Rose Gold Plating

**Hannah Jackson** · 31-03-2014, 08:36 PM

Hi,

I am looking for a way to Rose Gold Electroplate my silver jewellery in a tank. The only problem is I would like a thickness of between 2-4 microns depending on the pieces I am plating, but all the Rose Gold Tank solutions I can find only apply a very fine guilding layer which wouldn't be suitable at all. I have found other kits which work by brush plating and I am assured these can apply a layer of 2-4 microns if I spend long enough brush plating them. I have found tons of kits that will Gold Tank plate 4 microns but nothing for Rose Gold.

Is it *actually* possible to Rose Gold Electroplate using a tank kit? Or should I just give up and send a few pieces off to a professional company for them to do it?

Can anyone recommend any kits or any professional company I can send my stuff to that will Rose Gold plate for a reasonable price? Initially I am only wanting up to 10 smallish (2cmx2cm) pieces Rose Gold Plated.

Hannah

**Dennis** · 31-03-2014, 10:19 PM

Dear Hannah,

It is my understanding and others may correct me, that when you electroplate, you plate with the metal in its pure form.

So for instance when you electroplate with gold, you apply pure (24ct) gold, which is a rich metallic yellow. Dennis.

**caroleallen** · 01-04-2014, 07:23 AM

I only know about pen plating but you can definitely pen plate with rose gold.

**caroleallen** · 01-04-2014, 07:27 AM

You could always ring these people, they're quite helpful.

http://www.goldn.co.uk/gold-tank-plating-kit/

**Goldsmith** · 01-04-2014, 07:31 AM

Hi Hannah, May I suggest that you use experts to gild your pieces, using coloured gold plating solutions, requires separate tanks for each solution used and can be expensive if things go wrong. I have been in this trade for 53 years now and I leave all gilding jobs to experts. Try these companies, I have used them both in the past with great results.
BJS; http://www.bjsco.com/services.php and http://www.fsinclair.co.uk/services-we-provide

James

**Dennis** · 01-04-2014, 12:00 PM

That's interesting. Does anyone know how it works? James says you need separate slutions, so does the electrolite for rose gold contain copper? Dennis.

**Goldsmith** · 01-04-2014, 01:32 PM

Originally Posted by Dennis

That's interesting. Does anyone know how it works? James says you need separate slutions, so does the electrolite for rose gold contain copper? Dennis.

Dennis, modern hard gold gilding is different from our old ways of electro plating, when we hung the fine gold piece on one end of a wire and the job on the other, then turned on the power before dipping both ends in warm cyanide and watched the bubbles as the gold seemed to jump across to the job. These days the gold is dissolved in chemicals which when added to distilled water make a gilding solution, the electrode wires have a neutral block of metal on the end where we used to hang the fine gold and the electro reaction draws the gold from the solution onto the job hanging on the other wire. Cookson sell a hard gold solution for rose gold gilding; http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...rcode-998-201R

James

**ShinyLauren** · 01-04-2014, 04:55 PM

Originally Posted by Goldsmith

Dennis, modern hard gold gilding is different from our old ways of electro plating, when we hung the fine gold piece on one end of a wire and the job on the other, then turned on the power before dipping both ends in warm cyanide and watched the bubbles as the gold seemed to jump across to the job. These days the gold is dissolved in chemicals which when added to distilled water make a gilding solution, the electrode wires have a neutral block of metal on the end where we used to hang the fine gold and the electro reaction draws the gold from the solution onto the job hanging on the other wire. Cookson sell a hard gold solution for rose gold gilding; http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...rcode-998-201R

James

Does this mean that pen plating solutions don't contain cyanide then? I've been too scared to get one, as we learned plating at college and all the big scary warning signs about the cyanide put the fear of god into me!