| Featured Project
> Sterling Silver Necklace with Tube Set Stones |
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Step 1
 Make this stunning, sterling silver necklace. This tutorial features wire work, tube setting faceted stones, disk cutting and shaping, and setting a pearl.
This Featured Project is offered by Tamara Clark. Working Silver tutorials are always FREE. We support your creativity!!
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Step 2
 List of materials, supplies and tools you will need to make this necklace:
20 gauge metal sheet 3x4 inches
12 gauge sterling silver round wire - approximately 2 feet depending on your design
One 4mm and one 5mm faceted stones
One fresh water pearl with a setting hole on one side
4.06mm, 5.08mm and 6.09mm sterling silver tubing
Sterling silver link chain - 36-40 inches depending on how long you want your necklace
Disk cutter
Dapping block
Dapping set
Saw frame
Saw blades .03
Files flat (4 cut) and small needle files (4 cut)
Solder med, easy, and super easy
Sparex #2 pickle solution
Menthol alcohol (buy at a hardware store)
Boric acid (Anti oxidizer for pre solder)
Flux
Torch
Soldering board
Solder pic
Tweezers
Silicone polishing disks in pink and blue
330 epoxy
Fine sand paper or emergy board
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Step 3
 Anneal and pickle the wire.
Begin by sketching out your design.
Cut the wires to match your design allowing a bit extra for the curves.
File the wires to a point and sand the points with either sand paper, an emergy board, or a blue polishing disk using a flex shaft.
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Step 4
 Take a round nosed plier and bend and round the ends of the wires according to the design you have drawn.
Next cut the angles to start to fit the pieces together to form the design.
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Step 5
 You will need to punch out and anneal two 6mm disks and one 10 mm disc.
Place the disks one at a time into the dapping set to make the concave shape in the metal.
You will also need to solder a small peg into the middle of the 10mm disk to hold the pearl. Use flux and med solder, then pickle and rinse.
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Step 6
 Cut the 5.08mm and 6.09mm sterling tubing to the height you want for setting the faceted stones. Then cut the 4.06mm and 5.08mm tubing slightly shorter. Place the shorter, smaller tubing into the larger, higher tubing and soldered togerther at the bottom making a seat for the stone. A tube cutting jig is helpful with this process. Solder the tubing together at the flush bottom using medium solder.
If the smaller tubing doesn't fit easily into the larger tubing, hammer the larger tubing on a round bezel mandrel to enlarge it just slightly.
Leave a small rim of silver higher than the girdle of the stone, which will be pushed over to hold the top of the stone.
Place the fabricated pieces into a solution of Methoacohol and boric acid. This helps to control the amount of fire scale on the metals.
Arrange the disks, the tubing, and the wire into your design and solder the pieces together using easy and super easy solder.
Pickle after each soldering you do.
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Step 7
 After soldering and pickling your piece, sand and finish. Make sure there is no solder residue and that all the edges are clean. You can use a sanding disc or emery board and a small file for the hard to reach places.
The peg has been soldered into the 10mm cup for the fresh water pearl and the tube settings are large enough to easily fit the stones. Adjust the tubes as needed. If you need to enlarge the tube settings, use a setting burr or ball burr to open up the top of the tubes slightly. You can also take down the height of the tube so there is not as much silver covering the stone.
Polish the the piece and add the jump rings for the chain.
You are now ready to set your stones.
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Step 8
 Set your faceted stones in the tube settings: Place the stones in the tubes. With a burnisher, push the silver tube over the edges of the stone. Move it around and around until the stone is set. Use a small fine file to clean up the setting, then do your final polish with a pink silicone polishing disk on your flex shaft.
Attach the link chain to the jump ring and solder the ring for a
stronger connection.
After soldering the jump rings, put these ends in the pickle and rinse.
Polish the jump ring with a pink silicone polishing disk on your flex shaft.
Glue the pearl onto the peg with 330 epoxy and let dry.
Add the clasp and you are finished!!
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