Square and Stones with Corners with Jennifer Stenhouse, Apr 19, 2026

Saturday, April 19, 2026
10:00 am - 2:00 pm, PDT

Instructor: Jennifer Stenhouse 

Square stones can make even confident jewelers a little nervous. Corners chip, bezels wrinkle, and prongs seem to wander off in the wrong direction. But with the right approach, square and cornered stones become some of the most striking settings you can make.

In this Little Metal Foxes online workshop, we will demystify setting stones that are square and other cornered shapes (emerald, triangles, pears, and marquise). Students will learn practical strategies for building settings that protect delicate corners while highlighting the geometry of the stone as a feature or accent to your design.

Working from your own bench, you can create several example settings including:

• Corner-supported bezel settings
• Four- and double-prong settings for faceted stones
• Collet / crown settings that elevate and frame the stone
• Techniques adaptable for cabochons and faceted stones

Along the way we’ll cover how to measure stones accurately, design seat, protect corners during setting, and finish for professional results.

This class is perfect for intermediate jewelers and adventurous beginners who want to expand their stone-setting vocabulary and feel confident tackling stones with corners.

Expect lots of tips, problem-solving strategies, and a few classic Little Metal Foxes shortcuts along the way.

In this class you will learn to:

• Design settings specifically for your square and cornered stones
• Measure stones accurately for custom settings
• Demonstrate bezel, prong, and crown-style collet settings
• Cut seats for faceted stones safely
• Protect fragile corners during setting
• Adapt techniques for cabochons vs faceted stones
• Finish settings cleanly without damaging the stone

All classes include the video recording, which you will have access to for 60 days after the class. The Zoom link, handouts, video(s), and other important information can be found by clicking on the individual class link on the "My Courses" page. The Zoom link and handout (if any) will be available 24 hours before the class starts.

You also get 1 free session of Open Studio Access (OSA) in the month following your class. The Zoom link can be found on the course video access page.

The class supply list is below and contains links to buy the supplies you need.

Supply List for Students

Use the links below to purchase any supplies you don't already have for your class. This site may contain Amazon and other affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, at no cost to you, we may receive a small commission on qualifying purchases.

Recommended Tools

• Jeweler’s saw (Rio Grande)
• Files (flat, barrette, needle) (Rio Grande)
• Flex shaft / rotary tool
• Stone setting burs (Rio Grande)
• A small set of miscellaneous burs shapes (hart, bearing, round)
• Bezel pusher and/or rocker (Lion Punch Forge) (Rio Grande)
• Prong pusher
• Burnisher (Rio Grande)
• Stone setting pliers (Rio Grande)
• Bezels forming mandrels assortment (Otto Frei)
• Bezel forming block for desired shape (these are optional but very useful!) (Otto Frei)
• Brass mallet
• Calipers 
• Dividers (Rio Grande)
• Polishing and finishing tools
• Optivisor or magnifiers

Recommended Materials

• Fancy shape stones with points and corners like squares, triangles, pears, marquise, and cushion cuts
• A selection of metal you would like to work with, we recommend 16-20ga, and some 22g sheet.

Helpful Extras

• Parallel pliers
• Stone holding wax
• Ring clamp
• Hammer hand piece for Foredom flex shaft