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The first step is to make a small plain band that's about the size of the stone to be set. This is just a jump ring, soldered closed, then (if necessary) rolled on a tapered cylinder to adjust to the right diameter. Notice the three notches, evenly spaced around the ring.
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I've soldered three thin wires to the ring, about 120 degrees apart. It's still kind of rough, not anything like what it needs to be when the stone rests in it.
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The ring is forced over a tapered pin, close to the same shape as the bottom of the stone to be set, which will help it fit more closely to the stone.
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The three wires have to be brought in at about the same angle, and will be soldered together to form a solid base. Some shaping and polishing helps make the ring a better fit to the stone, and is easier to do while there's something (the excess wire) to hang onto.
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After the wires are fused together and cut off square, it's ready for mounting to the threaded post
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A bit more shaping and polishing, and it's ready to have a stone dropped into it and a knot snugged in around it. You can see some details of one of them, or the finished pair on my earring page.
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