First time working with gold

[Debbie K]

Hello

I’ve been asked by a customer who bought some earrings from me to quote for a set of 20 18K gold bangles made from 1mm wire, to be worn together as a stack. I’m a largely self-taught jewellery maker usually using wire wrapping techniques, but I have taken silversmithing courses and I solder and do some basic stone setting. I’ve never worked with gold, and I don’t usually make bangles, so I have told my customer these things, but have researched the gold cost for her. I also made a bangle of the right size in sterling silver, so I could give her an idea of how long it might reasonably take to make 20 similar bangles — even if it's not me that makes them. I’ve basically been trying to help her out with info but not really intending to make the bangles myself, as I have felt I’m not the best qualified person she would be able to find — in fact, I was surprised to be asked. However, she still wants me to make them.

The silver bangle was easy to make and didn’t take long, so I hope gold would be similarly easy. But I have a few concerns and I wondered if someone would be kind enough to advise me?

Will gold and gold solder behave similarly to sterling and silver solder when it comes to soldering?

Will I be able to work harden 1mm gold wire bangles sufficiently for them to be durable and not constantly deform in use? My instinct would be to make bangles not much thinner than 1.5mm, and if using silver I would prefer to hammer them to work harden and then put in my jewellery tumbler for several hours. Will tumbling to harden be effective with gold? If my customer doesn’t want the bangles hammered, I'm concerned about whether 1mm gold wire can be made hard enough.

Is there anything else I would need to know about making these bangles that I’m missing?

Finally, I’d be really grateful for an idea of how long you think this job should take?

Thanks so much to anyone who is prepared to advise me.

Debbie

[Snorkmaiden]

Hi Debbie,

I'm fairly amateur and hardly ever get to work with gold, so I am no expert. But from the little bits I have done I would say gold was rather rewarding and easy to work with. The gold ear wires I made with 0.8mm wire work hardened really quickly, and soldering went really smoothly. You could always make one and see how you feel before you commit to 20.

[enigma]

Its a simple enough job, as Snorkmaiden says perhaps make one in gold before committing so you are comfortable with it before buying that much gold in?
I would say if anything that yellow gold is easier to work with than silver.
Tumbling actually doesn't work harden silver or gold, thats a myth but hammering, twisting or burnishing will harden the gold.
I haven't made a bangle that thin myself so couldn't say whether it would hold its shape, how is the silver one doing?
Gold hardens better than silver so if the silver one works the gold ones will.
Whatever you do don't underprice your work, if the customer wants 18ct gold she should be prepared to pay a decent price.
As far as how long they will take to make, if you already made one in silver then that is your guide, its impossible for anybody else to say as we all work at different paces.
Don't forget to factor in polishing if you haven't yet polished the silver one.

[Dennis]

Dear Debbie,

Yes as said above, gold is in many ways easier to solder, because it does not conduct heat away as rapidly as silver. As for hardening, stretching slightly on a bangle mandrel by tapping repeatedly with a hide mallet or similar, or even just pulling towards the fatter end with your finger nails is the best you can do.

It is just a much repeated myth that tumbling can harden metal. As there is no physical distortion the best you can hope for is a slight increase in surface hardness, but not resistance to bending out of shape.

I have only done this in silver, but you might like to see the result below. Dennis.

[Debbie K]

Thank you so much, Snorkmaiden, Enigma and Dennis! I really appreciate the input.

In answer to Enigma's question, I think the silver bangle I've made would bend relatively easily and would be much better hammered. The best thing, I guess, would be to do as Dennis suggests and make the bangles a bit small, then stretch them/hammer on the mandrel to strengthen.

The bangles in Dennis' photo look lovely and are pretty much what my customer wants in gold, but not entwined (if I'm right in thinking the silver ones are made like a Russian wedding ring).

I really think the suggestion to make one before committing to 20 is the best way to go, and thank you for that.

Really grateful for the help.

Debbie

Dear Debbie,

Yes as said above, gold is in many ways easier to solder, because it does not conduct heat away as rapidly as silver. As for hardening, stretching slightly on a bangle mandrel by tapping repeatedly with a hide mallet or similar, or even just pulling towards the fatter end with your finger nails is the best you can do.

It is just a much repeated myth that tumbling can harden metal. As there is no physical distortion the best you can hope for is a slight increase in surface hardness, but not resistance to bending out of shape.

I have only done this in silver, but you might like to see the result below. Dennis.

[Dennis]

.The bangles in Dennis' photo are pretty much what my customer wants in gold, but not entwined (if I'm right in thinking the silver ones are made like a Russian wedding ring).Debbie

Yes, rather like a Russian wedding ring but many more. The whole thing needs bigger hoops, because they crowd the space for the hand to go through, On the plus side, they support each other against deformation.

Those were 1.10 mm wires, but if you don't want that casual look you will probably need to upgrade to 1.50 mm for rigidity. You might also consider a long oval jump ring to keep the together and aligned. Dennis.

[Goldsmithing]

Some good points made by all. I agree that putting a hammered finish is your best option to work harden them but it would loose the look your customer wants. If I took on the order, I would experiment by pulling approximately 1.75 mm wire through a draw plate to 1 mm then wrap it around a smaller round cylinder (this may take a few experimentation attempts) to allow for expansion to the correct diameter. As the gold is slower to conduct heat like Dennis mentioned, with a hot enough flame, I would attempt to heat the join area with the flame perpendicular to the wire to avoid accidentally annealing too much of the bangle and minimizing any movement of the wire from the annealing process due to unequal heating of the sides. You may be able to get the solder to melt with a minimal annealed section that could be supported by the rest of the hardened bangle (with only a few light taps on a mandrel needed to re contour the round profile).

I totally agree with making one or a couple to experiment before going all in and that 1 mm is approaching the limits of possibility while keeping your customer satisfied. If the wire is wavy after the draw plate, put one end in a vise and pull the wire on the other end until you feel it stretch a bit. This is definitely not a straight forward job between trying to align the ends of a work hardened 1mm bangle to experimenting with the amount of expansion, etc.

Good luck.

[lina]

Can someone suggest about the gold color, please? Is there difference to work with yellow, white, green or rose gold?

[Antony]

Hi Debbie, I'd echo what everyone has said, I make a lot of silver bangles, all hammered & was worried about the transition to gold but it was easier if anything, just don't think about the cost of the raw material. The only thing I would add is buy a small tube of 18ct solder paste rather than gold solder sheet, it's so much easier & cost effective. Good luck!

[enigma]

Can someone suggest about the gold color, please? Is there difference to work with yellow, white, green or rose gold?

hi Lina

Yes, and also depends on the carat level.
The main thing I noticed is that white has a tendency to collapse if you aren't careful with soldering and also needs a higher temperature for casting.