Going For The Gold

The ring is done and I must say it’s gorgeous! Gold, while presenting a unique set of problems for me, is so much easier to granulate and is so beautiful. While I could easily pick the piece apart and point out flaws I’ll just say that I love it and I’d be very, very happy to keep it!

I did learn that 18k yellow gold is not my friend, or I should say, 18k yellow gold solder is not my friend. Apparently, it’s not a friend of any jeweler I talked to either. It’s really, really hard to melt which made attaching the rims very difficult. I think each side was fired 5-6 times before the entire rim attached. Each time I held my breath as I prayed I wouldn’t overheat the entire ring and melt it. Then there was the soldering pitting problem I encountered when I did overheat it. Gold solder “melts” into the gold if it gets too hot resulting in a type of pit that must be filled with, you guessed it, more solder. Luckily, I managed to correct all mistakes and end up with a nice piece.

The real test will be how the recipient reacts to her gift. All I really want is for her to be pleased with it and to wear it with love. I’ll keep you posted.

Can you see the fine silver granule at the top? I love the idea of it so much I’m going to incorporate an “incorrect” granule into my future work.