setting.
Pear shape and marquise shaped stones have points that could easily chip in normal wear
if we don't protect them.
That's why settings for these stones have prongs that add support to these areas.
You
This area is a perfect place to set a pear-shaped stone.
Here are the prongs.
This is a ready-made setting for a pear-shaped stone.
Both setting and the ring have to get hot enough for the solder to adhere to them, but the prongs are thin.
They could melt. That's why Mark aims the torch at the ring. The heat then travels up to the setting.
He burs a seat for the stone after he pre-polishes.
Then he saws down the middle of the V in the prong that fits over the point of the stone.
This makes it easier for him to bend the prong over the point.
He carefully pushes the prongs over the stone to hold it in place.
And after polishing, we have another ring that's ready to go.
Now we've seen the basic setting styles used to set center stones.
You'll use prong settings more often than bezels and tubes, but it really depends on the design of the ring and the effect you want.
In later segments, we'll see different ways to set milling, the smaller side stones used to add flash and glitter.
Now it's time to learn how to add color to your sketches.
Before we start, let's make sure that you have all your materials ready.
You'll need your automatic pencil and the other materials you used in Assignment 1.
But this time, you'll also need your 12-colored pencil and, of course, your pencil sharpener.
And for convenience, it's always a good idea to have a cup or glass handy to hold your colored pencil over when you sharpen it.
First, let's start with a flat band.
When you draw with a lead pencil, it leaves behind extra lead dust that can smear or smudge into the color and mix with it.
So before you begin coloring, remove the extra dust with your needle-able eraser.
Flatten it out like this and blot up the lead dust.
Don't rub. You'll smear it.
And you could even erase part of your line.
Just touch it to the paper and lift it off.
Now you're ready to add color to your yellow metal band.
Shading with colored pencils is just the same as shading with your automatic pencil.
A tighter grip produces a darker area and a softer grip produces a lighter area.
Use the number 916 yellow pencil and color from the outside toward the center.
And since the center third stays uncolored, we only shade about one-third of the way in from each side.
Tighter grip, looser grip.
You can draw guidelines over the ring to help you color if you like.
Eventually, you won't need them.
Mark the outside edges, then a third of the way in from each side.
Now we're ready to color the inside shank.
Again, start with a tighter grip and gradually loosen it as you move toward the center third.
Remember, the center third remains blank.
Tighter grip, looser grip.
And we're done.
Now we're going to use a technique to add depth and make the color look a bit more like gold.
We're going to use the number 942 ochre pencil to color over the yellow.
But you'll just color over half the yellow.
These lines show you which parts of the band to color.
We start at the edge of the band and color over about half of the yellow area.
The ochre is darker at the edges and lightens as you reach the halfway mark.
We do the same thing on the inside shank.
Tighter grip, looser grip.
Darker and lighter.
And that's how you add color to a flat band.
Next, we're going to try a half-round band.
Again, start with an unshaded band.
Color around the finger hole with your number 916 yellow pencil.
Make sure the paper is at a comfortable angle and use smooth strokes.
Now, follow the contours of the band along one side, over the top, and around the opposite side.
Add more yellow to each side of the band, lightening your grip as you continue coloring
from the edge of the band to a third of the way in from each side.
Gradually lightening the color as you go.
You do the inside shank the same way we did the inside shank on the flat band.
Back and forth, gradually loosening your grip on the pencil.
And again from the other side.
Now we add ochre again to create dimension.
Start at the outside, lightly.
Following the contours of the ring, keep it light, top, side.
Get even lighter as you work your way in until about half of the yellow on each side has been shaded over.
And we do the same thing on the inside shank.
Remember, the ochre only covers half the yellow area.
And that's how you color a half-round band.
In the next segment, we're going to texture a band.
Stop the tape and read the sections on textures and finishes and how to apply them before you go on.
Now we're going to add texture to a band.
This technique can be used to apply texture to any surface.
When we add texture, there should be more texture where the shading is darkest and less in the highlight area,
where it's the lightest.
And you only add the finish to the front surface of the ring, not to the inside shank.
You can use the metal tip of your automatic pencil to actually engrave the texture into the sketch itself.
Here's how you do it.
Press down on the end of the pencil and hold it.
Touch the tip to any flat surface and carefully press the lead back inside the pencil.
Then use this part as a stylus.
Push the end in, push the lead in, and there's your stylus.
Here I have a flat band.
Don't color it yet.
It's always helpful to use a few layers of paper to cushion the back of your sketch.
Then you simply hold the pencil just like you do when you're sketching and draw the pattern you want.
I'm using a Florentine pattern here, but you can use any pattern.
Be careful not to press too hard. You don't want to tear through the paper.
Make the texture denser where the sides disappear around the back of the shank, where the color will be darker.
Always make sure the pattern looks like it's running right off the edges of the ring.
Color the band just the way you learned before.
Use the number 916 yellow pencil first, and the pattern appears as you color over the places you marked with your stylus.
When coloring over the stylus marks, you'll get better results if the point on your pencil isn't too sharp because you don't want to fill in the dents.
Now add ochre over it.
Again, the ochre only covers half the yellow.
Now we do the other side.
Work your way in until about half of the yellow on each side has been shaded over.
And there you have a textured band.
Now stop the tape and read the section in your assignment on coloring around brilliant.
Start the tape again when you're ready to go on.
Now we're going to learn how to add color to stones, and we're going to start with large ones.
That's why the stones in your tracing master are larger than life.
