I have a requested design which, in part, will involve using 0.9-2.25mm rubies set in amber (in a calligraphic initial). I had briefly considered heat but the amber in which they are to be set is white (read lots of included micro-bubbles) and it would not survive even limited local heating without discoloration. Maybe etching the calligraphy then using some form of adhesive, but what would not damage the amber.
If anyone has any experience with a similar project I would appreciate any and all advice
You will find that Amber is one of the most frustrating materials to work with. You cannot use any type of solvent, you have to be careful when you are buffing and polishing a piece or you’ll melt it, and really any amount of heat at all will damage it. My suggestion would be to create your calligraphy initial out of some type of metal, micro pave set the stones in the metal, and then rivet it into the Amber through a hole, the same way its done with initials and trim plates in onyx.
Thank you for your reply. I knew (or suspected) all of that. Unfortunately doing the initial in metal first is not an option. I have only 12mm to work with total and that is not what client wants, suggested it. Main piece will be a 2.5x lifesize queen bee (58mm). Initial is to form back of thorax (hence 12mm max). Bee Keepers label their queens with a white mark on thorax to make locating them more efficient. Abdomen is specially cut large brown Topaz (yeah NOT Imperial, despite what it was sold as). And yes I know irradiated brown Topaz is often not color fast, but this would be a specialty item, not frequently worn. Balance of thorax and head also amber but clear. Wings a special green mica. Eyes, Mandible and part of legs, specially cut black spinel. Them I can mount in gold and attach like you suggest. And there is a matching drone as well. Choice of Topaz and Ruby has to do with Birthstones. Both are to be broach or Pendant (a common mount for each)… Sorry to ramble on so.
Did you ever finish this piece? I would LOVE to see how it turned out.
LOL, No I haven’t but I HAVE figured out how to do it. I have tuneable soldering irons with 1mm tips that I can adjust accurately (with some work)to (just below) the melting temp of the amber. After predrilling small holes of varying sizes and dropping ruby in heating the stone just enough to start a melt is a procedure I have tested. As I stated these were to be initials, in a caligraphic script I have on my computer.I will print a template full letter size and plan the range of ruby sizes (0.8mm up to 2mm in 0.1 mm increments.After completing I will use a warm burnisher to coax the surrounding amber gently over. The entire width of the white amber can only be 12 mm(which already makes them almost twice lifesize) then mount these into the body of the Queen Bee and the Drone. I was not completely honest before as they are actually a present for someone special to me. (So LOL completion time is not critical. It has already been 4 years in planning.) The real challenge is the white amber, which as you may know IS WHITE because it is saturated with tiny microscopic bubbles. Don’t want it to turn amber colored by melting them.