White Gold Question

[eamon]

Hi

I have been asked to make 2 rings in White Gold for a friends wedding. I have never worked in Gold before. Mainly Sterling silver and copper.

I am fairly new to Jewellery making, 1- 2 years teaching myself from Youtube and trial and error....


Just looking for some advice on a few questions I have if anyone could offer some help or advice??


Would I need to buy new files, saw blades, to avoid cross metal contamination?

Is there a different pickle solution for working in White gold?

How different is the soldering process from sterling silver to white gold?

for Polishing do i need to buy new compound or wheels for my bench polisher other than rouge and tripoli?

Is Rhodium plating a necessary part of the white gold finishing stage?


Is there anything else I should look out for with making a ring in White Gold.

Thanks in advance for any help or tips.

Eamon

[Wallace]

"I am fairly new to Jewellery making, 1- 2 years teaching myself from Youtube and trial and error "-
great news, great to have a such a diverse resource. It has been 14 years for me. Mostly books as that was before the boom of YouTube.



"Would I need to buy new files, saw blades, to avoid cross metal contamination?"
Different schools of thought on this. I clean mine between metals. Only in melting do I use metal type specific tools.

"Is there a different pickle solution for working in White gold?"
Any pickle will pickle.

"How different is the soldering process from sterling silver to white gold?"
Soldering gold is only needing a focus at the point of the joint, rather than the whole piece.

"for Polishing do i need to buy new compound or wheels for my bench polisher other than rouge and tripoli?"
No, just don't mix different compounds on the same wheel. Keep dedicated wheels with dedicated polishes. (I keep polishes with wheels in bags of same types. E.g. Tripoli brushes and mops with tripoli polish)

"Is Rhodium plating a necessary part of the white gold finishing stage?"
Only if it is a preference of the customer.


"Is there anything else I should look out for with making a ring in White Gold."
Keep it annealed. It cracks easily.


Enjoy working with it. It is my favourite type of gold.

[eamon]

Hi Wallace,

Many thanks for all your helpful tips in your reply.

Thanks, you have really put my mind at ease, as quite nervous about moving from silver to gold.

Thanks again
much appreciated
Eamon

[Dennis]

There is no need to change anything. Just treat it as silver and you will be surprised at how easy it is.

You do not say what white gold you are using:

9ct can slump if overheated, so you might just use medium rather than hard solder. A small mount of wire solder is a cheap option and can be beaten and cut up into pallions
The colour to me is quite pretty and it is very hard wearing, with a slight yellow cast. If you have it rhodium plated, it will look more like chrome and patches will wear through in a year or so.

!8ct white has a much greyer look, more like steel, unless you can source a specialist white alloy. However some people prefer this more industrial look.

My real advice is that recipients, especially if they are not used to wearing rings, can be quite casual about choosing a size. So make exact samples in copper first, And insist that they try them for a few days for approval. Otherwise you might well have the embarrassment of re-sizing them afterwards. Dennis.

[eamon]

Hi Dennis,

Sorry just getting around to seeing your reply now.

Sounds like a good idea with the copper first, although since I originally posted, I have a feeling they will choose silver instead of White Gold.

Thanks for all your help and info.
Eamon