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kadriver

kadriver

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 25, 2010
Messages
1,830
Location
United States
I have a friend who is looking for a formula to make green gold.

I've heard of it but I don't know how to make it.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you,
kadriver
 
Classically Green Gold was 75% gold and 25% silver. (18 parts Au to 6 parts Ag) It was a subtle green for sure. 14 karat green was 14 parts Au to 10 parts ag.

Lowering the silver to 23% and adding 2% Cadmium makes a much brighter green, but Cadmium is toxic so it is not used in newer more modern alloys.

Either alloy is difficult to refine due to the high silver so inquartation is a must. When I teach jewelers to refine I always have them mix up some 14 or 18 karat green gold and roll it out just so they can see how difficult it is to refine without inquartation. So I do see it a lot but you can barely see it's green tint unless it is made into a piece with yellow gold and rose gold and green gold alloys intermixed. Then it is quite attractive.
 
Nickel is another metal that is no longer put into jewelry in the USA. Nickel allergies in the form of contact dermatitis is the reason. I didn't mention it because it is not toxic to refiners like cadmium but I probably should have.

Whoops, my bad.
 
4metals said:
Nickel is another metal that is no longer put into jewelry in the USA. Nickel allergies in the form of contact dermatitis is the reason. I didn't mention it because it is not toxic to refiners like cadmium but I probably should have.

Whoops, my bad.
Click to expand...

That's OK 4metals - we forgive you :lol: :twisted: :mrgreen:

Kurt
 
Actually, nickel is still in US jewelry--most white gold uses it as far as I know, unless the alloy is called out as a palladium alloy. I do believe nickel content, and specifically the amount that comes in contact with skin, is regulated in the European Union though.

Nickel is a powerful (and relatively cheap) whitener. Consider that nickel "silver" alloy (aka "German silver" or alpaca) is about 60% copper, 20% zinc, 20% nickel. Without that 1/5 nickel, it'd be yellow (brass).
 
I just spoke to a client that I set up an assay lab for a few years back. Part of their capability request was an Atomic Absorption for nickel analysis. They have an entire line of hypoallergenic gold which they certify to be nickel free. I thought that it was being eliminated from all jewelry as this was their implication at the time. Our conversation today, revealed they actually have both, jewelry with nickel and jewelry without.

Second whoops, same thread, I'd better stop drinking coffee!
 
"Whoops" is a part of my daily life, but I usually blame them on lack of coffee, not too much coffee ;)

There's certainly a growing market for nickel-free stuff in the US, and as a refiner I wouldn't mind seeing it go away either. Not as bad as lead or tin for processes, but still yucky ('scuse my technical jargon).
 
To clarify the situation in th EU, it's about release rates with nickel bearing alloys. How much nickel is released from the alloy onto the skin I believe, JM used to have an 18k white alloy that was gold and virtually all nickel as the remainder constituent but it passed the EU rules, I can't remember the other metals in the alloy but they represented only a few percent of the total, I'm guessing that whatever they were kept the nickel within the alloy.. if anyone knows more please advise.
 
4metals said:
Nickel is another metal that is no longer put into jewelry in the USA. Nickel allergies in the form of contact dermatitis is the reason. I didn't mention it because it is not toxic to refiners like cadmium but I probably should have.

Whoops, my bad.
Click to expand...

I can back this up from experience. I have approx 150Kg of gold plated jewelry to process for a guy simply because he cannot resell this gold over nickel over copper product as jewelry any more. Effectively its worth is measured only in the metals.
 
Don't use cadmium. It is cancerous specially when melted.

You should be fine with 75% gold and 25% silver.
There's another alloy which contains aluminum, I forgot the formula.
But remember that green gold is not attractive at all, that's why we never use it.

Nickel is used all over the world by jewelers in order to save cost. As long as it passes the Nickel Emission Tests it should minimize the cause of skin allergy. Some people are still allergic to it even if it passes the nickel emission tests. Other forms of white gold are expensive and are harder to work with.
 

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