Making A White 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. Will I need to get the ring plated at the end of the process? Any suggestions where this can be done in the UK?

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. 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. 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. One parameter wasn't mentioned: the thickness of the metal. Maybe the men experts here are going to laugh but I simply don't have enough force to bend, say 8 mm x 0.8 mm (or thicker) white gold stripe into a ring. Well, I guess I can do it but it doesn't worth the effort. In such cases, I make the ring from silver (while enjoying the work) and then cast it in white gold. Make sure you calculate the contraction in advance. 6 weeks is plenty of time for the whole process.

Making A White Gold Ring ?

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