A small stone sitting in a setting can be a bit daunting the first time you approach it with tools. I think a lot of people are afraid to even try because they fear that they will apply too much pressure and break the stone or distort the setting. While that is understandable, the only way to get comfortable with stone setting is to practice with it. I highly recommend starting with a few small brass or copper settings and some inexpensive stones.
That way, there is less pressure to do it perfectly. Start with a small simple bezel setting and place a simple round cab into it. Using your burnisher or setting tool, gently push down on the edge of the metal. Don’t try to fold over one section at a time. Instead, just work your way around the circle, applying gentle pressure. If you are just starting out, the metal may not cooperate, and the stone may shift a bit. That’s OK.
It’s all about feel, and you need to get a sense of how much pressure it takes to get the metal to move. One thing you might notice is that if you push too hard on one section of the bezel, the stone will start to tilt. It is very frustrating to have a stone tilted in a setting, because then you can’t get the rest of the bezel to fold down. The trick is to move around the stone a little at a time. You are aiming for a consistent motion, where you are folding the metal down a little bit at a time.
If you do get the stone to tilt, don’t panic. Just stop and use a thin-bladed tool to lift the edge of the metal up, and then start again. One of the tricks to learning any new skill is to not try to do too much at once. I recommend practicing for just a few minutes a day. Set aside 15 minutes and shape and close the bezels on your practice settings. Take one stone at a time, and just work on folding the metal down evenly. When you have finished, take a close look at the edge of the metal.
In bright light, you should be able to see where the metal is tight against the stone and where there are still gaps. Then move on to the next one, applying a bit more or less pressure as needed. As you work, you will start to feel like the metal is behaving, and you will get a sense of how to consistently fold it down. The edge will start to fold over the stone smoothly, instead of buckling all over the place. It’s a bit magical, but you will find that with a bit of practice, you will start to feel like you are in control of the process.