Making "The Treasure's Trove" Jewel, The Spider By Jewelry Designs

Making a Spider

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Concept

In this project, we were commissioned to create a character from Michael Stadther’s book, A Treasure’s Trove.
In the initial stages of designing "The Spider", we explored different body styles and stone configurations. Here, you can see a sketch and wax prototype work that in no way resembles our finished piece.

The Legs

In this photo, you can see that we are re-sculpting the spider legs in the image of the second model. The square legs provide us with three surfaces to set stones in, as well as a rigid foundation with the 3 ˝ inch sculpture. The legs will be treed and mounted in a canister called a flask, which will be filled with a plaster-like investment and dried. Once cured, the flask will be incinerated in an oven to remove the wax, leaving behind a hollow impression of the wax legs. After burn out, the flask will be filled with molten platinum through high frequency centrifugal casting.

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Stone Layout

Now that the platinum legs are cast and pre-polished, they have been mounted in jeweler’s shellac. We can now begin to lay out the 12.73 carats of gem grade diamonds that will be pavé and bead set into the smooth metal surface. Each of the small diamonds will have a port hole and seat cut to mirror the underside of the stone. Prongs will be hand-carved in the platinum surface and carefully leveraged over the stones. When the legs are complete they will be articulated with 404 small diamonds.

Raising Beads

In this photo, two of the legs are well underway as the setter raises beads from the platinum with a graver to secure the stones. At this stage, each stone is resting over a pilot hole and seat which was excavated in the platinum. As the setter raises each bead, he shaves metal away from the stone to create depth and definition in the previously flat surface.

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Wax Body

We decided that the 21.23ct yellow diamond would look best if it were set in 18kt yellow gold, so we fashioned a wax model in the image of a web to accommodate the stone. The arches of the web were the perfect way to esthetically provide structural support for the large stone.

Cast Body

Once again, through the lost wax process, we have cast our web shaped cradle for the diamond in 18kt gold. Here, the jeweler is shaping and finishing the delicate prong cage with a file.

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Pre-Polish

The 18kt yellow gold carriage that will support our Spider’s diamond body is now being pre-polished with hand-held rotary wheels in descending grits.

The Head

In this picture we have prepared two pieces. The top section is a platinum prong system which was wrought from a strip of rolled platinum and hand filed into the crown-like image in the photo. This platinum structure will act as the prongs that will secure our very rare 6.36ct, top gem, quarter million dollar, Kashmir sapphire. The lower section is an 18kt cast foundation that is the "keystone" to our design. Perhaps the least attractive component of our creation, this foundation will support the eight diamond legs, the large sapphire head, and the 21.23ct yellow diamond body.

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Assembly

Now that the platinum legs have been completely set and polished, they are being pinned and soldered to the "keystone" component beneath the spider’s head. Not easily seen in the photograph, the legs have been carefully positioned so that several are raised from the surface giving the life-like impression of a prowling spider.

Pre-Finish

The settings for the primary stones and legs have now been assembled. The work that was done by torch is now being polished with various hand-held, high-speed felt and rubber wheels.

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Seating the Primary Stones

In this photo, the spider has been mounted in shellac to hold it stable while seats for the two primary stones are cut into the settings. Clearance for the exact angles of the undersides of the large yellow diamond and Kashmir sapphire must be replicated in the settings through the use of files and hand-held rotary burs.

Cleaning the Seats

Now that the seats for the primary stones have been prepared, they are being shaved clean of any remaining burs left behind from the tooling. The end result will be a clean, bright surface under the stone’s edge.

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Setting the Stones

Properly prepared seats insure that the stone will be level, the thickness of remaining material will support the stone, and the setter can secure the stone without damaging it. In the photo, the setter is adjusting and crimping the prongs to secure the 21.23ct diamond. In addition, the setter is using a hand-held pushing tool as a lever to press the prongs tight against the stone, and various files and cup burs to shape the prongs.

The Spider Finished

The final spider features a proud 6.36ct natural Kashmir blue sapphire and is joined by a 21.23ct light yellow diamond forming the body. The sculpture is further articulated with platinum legs set with 404 pavé and bead set diamonds weighing 12.73ct. The total finished weight of the sculpture is 34.77 grams. The piece was shown on national television shows across America, and toured museums throughout the country as the most valued piece in the "A Treasure’s Trove" collection.
At the time of its creation, it was valued at $450,000.

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