Jewelry Man Gold Ring
Q.I have the opportunity of making a white gold wedding ring for a man getting married in 6 weeks. He wants a brushed finish to the ring. Since I have not used white gold before (I work almost exclusively with silver) I feel a bit apprehensive. Comments and advice would be very much appreciated. 1/ Will I need to get the ring plated at the end of the process? Any suggestions where this can be done in the UK? 2/ What metal finish do you suggest? 3/ I guess that I would brush the ring after plating not before?
A.White gold is much stiffer than silver, and in soldering, doesn't transmit heat the way silver does. So you may wish to try a practice solder joint on a bit of scrap before doing the real thing. But in general, with a bit more force in bending and forming, and otherwise following the general rules that lead to good work in any metal, you'll do fine. If you're carving a wax and having it cast, then the process is very similar to silver. 1/ That depends on your preferences, and on the specific white gold alloy. There is quite a range of color, with some alloys having a distinct yellowish or brownish tinge to them. These, if you want a very white looking metal, will need rhodium electroplating. Or perhaps you like the warmer/darker tone, in which case, leave the metal as is. There are some white gold alloys, though, especially those higher in nickel content (possibly not available in the EU?) which are quite white already, and don't need rhodium. They tend to be much harder and stiffer, more difficult to work. But certainly not impossible. 2/ Which ever you (the designer), or the client, wish for the design. 3/No. rhodium plating is the very last step. After plating, you clean and dry it thoroughly (or the plater will have already done that) and all that's left is to box up the ring and deliver it. The finish before plating is the absolute final finish you desire. Nothing is done after plating, or you'd take the plated layer right off again.
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