Gold Plating Advice Please

Hi - I've had an interest in jewellery making for a couple of years now, just as a hobby, with silver and gold, gemstones etc and I'm keen to learn and become more skilled. I see some lovely jewellery, particularly when on holiday abroad, Chania in Crete, Kalkhan in Turkey, for example, that is made of silver that has been gold plated and which has a mat finish that I like. I'd like to produce items with this look and finish but don;t know how. Can anyone advise me on the equipment jewellers use when gold plating silver and obtaining a mat gold finish? I've looked at the electroplating 'machines' that Cooksons sell, but they seem to have 1 lite or 1.5 litre capacity tanks and I wondered if actually that was a bit large for just the occasional small jewellery item such as earrings, rings etc?

Thank you.

For small items a plating pen would do it, although the thickness of gold would remain rather too thin to resist wear on items such as rings. Larger plating equipment involves serious health and safety issues, unsuitable for the home.

I would suggest you also consider sending away for professional plating:http://www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk/libra...gold%20plating

Thank you for this information. Would the pen method provide the matt finish I seek, not a glossy finish?

Yes all plating is just a build up of minute granules and needs polishing to be glossy. Of course plating also reflects the finish of the underlying metal, so you could introduce some additional texturing there too. Dennis.

Can I gold plate an item of jewellery when it is finished and the stone is set, or must this be done before setting any stones? Also,
If I gold plate pieces of sterling silver, can I then solder these to silver, just as if they were solid gold?

Many Thanks

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stripe

Can I gold plate an item of jewellery when it is finished and the stone is set, or must this be done before setting any stones? Also,
If I gold plate pieces of sterling silver, can I then solder these to silver, just as if they were solid gold?

Many Thanks

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Most finished items can be gold plated but with care. Gold plated items cannot be hard soldered after plating without the plating being effected.

James