Once you're adept at coloring larger stones, you'll practice on smaller ones in the sizes you'll be dealing with when you're sketching in the store.
Trace around brilliant in a pronged setting, but don't add the highlight in the left side of the table yet.
Then block the sketch with your kneadable eraser.
Use the end of your automatic pencil as a stylus again, just like you did when you added texture to a band.
This time, use it to make the highlight on the stone.
To color this sketch, we're going to use the number 924 red pencil.
Make sure it's sharp.
Use a thin, clean line to outline the table.
Begin coloring the table in the top left corner, and loosen your grip on the pencil as you work your way down to the bottom right.
Use straight, even strokes.
See how the highlight you marked with the stylus shows up when you color over it.
To suggest reflective light, leave the bottom right corner of the table uncolored.
Now imagine there's a clock over the face of the stone.
Starting at 11 o'clock, color the crown facets, starting out light and getting darker, until you reach 6 o'clock.
Start at 11. Small, circular strokes work the best.
Because the color goes from very light to medium, we'll start with a loose grip on the pencil, then slowly tighten as we move around the facets.
Remember not to color over the crown. When you reach 6 o'clock, stop coloring.
Now start again at 10 o'clock, and this time move counterclockwise toward 3 o'clock.
The lower right facets will be the darkest, and the top left facets will stay uncolored.
Start at 10 o'clock with a loose grip, using small, circular strokes.
Tighten your grip as you continue around.
And stop at 3 o'clock.
Remember the layering of color that we mentioned earlier? You can see the effect where the color overlapped.
You can touch up the stone by layering more color, or you feel it's needed.
Again, it's a good idea to compare the color placement with a sample in your text.
Now add touches of yellow to the prongs.
Of course, if you're sketching white metal prongs, you don't have to color them.
And that's how you color a round brilliant in a prong setting. If you want the stone set in a bezel, do it like this.
I've prepared this sketch of a round brilliant in a bezel setting, using the number 902 blue pencil.
Now with your number 916 yellow pencil, add some very small areas of yellow around the bezel.
Don't color the entire bezel. Leave some areas, like these, uncolored to suggest reflected light.
That's how to color a bezel.
The steps we use to color round brilliance are used for fancy-shaped stones as well.
Let's look at an emerald cut.
Here I have an emerald cut in a prong setting.
Again, mark the highlight with your stylus.
With your number 909 grass green pencil, carefully outline the table.
Turn the paper or your hand so that your lines are straight and clean.
Now color the table using straight strokes, like we used on the round brilliant.
Leave the bottom right corner uncolored.
Then color the crown facets with small circular strokes that start at 11 o'clock and move clockwise to 6 o'clock.
Your grip and the color should go from light to medium as you apply the color.
Then start at 10 o'clock and color counterclockwise to 3 o'clock, also going from light to medium.
Tighten your grip as you move around towards 3 o'clock.
You can see the effect of layering as I color over this section that I've already done.
You leave the top left facets uncolored, just like you do on the round brilliant.
And again, you make the lower right facets the darkest part of the crown.
Between 4 and 6 o'clock, apply a couple of layers of color so those facets are noticeably darker than the rest of the facets on the crown.
Then use your number 916 yellow pencil to add touches of color to the prong.
And you're done.
You follow the same steps when you sketch ovals, marquesas, and pear shapes.
Now it's time to put it all together.
We're going to sketch a round brilliant stone in a prong setting on a half-round band.
First, sketch the stone end setting on a fresh sheet of fond paper.
The stone should be about the size of the one on the tracing master.
Here's my sketch.
First, add a highlight with the stylus.
Now, cover the stone with your number 905 aquamarine pencil.
Once again, use a thin line to outline the table.
Use straight strokes to color the table, leaving the lower right uncolored.
Then use small circular strokes for the facets.
And remember that your grip and the color go from light to medium as you color.
Remember not to color over the prong.
And start again at 10 o'clock, coloring around the prong, layering the color.
This time, we're going to color a white metal band, so use your number 968 gray pencil.
Color around the finger hole.
Follow the contours of the band.
Then bring the color in lightly, leaving the center third blank.
And the same on this side.
Don't forget to color the inside shank.
Since we're using white metal, you don't have to color the prong.
And there it is.
See how far you've come in just three assignments?
Now you can practice sketching different combinations of stone shapes and bands before you go on to do your project.
In this segment, we're going to show you a few of the special finishes that you can use in place of the usual shiny surface.
And you can use them either on the whole piece or just part of it.
It's a good way to add character to your design.
I'm going to apply them to flat bands in this demonstration, but you can use them on any metal surface.
The stiff bristled feel attached to the flex shaft is called a mizzy feel.
It creates a satin finish by leaving fine, parallel scratches that cover the entire surface.
Finishes like this one wear better than bright polishes, which have to be repolished frequently to get rid of the scratches that come from daily wear and tear.
Using a graver, Mark carves a series of diagonal grooves to create a florentine finish.
It's a delicate process.
The end of the graver itself has grooves in it.
It cuts more than one line on each pass.
Mark then grazes a series of short grooves across the first groove to make a crosshatch pattern.
To create a hammered finish, Mark uses a round-headed hammer.
Larger hammers create coarser finishes.
A smaller hammer would be used for a finer finish.
The creative use of finishes is an easy way to make your design special.
In the next segment, we'll set some more stone.
This time, though, we'll see what Melly can do to enhance your design.
Thank you.