Is there much difference between handmade gold jewelry and jewelry made from other metals like copper and platinum? You might think there is, but there isn’t much difference. Beginner Jewelers usually start by making pieces from less expensive metals like copper to practice. Eventually, they can use more expensive metals like gold when they eventually get better.

The method of soldiering gold is the same without other metals. to make handmade gold jewelry, you need the following

  • A large torch
  • Liquid flux
  • Charcoal block

Here are a few common questions people have on making go jewelry.

  1. What kind of gold is preferable?

The kind of gold you should use depends on what you want the final product to look like. Gold comes in three different forms or colors.

  • White gold. This type of gold is not to be confused with silver. It’s not actually white in color book training. To maintain its beauty, white gold must be electroplated with rhodium metal every five years.
  • Yellow gold
  • Rose gold
  • Rare green gold
  1. What does karat mean?

Gold is measured in carats, with 24 carats being the standard pure gold. The finest of gold is measured quite differently in what’s known as parts per thousand. Pure gold has a fineness of 999.9.

These measurements do not indicate if the object is made only of good and cannot tell if other metals have been added to it to make an alloy.

Contrary to what you might think, gold in its purest form is soft, making it incredibly tough to work with. To make it more bearable to work with, gold is combined with metals like silver, zinc, platinum, nickel, copper, etc. Adding these metals also changes the color of the original gold. 24 karat gold indicates about 99.9% gold in the jewelry. The greater the percentage of gold in the alloy, the softer it is, which can influence its use.

  • What shape of gold should I use?

You need to calculate the amount of gold you need to create the piece of jewelry you want to make. The most common ring profile is the half-round shape which looks like a Half Moon or an inverted D. Other common shapes include

  • Flat sheet metal
  • Ground wire
  • Comfort fit

 

  • What kind of solder should I use?

Solder is a piece of metal, usually an alloy, that helps combine metals by melting them. Many of the common solders are not used with gold. You would need to buy a unique gold soda for gold. 

The correct soda has the exact measurements as gold. If you are trying to melt a 14-karat gold, you must purchase a 14-karat soda. If you use a soda with a lower karat, you could affect what is known as the hallmark of your piece of jewelry.

How to solder gold

  1. Prepare the gold

Preparation involves annealing for softening, ensuring a tight join, and filing the metal to get a clean and grease-free surface.

  1. Solder the gold

The following steps are taken in soldier in gold

  • Support your piece and place it on a charcoal block.
  • Use liquid flux to coat the join
  • Cut your solder panel to make a pallion and attach it to the join using liquid flux 

Note: focus the flame on the gold piece and not the solder, and move your flame back and forth to prevent your gold piece from melting.

Conclusion 

That’s the basic info you need to know about gold and how gold jewelry is made. If you feel like this is a lot of information and don’t have the time or resources to do it on your own, you can ask an expert to help with it.

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