Hello,

I am a new member and very much a newbie at what I really want to do. While visiting my son in Oregon and accompanying him to some local famers markets, I was introduced to cabochon pendants. I was amazed at all of the beautiful stones in those pendants and I have taken my first "steps" into trying to create those pendants myself. I purchased all the "ingredients" (stones, sterling silver chains, and sterling silver clinch type settings) for a handful of pendants and put them together and was pleased with the results. My goal is to be able to purchase slabs and cut, shape and polish them on my own. Along with either locating a good source for settings or learning how to fabricate the settings (or at least buy the components and learn enough about metalsmithing to solder a good looking setting myself). I wouldn't mind hearing from anyone on equipment, techniques, supply sources, etc..