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What are Gemstone Doping Techniques, and How Do They Work?

A good jewellery design course will teach aspirants about various techniques related to gemstones. One of the most interesting facets of workmanship, which goes hand in hand with jewellery designing, is Gemstone Doping. There are applicable doping techniques that span two key branches of lapidary arts. With regard to gemstone faceting, there will be a dropped stick positioned within a machine, enabling precisely controlling rotation, angles and cut depth alike. Doping for the purpose of cabochon cutting is a simpler affair and does not require as much precision. For instance, suppose the adhesive bond breaks off while a cab is being cut. In this case, it may be super-glued back into the dop stick and function again within a matter of minutes. 

Yet, if a stone comes right off the adhesive upon the dop at the time of faceting, it will be a different affair altogether. You will either have to ensure reapplication of the stone towards the drop with the same orientation as earlier (almost impossible to achieve), or you will have to re-cut your stone to a whole new level of orientation. Gem cutters will have to master these doping-related techniques quickly for efficiently faceting gemstones. 

Doping Techniques and Steps for Cabochon Cutting

The commonest doping technique will require dowels in diverse sizes and wax as the predominant doping compound. Dopping wax is quite similar to regular sealing wax although it is mixed sometimes with various other ingredients. A dop station or alcohol lamp is needed along with dop sticks. Here are some aspects that you should keep in mind about the process. 

  • You will first have to get the dop warm enough. 
  • If you have a dop station, then the procedure will not be as difficult. 
  • Put a little dop wax on the dop station and put it on. 
  • Wait until the wax melts fully, and you will be ready to start. 
  • If you have an alcohol lamp, you will have to put extra care into the process. 
  • You should start lighting the alcohol lamp first and then putting the dropped wax roughly one inch over the flame. 
  • You should slowly melt dop wax without getting it burned. 
  • If you get it overtly hot, it will start either smoking or bubbling. 
  • You should then start putting hot wax on the dop stick. The whole end of the stick should be wax-coated for creating a mound. 
  • Work your wax upwards alongside your dop stick to give it more strength and stability. 
  • Turn the stick in your own hands if the wax starts running or dripping. 
  • Keep coating your dop stick till you get ample wax in place. 
  • After applying wax to the dop stick, you can fasten the stone to the same. 
  • Heat the dop wax slowly till it gets runny. 
  • Prior to dripping, put the gemstone into the wax. 
  • You should aim for a tighter seal in this case. 
  • Upon pushing it in, hold the same over an alcohol lamp till the wax slumps or glazes over. 
  • Turn the stone slowly and watch how the wax seals the gemstone’s edges. 
  • After extensive sealing of the wax around gemstones, you may let the wax cool down within 20-30 seconds approximately. Test for ensuring that you get a solid link between the dop stick and gemstone. 
  • This can be done by gently tugging at your gemstone. Testing is recommended at this stage rather than finding issues when you are cutting. 
  • If you can lightly tug the stone without it totally coming off, then you can get ready for the cabbing procedure. 
  • Dropping the cabochon prior to cutting may be vital for obtaining a product of premier quality. Cabbing the gemstone by hand will be a tougher process, and it is tougher to find a domed or neat cabochon. Dop gemstones whenever possible. 

Some prefer using epoxy with another method. This includes supplies like a dop stick, two-part epoxy and so on. This is a simple method where you will fuse the two-part epoxy as per the bottle guidelines. You will have to generously apply the epoxy to the dop stick and centre the same on the gemstone. This system makes it easier to move your dop stick around while keeping it centred since you will have a few minutes prior to setting up. The curing procedure is expected to get over within just five minutes. Yet, you may have to pause for half an hour before faceting the gemstone. Centering the drop is vital for gemstones that are comparatively smaller and more expensive. 

Removal of the Gemstone

If you wish to get the gemstone gently removed from your dop stick, you will have to keep it within the freezer. Wait for about 5-10 minutes before you take it out again. After this, tug nicely on the gemstone in your hand, ideally with a towel or carpet under it, to prevent any slips. The stone is expected to pop off after staying in the freezer for some time. If you have any wax leftover on the gemstone, pick it off if you can or put your gemstone right into some acetone. This will dissolve the wax in a few minutes without any hassles. 

With competitive jewellery designing courses fees, experienced and established faculty, intensive classroom, practical exposure, an industry-friendly curriculum and award-winning infrastructure, JD Institute of Fashion Technology is the best educational option for aspiring jewellery designers. The institution was founded in 1988 and had more than 38 learning centres spread throughout the country. It offers several reputed courses, including jewellery design, fashion design, interior design, visual merchandising and more. This is the best platform for aspiring designers to learn more about the nuances of jewellery making, get attuned to industry requirements and build their creative and aesthetic skills alongside.

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