Elena Tiriel
Message:
30864
25 Aug 04 12:32 AM
Reply To:
30861
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Read-Only
Um, I read a book about jewelry making and enameling forty years ago -- does that count?
You don't solder gemstones to jewelry, you create some sort of a bezel to hold it. This would be a very short tube or ring of metal (which could be fashioned as part of the brooch, or soldered onto it) into which you place the gemstone, then push the top together slightly to hold it in place. Or, you create prongs to hold the gemstone.
I would guess that a jeweler, if the brooch was already made, could certainly solder either a bezel or prongs onto it and mount the jewel within a few hours' time.
Of course, that begs the question of a) whether solder had been invented, and b) whether a hot enough and focussed enough flame could be controlled to aim at the place you want to solder -- maybe some sort of blow-pipe from a furnace? (My lungs hurt to think of it.)
If the brooch had already been fashioned, it could also have been designed with a spot to add a jewel later -- say, a slightly hollowed-out spot and either prongs or decorative loops of metal which could be bent down to tighten and hold the jewel in place. That would avoid the need to figure out whether soldering was available in those days...
Hope this helps!
- Barbara
(Edit: ) Let me know if you want to know something about soldering technique or ductility of gold & silver (sorry, the book didn't cover mithril) or, well, stuff...
