2/1/2013
This client was studying in French Guyana for his masters thesis. Miners in the area paid him in gold for bananas he was growing. He used it to create a pair of wedding rings as a gift for his best friend's wedding.

gold amalgamized with mercury

High quality gold mined from French Guyana. Mercury is used by small scale miners
to amalgamate the gold. These nuggets were supplied by a client. Standard jewelry
by Sam Abbay is made from 99% recycled precious metals.
melting the gold nuggets

We heated the nuggets under a vacuum hood to evaporate any mercury from the
amalgam, then melted the gold to create a uniform alloy.
nearly 24k gold buttons

The nuggets are melted separately in case one or more contain impurities that inhibit workability. Substantial
impurities would require refining, which is time consuming and costly. More info on refining.
gold smashed into pancakes

The gold buttons are smashed into pancakes to test malleability.
gold, silver, and copper measured to create an 18k alloy

Gold, silver, and copper are measured out to melt into an 18k alloy.
The gold ingot after melting

A gold ingot is poured from the melt.
The ring is rolled into half-round ring stock

The gold is formed into half-round ring stock in an old Italian rolling mill.

 

18k gold wire through a drawplate

Gold wire is pulled through a drawplate to create the smaller ring stock.
rings are formed by joining the ends to create a circle

The gold ring stock is bent into a circle and with the ends aligned in a tight joint.

 
solder is melted into the seam of the ring

 

A second alloy of gold with a slightly lower melting temperature fills the seam.

 
excess solder is filed from the ring

Excess gold is filed from the joint to create a smooth seam undetectable to
the naked eye.

 
finished 18k gold rings with matte finish

The completed 18k gold wedding rings with matte finish.

 

Back to classes page -or- alloy workshop pricing.

 

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