<p>As far as I know, glue is <strong>never</strong> acceptable in professional jewelry making, regardless of the materials used (usually, none of them are cheap).</p>
<p>In your case, I see two slightly different solutions. Both of them require you to weld the pins (poles) to the ring. The difference is when you attach the pearl: before welding or after welding.</p>
<p>If the pins come with the head pre-formed, then you have only one chance, to weld the pins to the ring <strong>after</strong> you attach the pearl.</p>
<p>To be sure that the pins will not escape the welding and fall, you should make holes in the ring, install the pins into the holes, and then weld the pins to the ring from the inside of the ring.</p>
<p>Note:</p>
<ul>
<li>Both mechanical shocks (e.g., using a hammer for the forming of the pin head) <strong>and</strong> high temperatures (from welding) might destroy the pearls. You need to work carefully and plan ahead for everything you need to do. Jewelry making is not something to be done in a hurry and without thinking.</li>
<li>As far as I know, there is no glue able to attach the pins to the ring without the risk of losing them later. And gluing the pearls directly to the pin and to the ring sounds like an abomination - which I would never do if I were to make jewelry.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-03-07T14:46:17.873Z
Semantic clarification: In jewelry, you don't weld, you solder.
Allison C
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-03-07T18:50:44.673Z
@AllisonC: the expert in me does not see the difference between "weld" and "solder", but is not angry either about it :)
virolino
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-03-07T22:45:34.137Z
@virolino, the difference is that welding melts the base metal, while soldering doesn't.
Mark
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-03-08T09:44:57.313Z
@virolino Thank you for your opinion. How do you think about casting a ring with a pin, inserting a bead onto it, and then using a prong pusher setting tool to shape the pin head?
Maryna Said
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-03-08T11:03:57.060Z
@MarynaSaid: I did not mention casting just because it looked like you are far from understanding such complicated topics. Sorry for my misunderstanding. Coming back to the question. Casting a ring with one pin (or with all the pins in the same plane) might be doable by someone who asks questions on this site. Casting the kind of ring that you have shown in the picture - I estimate it to be a difficult task even for an experienced professional. But if think you can do that, and you have the tools for it, then please go ahead. The explanation is plausible.
virolino
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-03-08T18:32:41.133Z
@MarynaSaid, casting the pins as part of the ring body would be really difficult, but not the biggest issue. It would be almost impossible to form the domed heads without damaging even a single pearl or stone. Plus you get only one try on each, with a single failure ruining the ring. Theoretically, the pins could be like rivets, with a hollow or split end in the stem. That could be flared or spread to lock it in with just some pressure. But the dimensions are ridiculously small to create the pin and the tool, and it wouldn't have much strength to secure it.
fixer1234
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-03-07T10:54:09.990Z
2023-03-08T15:15:44.647Z
2023-03-08T15:15:44.647Z
virolino
<p>Is using glue a secure and professional method for attaching fully drilled pearls and other natural beads to 18k gold jewellery pieces?</p>
<p>Could you provide guidance on a recommended method for carefully inserting them onto the post without using glue?</p>
<p>Here is an example of how the emeralds and carnelians are set onto the posts:</p>
<div class="s-table-container">
<table class="s-table">
<thead>
<tr>
<th style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/G9boM.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/G9boMm.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"><sup>Source: <a href="https://www.cartier.com/it-it/gioielleria/collezione-di-gioielleria/cactus-de-cartier" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Cartier</a> (from a line called Cactus de Cartier—this specific product seems to be no longer available). Click for larger image.</sup></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-03-07T10:36:54.647Z
@virolino Could you provide some guidance on the recommended method for carefully inserting the pearl onto the post without glue? I dont want to use glue
Maryna Said
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-03-07T10:38:35.147Z
I have no idea what kind of jewelry you want to create, in the first place. Please use the EDIT button and describe what you want to do, and maybe even post some pictures, and then we can discuss.
virolino
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-03-07T10:46:00.283Z
@virolino done, thank you
Maryna Said
<jewelry><technique-selection><stones>
Attaching Pearls to 18k Gold Jewelry: Professional Techniques
Maryna Said
# Attaching Pearls to 18k Gold Jewelry: Professional Techniques

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-03-07)

Is using glue a secure and professional method for attaching fully drilled pearls and other natural beads to 18k gold jewellery pieces?

Could you provide guidance on a recommended method for carefully inserting them onto the post without using glue?

Here is an example of how the emeralds and carnelians are set onto the posts:

| [enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/G9boM.jpg) |
| --- |
| Source: [Cartier](https://www.cartier.com/it-it/gioielleria/collezione-di-gioielleria/cactus-de-cartier) (from a line called Cactus de Cartier—this specific product seems to be no longer available). Click for larger image. |

**Tags:** jewelry, technique-selection, stones

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: @username_1 Could you provide some guidance on the recommended method for carefully inserting the pearl onto the post without glue? I dont want to use glue  
> **username_1**: I have no idea what kind of jewelry you want to create, in the first place. Please use the EDIT button and describe what you want to do, and maybe even post some pictures, and then we can discuss.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 done, thank you  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2023-03-07. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

As far as I know, glue is **never** acceptable in professional jewelry making, regardless of the materials used (usually, none of them are cheap).

In your case, I see two slightly different solutions. Both of them require you to weld the pins (poles) to the ring. The difference is when you attach the pearl: before welding or after welding.

If the pins come with the head pre-formed, then you have only one chance, to weld the pins to the ring **after** you attach the pearl.

To be sure that the pins will not escape the welding and fall, you should make holes in the ring, install the pins into the holes, and then weld the pins to the ring from the inside of the ring.

Note:

* Both mechanical shocks (e.g., using a hammer for the forming of the pin head) **and** high temperatures (from welding) might destroy the pearls. You need to work carefully and plan ahead for everything you need to do. Jewelry making is not something to be done in a hurry and without thinking.
* As far as I know, there is no glue able to attach the pins to the ring without the risk of losing them later. And gluing the pearls directly to the pin and to the ring sounds like an abomination - which I would never do if I were to make jewelry.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Semantic clarification: In jewelry, you don't weld, you solder.  
> **username_1**: @username_2: the expert in me does not see the difference between "weld" and "solder", but is not angry either about it :)  
> **username_3**: @username_1, the difference is that welding melts the base metal, while soldering doesn't.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 Thank you for your opinion. How do you think about casting a ring with a pin, inserting a bead onto it, and then using a prong pusher setting tool to shape the pin head?  
> **username_1**: @username_0: I did not mention casting just because it looked like you are far from understanding such complicated topics. Sorry for my misunderstanding. Coming back to the question. Casting a ring with one pin (or with all the pins in the same plane) might be doable by someone who asks questions on this site. Casting the kind of ring that you have shown in the picture - I estimate it to be a difficult task even for an experienced professional. But if think you can do that, and you have the tools for it, then please go ahead. The explanation is plausible.  
> **username_4**: @username_0, casting the pins as part of the ring body would be really difficult, but not the biggest issue. It would be almost impossible to form the domed heads without damaging even a single pearl or stone. Plus you get only one try on each, with a single failure ruining the ring. Theoretically, the pins could be like rivets, with a hollow or split end in the stem. That could be flared or spread to lock it in with just some pressure. But the dimensions are ridiculously small to create the pin and the tool, and it wouldn't have much strength to secure it.  

---

